Someone sent me a column by computer-industry consultant Kathleen Dollard about the pace of change. It started me thinking that there are two great forces that are going to impact our industry. The first is the rate of change in technology. The second is more subtle but just as important — the rate of retirements in our industry. Over the next ten years, our industry will look very different.

Continue reading "Where Are The Experts?" »

For a number of years, the great processor race has been for speed. The speed race is finished. Now the race is to see how many processors can be fit on one chip. The currently available chips can have from two to four processor cores on one chip. A research chip exists that has 80 cores on one chip. If you are using servers with four processor cores, the operating system will handle spreading out the tasks, but you're not really taking advantage of the processing power that exists. We're still writing software for one process at a time. To take advantage, we'll need to reengineer our policy administration systems and adopt parallel programming techniques to move forward.

Continue reading "The Coming Challenge: Taking Advantage of Processing Power" »

A recent article detailing the launch of a new satellite for Google Earth started me thinking about how much the imaging industry has changed. The new satellite will have an accuracy of about 10 to 25 feet. If you checked your house using one of the public mapping services several months ago, you probably saw a photo that was years out of date. A fresh check of the satellite services for my house showed a photo probably taken within the last couple of months. More that just a voyeuristic pursuit, the satellite services have been used recently to look for Steve Fossett.

Continue reading "Why Google Earth Images Could Eventually Affect Insurance Policy Rates" »

Recently, taxi drivers in New York and Philadelphia held a one-day strike to protest the installation of GPS systems in their taxis. They claim that the cost of the systems is excessive, but it has more to do with tracking the location of taxis. Soon, passengers will be able to view their progress on a screen. This is part of a larger trend to include GPS systems in all vehicles. For insurance companies, it's another opportunity to gather information about mileage and driving habits, also a growing trend.

Continue reading "GPS Tracking In Cabs A Valuable Opportunity For Insurance Companies " »