Enterprise IT Swings Back to Insourcing
8/26/2014Insourcing is becoming more common as businesses try to leverage newer technologies and tools to create business opportunities.
Profile of Greg MacSweeney
Editorial Director Member Since: 5/8/2014Author
Blog Posts: 284
Posts: 205
Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology.
Articles by Greg MacSweeney
Insourcing is becoming more common as businesses try to leverage newer technologies and tools to create business opportunities.
Financial Industry Expert Julio Gomez Joins UIA/Data Analytics Provider Attivio
8/15/2012Julio Gomez, the founder of Gomez, Inc. and Innovation Councils, has joined Attivio to help it expand in the financial services industry.
Compliance, Web Services And XML Star in 2004
2/8/2004Insurers will begin to roll out effective Web services initiatives, while striving to comply with a myriad of regulations, industry experts predict
ProvWash Removes Paper
2/7/2004As part of its effort to remove paper from the reporting process, Providence Washington Insurance Co
SunGard/Sherwood on Track
2/7/2004Sherwood unit runs separately, but new products to come this year
Employee Benefits Deal
2/7/2004To better serve the employee benefits marketplace, Applied Systems (University Park, Ill.) is teaming with San Francisco-based BenefitPoint
2004 Business Technology Forecast Preview
12/17/2003Insurance & Technology asks a panel of distinguished industry observers what the new year will bring for senior technology executives of insurance companies.
Calif. BC Moves to E-Pay/EOB
11/25/2003Carrier partners with Bank of America to develop e-payments tech.
Tapping EIM Growth
11/25/2003In order to tap into the EIM market in financial services, estimated by Giga Information Group to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 40 percent through 2005, Callidus Software has partnered with IBM.
Senate Mulls Fed. Ins. Regs
11/24/2003As the Senate Committee on Commerce reviews the adequacy of state-based insurance regulation, segments of the industry are quickly taking sides.
What’s your Legacy plan?
10/29/2003One thing's for sure: A monolithic approach won't work. Depending on the particular application and platform, insurers' legacy replacement/enhancement strategies vary widely according to the project specifics.
Siebel Increases Presence in EIM and Hosted CRM Markets
10/22/2003Siebel Systems' recent acquisitions of UpShot Corp, a provider of Internet-based hosted CRM services, and enterprise incentive management provider Motiva, Inc. are part of the CRM giant's overall growth strategy.
Making Change Easy
10/22/2003Since accepting change is the hardest thing for any organization, Joe Gauches strives to ease transition pains.
See You On The Flip Side
10/22/2003Providence Washington's Ed Leveille flips IT spending percentages to increase R&D funding.
ELITE 8 INSIGHTS: SUCCESSFUL CIOS BALANCE LIFE & WORK
10/8/2003Becoming a successful CIO takes a lot of hard work and there are many challenges as an executive moves up the corporate ladder. But getting to the top IT spot is only half the battle -- staying there and continuing to be successful leader, while not burning out, can be just as difficult.
Successful CIOs Work Hard, But Know How To Delegate
10/8/2003Past Elite 8 honorees discuss how they continue to produce results and remain successful, while building great teams and overcoming budget and time management hurdles.
A New Breed of Financial IT Exec
9/29/2003AXA Financial's Charles Curcio is a new breed of insurance technology executive
MetLife Moves to Frictionless Procurement
9/29/2003Insurer consolidates enterprise-wide procurement onto a single system to increase efficiency, quality.
Unitrin Uses Trumbull
9/29/2003Unitrin Direct will outsource its subrogation to Trumbull Services LLC to maximize recovery opportunities and to streamline the subrogation process.
ISLF 2003 REPORT: CARRIERS RECOGNIZE XML, STANDARDS AS KEYS TO EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
9/24/2003The resounding themes at Insurance & Technology's and ACORD's Insurance Standards Leadership Forum, held yesterday in Chicago, was that XML-based applications make it easier for agents to conduct business and that insurance carriers are increasingly focused on using standards to improve and streamline business processes.
RETIREMENT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH FRANK JERSEY, FORMER LEVERAGE GROUP EXEC
8/27/2003It only took about 60 days of retirement before Frank Jersey, former president, CEO and chairman of The Leverage Group, discovered a business opportunity that brought him back into the insurance business.
NEW CONTRACTS
8/21/2003A listing of recent insurance company/IT provider contract announcements.
CSAA Quotes with Steel Card
8/21/2003CSAA has selected and rolled out a new Web-based quoting system based on the Apogee platform.
Calif. Gets Strict on Privacy
8/21/2003California SB 1386, a new law requires companies with even a single California customer to report any personal data breach to the affected parties, or be subject to civil penalties.
Cutting Fat Clients with Thin Emulation
8/21/2003Liberty Northwest consolidates and upgrades network with assistance from NetManage.
E-Payments: The Waiting Is the Hardest Part
8/20/2003Long-heralded as the next step in e-commerce, e-payments have failed to live up to the hype. So when will e-payments reach the tipping point?
Knowledge Is Power
8/20/2003Sharing knowledge in an insurance company is vital. But in order for a knowledge management activity to succeed, it must be tied to business strategy.
AIG/PRU/KEMPER ONLINE JOINT VENTURE FUSURA CLOSES FOLLOWING SPONSORS' STRATEGY SHIFT
8/13/2003At its launch in 2001, Fusura was heralded as a new breed of P&C insurance agency. But after two of its three investors sold off their personal P&C businesses, the venture's chief executive has decided to wind down the agency's operations.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES HELP KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT GROW
7/30/2003New advancements in technology and methodologies may signal that knowledge management is ready for broader acceptance in the insurance industry.
Redefining BC Best Practices
7/15/2003Almost two years after the 9/11 attacks, experts say a sound business continuity plan relies on testing, testing ... and more testing.
Tailoring Healthcare with IT
7/15/2003At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota (Eagan, MN, $1.8 billion in assets), John Ounjian, chief information officer, says that his company is leveraging IT to meet the ever-higher expectations that customers have of their insurance provider, while also working to reduce costs.
CAA Replaces Ailing System Just In Time
7/15/2003When an older imaging system reached capacity limits, CAA Insurance turned to FileNet.
Short Timeline Doesn’t Daunt LTC Partners
7/15/2003Hancock/MetLife greenfield builds infrastructure in three months for federal LTC program.
MoneyMentor Tries 'Edutainment'
7/15/2003ING's consumer portal combines entertainment and education.
FL Approves Hurricane Model
7/15/2003The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology, an organization established by the Florida Legislature to establish reliable methods of projection for hurricane losses, has approved the AIR 2003 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone model from AIR Worldwide Corp. (Boston).
LFG Integrates Legacy with BPI
7/15/2003Lincoln Financial Group will integrate legacy systems with technology from Metaserver.
New Contracts
7/15/2003A listing of recent insurance company/IT provider contract announcements.
New Health Models Stress Carriers' IT
7/15/2003Health insurers are scrambling to enhance systems to accommodate the consumer-directed healthcare model.
CAREFIRST EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIAN OUTSOURCING PROVIDER
7/2/2003Building on an existing outsourcing and co-development relationship, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield awards an additional number of projects to EPAM, an outsourcer that connects teams of Russian developers based in Moscow and Minsk with corporate clients.
E-Business Strategy Boosts Retention
6/23/2003The Principal Financial Group wins the 2003 Internet Innovator's Award (sponsored by InSystems, I&T and Celent) for use of online forms presentation and e-signatures in its IRA Online Rollover process.
PHILADELPHIA INSURANCE COS. STREAMLINE FINANCIAL REPORTING
6/18/2003Philadelphia Insurance Companies will begin to add automation to its previously manual process of budgeting and financial planning by deploying business performance management software from Satori Group.
Offshoring Can Improve Quality
6/5/2003Although most offshore initiatives start with cost savings in mind, many firms also are seeking improvements in productivity and quality.
Governance Falls into CIO’s Lap
6/5/2003Although compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley means CEOs are in the hot seat, CIOs will do much of the heavy data lifting.
Insurers Can’t Live on ROI Alone
6/5/2003More insurance companies are now measuring the total cost of ownership (TCO) along with return on investment (ROI) on technology projects.
Serving Those Who Serve
6/5/2003On the record with Stephen E. Yates, president, USAA Information Technology Co.
Flying High with Web-Based Underwriting
6/5/2003Global Aerospace aims to improve service to customers with a completely Web-based underwriting system.
NC FARM BUREAU TO INSTALL BPM TECH FROM CLEAR TECHNOLOGY
6/4/2003North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. will use a business process management application from Clear Technology to automate manual processes in its policy processing center.
Win Server '03 Boosts Security
6/3/2003Insurers may consider new server platform for Web services.
INSURERS FOCUS ON STANDARDS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT ... AND STANDARDS
5/21/2003Although discretionary IT spending is almost extinct at many insurance carriers—and even non-discretionary spending is under pressure—insurers are spending IT dollars on specific initiatives that will help them remain competitive going forward.
Will Tech Solve CEOs’ Governance Worries?
5/9/2003Business-savvy CIOs can provide technology that makes life easier in the boardroom.
Billing System Drives Cross-Sell Efforts
5/8/2003PrimeWire application consolidates and automates group insurance billing for Conseco.
CSC Inks Tryg To $80 million Outsourcing Deal
5/7/2003Danish property and casualty insurer Tryg has signed a five year $80 million contract with Computer Sciences Corp.
SEEKING THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY'S ELITE
5/7/2003Who do you think is the most visionary technology executive in insurance? Is it someone skillfully negotiating his or her enterprise through the ups and downs of the tight economy, or a leader that has consistently produced a good ROI on all technology initiatives?
EDS Boosts Financial Services
5/5/2003Firm adds 100 executives with financial services consulting expertise.
BEECHER LEAVING TRAVELERS TO BECOME GLOBAL CIO AT MARSH
4/23/2003Diana E. Beecher, SVP/CIO for Travelers Property Casualty, will leave the company to become global CIO at Marsh Inc., Travelers' media relations has confirmed.
The Perennial Legacy Systems Question: Restore or Rebuild?
4/3/2003With tighter budgets and a focus on short-term ROI, many insurers lean toward restoring and enhancing existing systems. Here's how four companies made tough legacy decisions.
Saving with Online HR Self-Service
4/3/2003CUNA Mutual drives internal efficiencies with HR product from Authoria and PeopleSoft.
Aetna Mines Ethnic Health Data
4/1/2003Will analyze data to track racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.
ALLSTATE CREATES NEW ENTERPRISE-WIDE IT STRATEGY VP POSITION
3/11/2003In order to better coordinate technology within the enterprise, Allstate names Anthony Abbattista to the newly created position of VP, enterprise technology strategy and planning.
Web Services: Walk Before You Run
3/4/2003Insurance companies must build a sound technology foundation before using Web services to support the insurance value chain.
Such a Deal: Storage on Sale
3/4/2003Storage system prices are plummeting because of vendor competition and newer low-cost technologies. That's a good thing, since insurers need more storage than ever before.
Supporting an Empire
3/4/2003On the Record with Kenny Klepper, SVP, Systems, Technology & Infrastructure, Empire BCBS.
Norwich Union Conserves Brainpower
3/4/2003Insurer automates processes that once required manual intervention, for a big ROI.
AIG's Loss: A Wake-Up Call
3/3/2003Insurers must invest in underwriting IT, to better predict losses.
WEB SERVICES PROJECTS NEED SOUND TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION
2/26/2003With all of the hype surrounding Web services, insurance executives could easily be led to believe that the technology will solve all their customer service, compatibility and systems integration problems.
SLOW ECONOMY FORCES SHERWOOD INT'L TO STREAMLINE TOP MANAGEMENT
2/12/2003Sherwood International, after the slowing economy resulted in slower-than-expected growth, has eliminated regional senior manager positions in an effort to shorten decision-making cycles and devote more resources to research and development.
HIAA Offers Fraud Program
2/11/2003HIAA training.
Nationwide's Cannon Now Infrastructure CIO
2/11/2003Nationwide promotes Cannon.
R U Ready 4 IM?* (Translation: Are You Ready for Instant Messaging?)
2/11/2003Instant Message usage is exploding in the corporate environment—and is actually increasing productivity and improving service.
NEF Trains Agents With Streaming Video
2/11/2003Carrier can now track usage, while agents benefit from any-time availability.
HIPAA Moves Humana To Revamp Process
2/11/2003Technology from Vitria helps Humana transform claims processes and meet HIPAA requirements at the same time.
ERC To Combine Units
2/6/2003Strategic move merges two commercial insurance subsidiaries.
Building Apps for Sarbanes Regs
2/5/2003Nationwide Financial develops Notes-based internal audit database.
LIBERTY NORTHWEST NAMES WESTOVER E-BIZ HEAD
1/29/2003In an effort to increase its e-commerce presence, Liberty Northwest Insurance Corp., a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual, appointed Michael Westover, former e-business strategist for Liberty International, to lead the company's e-business efforts.
INSURANCE PORTALS: THE NEXT GENERATION
1/15/2003The first generation of insurance portals was supposed to change the Insurance industry forever--from both B2B and B2C perspectives. But the reality is that they did not transform the industry and were, in fact, dismal failures.
Insurers Will Out-Hire Other Sectors
1/13/2003While salaries are stable, or even slightly decreasing, study reveals that insurance CIOs will hire more than their peers in other industries.
Portals Grow Up
1/13/2003Insurers have taken the "lessons learned" from the first round of Internet portals and are applying the knowledge to the next generation of offerings—and have the results to show.
Transformation Specialist
1/13/2003American Modern Insurance Group is transforming itself into a Web-enabled distributor of products.
Cigna Claims Suit Un-Settled
1/10/2003Federal judge in Miami blocks settlement in Illinois case involving claims.
2003 IT Spend To Rise Only Slightly
1/10/2003Industry analysts predict insurance companies will focus on infrastructure and enhancing legacy systems.
Cash Crunch: Creating Savings Beyond The Spending Freeze
12/20/2002Insurers have slashed new technology investments, but IT is still being asked to further reduce costs. Here's how to create savings while continuing to provide value to the business.
Evaluating Empire’s Financial Risk
12/20/2002DFA Capital Management helps Empire Fire & Marine better evaluate financials and risk.
Met Reorgs IT's Human Assets
12/19/2002IT and operations shift senior exec talent to gain business efficiencies.
Healthcare Claims Tech Under Fire
12/19/2002Class action lawsuits are being brought against health insurers that are using McKesson's claims analysis software.
GUARDIAN CONSOLIDATES FACILITIES, SERVICES UNDER CALLAHAN's MANAGEMENT
12/18/2002Dennis S. Callahan, who has just been promoted from CIO to EVP at The Guardian Life Insurance Co., will now oversee building services and facilities for 60 Guardian locations in the US.
WAYNE MUTUAL TURNS TO RIS FOR OUTSOURCING RELIEF
12/4/2002When Wooster, OH-based Wayne Mutual Insurance Co.'s long-time outsourcer informed the carrier that it no longer planned to offer outsourcing services, the small writer of P&C insurance had to move quickly to find a new outsourcing provider.
LIFE INSURERS' EXTRANETS FOR AGENTS MISS THE MARK
11/20/2002In this age where measuring IT success and returns on IT investment is a priority, most life insurance carriers do not measure traffic, ROI or even know how many agents are actually using their agent extranets, according to a report from Forester Research.
Nationwide Hires New CAT Head
11/11/2002Kevin George, formerly from USAA, takes over as CAT director for Nationwide Insurance.
Scholten Will Lead The Principal's IT
11/11/200220-year veteran of The Principal takes over as IT head.
Executive News
11/11/2002Recent comings and goings in the insurance industry.
Drilling Down in Oklahoma
11/8/2002Oklahoma Farm Bureau uses centralized data warehouse and analysis tools to give business users "drill-down" capability into financial data.
Responding to the Triple Whammy
11/8/2002Insurance companies will enhance their financial systems to gain competitive advantage over competitors that do not.
Carriers Mobilize CAT Teams for Lili
11/8/2002P&C insurers are looking to add wireless and broadband connectivity to response teams.
INSURERS MUST BALANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ROI
11/6/2002The technology and consumer-experience intersection is happening in all industries and if the insurance industry doesn't find a way to deal with it, the industry will look bad" when compared to others that do, warned John Ounjian, senior vice president and CIO at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.
MICROSOFT AND SIEBEL TO DELIVER WEB SERVICES
10/23/2002Illustrating the growing momentum behind Web services technology, Microsoft and Siebel Systems announced a multi-year global strategic alliance to deliver enterprise solutions that leverage the benefits of Web services to meet business demands.
DELIVERY STRATEGIES BRIEFS
10/23/2002--> Zurich North America and Preferred Concepts, LLC have rolled out nationally ezumbrella.com;
--> Travelers Property and Casualty received the inaugural Pinnacle Award for outstanding leadership;
--> Progressive Insurance will use IVANS' Transformation Station...
Insurers Scrub-Up for CRM
10/23/2002Before insurance companies can implement client-facing technologies, they must clean and refocus data for customer interactions.
MetLife a Pioneer in Web Services
10/22/2002Long before Web services became a household word in IT shops, MetLife was already well into development.
Carriers Worry about XML Fragmentation
10/22/2002"Creative" development of XML applications may fragment standards.
P&C Exempted from PATRIOT Act
10/17/2002But health and P&C carriers must comply with OFAC's SDN list, even though they are exempt from anti-money laundering and know-the-customer rules of USA PATRIOT Act.
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