Joe McKendrick

Using technology to stay ahead of the seemingly impossible compliance curve, and saving a few bucks in the process.

Although the insurance industry can be found cautiously lagging behind social media trends, savvy companies can be found making the simple dynamic and social CRM their endgame.

Under-utilized and misunderstood, the agile methodology, if handled correctly, helps deliver software and systems with greater speed. In today's hyper-competitive economy, this is essential.

The insurance industry is seen as a prime example of how to handle data-sharing the right way; namely, collecting data on policyholders' driving habits in order to offer discounts for safe driving behaviors.

What's required is an enterprise tool that can capture and process social media conversations for management and maintenance by the carrier, not the social network service.

Outsourcing may be down a bit, but there's a compelling value proposition in the idea of looking to cloud providers to acquire bite-size chunks of services when needed, paying only for what is used, when it is used.

Is there technology out there that can save insurers from mistakenly classifying luxury automobiles as farm vehicles?

Social CRM may ultimately lose its cachet, but until then, the insurance industry is just beginning to explore the possibilities this new dimension of data provides.

The OS is something we're thinking less and less about, as we focus on higher parts of the stack.

With a focus on growth rather than simple cost-cutting, insurance CIOs are trying to deeply change the mix of capabilities, knowledge and assets within their organizations.

USAA's corporate culture fostered on the inside is reflected out to the market.

Insurers will be challenged to make work on legacy systems as interesting and fulfilling as any social networking startup may be.

Five Key Points That Should be Part of Every Social Media Policy

Without dirt-cheap storage, there would be no Big Data. And no cloud for that matter, either.

Organizations need to defend their data assets against internal threats, not only disaffected workers but also trusted administrators who hold the keys.

SOA has seen a resurgence, largely because most insurers are contemplating a move to cloud – public, private, or hybrid – and need the supporting infrastructure to make it viable.

To compete for skilled IT pros in this reviving economy, insurers will to market themselves as great places to work, and offer open, flexible working arrangements, likely with compensation tied to performance.

Cloud computing may help meet some the challenges that are arising from Big Data.

Shockingly, there is a stunning disconnect between consumers who are increasingly concerned about data breaches and the boards responsible for preventing them.

Idea management systems are just one option for insurers looking to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.