Digital Platforms

Denver - InsureMe, an insurance marketing company delivering leads to agents, has unveiled the InsureMe Agent Blog, which is designed to provide industry information to insurance professionals.A Web log, or "blog," is a self-published journal, made accessible to the public via the Internet. Unlike corporate Web sites, blogs are generally less formal and more interactive; the author posts an article and readers can respond with comments and questions.

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENTBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, a Jacksonville-based health plan provider, has selected Beeline.com Inc. to automate and streamline the company's IT contractor staffing processes. Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based Beeline automates the life cycle of contractor engagements, including job order creation and distribution, screening, supplier management, time capture, invoicing and reporting.

Today, various high-tech systems, such as GPS and online map services, help people navigate the physical world, taking the guesswork out of the task of getting from point A to point B.People can now go online, type in some address criteria and a map is generated instantly, detailing critical intersections, which way to go and when to turn. What the claims world needs is an analogous system-one that helps the claims adjuster navigate the complex terrain of business and regulatory requirements.

Rapid growth. It's a "problem" most companies would welcome. Yet, along with accelerated growth comes a bevy of new challenges. At Geico and its affiliated companies, for example, when written premiums grew from $4.1 billion in 1998 to $4.9 billion in 1999, the company had to process twice as many agent licenses with state insurance departments-just to keep enough agents on the phones selling auto policies."In one year, we jumped from about 27,000 active licenses and 48,000 appointments to 55,000 licenses and 115,000 appointments," says Dan Corridon, director of licensing administration at Government Employees Insurance Co. (Geico), the Chevy Chase, Md.-based direct insurer. "We needed a system that was going to do more for us than what we were using."

Shortly after I returned from IsoTech last November, I received one of those forwarded "chain" e-mails. Unlike most chain e-mails I receive, I actually read this one, and, surprisingly, it pertained to a controversial topic that came up at ISOTech during the roundtable session, titled "The Next 'Killer Technology' in Insurance."Panelist Kevin Kelly, managing director, U.S. insurance industry, Microsoft Corp., said he thought sensing technologies were the next killer technology, and he described how radio frequency identification devices could be attached to people or assets to enable the industry to obtain a plethora of information about who or what it's insuring. "There's a privacy element," he admitted. "But people will give up some privacy for convenience."

ON-DEMAND CALL CENTER SERVICEAgents OnDemand is a service designed for three key industry vertical segments-travel, healthcare and financial services-by Working Solutions Inc., a Plano, Texas-based provider of remote agent call center services to Fortune 1000 companies. According to Working Solutions, Agents OnDemand enables contact centers to respond to fluctuating call volumes by leveraging knowledgeable agents when needed.

HUMANA PROVIDES PRESCRIPTION BENEFITS SUMMARYLouisville, Ky.-based Humana Inc. has developed SmartSummary Rx, an in-depth, monthly prescription benefits summary tailored to individual Medicare members. As a companion to the SmartSummary program for commercial members, SmartSummary Rx provides Humana's Medicare enrollees with guidance on cost-savings opportunities, a consolidated prescription claims record and tools can help them budget for future health care and prescription spending.

Ten years have passed since the Web made its debut, threatening to eliminate intermediaries in the insurance sales process. But, after all these years, only a small percentage of insurance consumers actually purchase their policies online.The Internet has evolved, however, and it serves an important role in insurance.

Segundo, Calif. - Two U.S. surveys of property/casualty insurance customers show a large, untapped opportunity for cost control through electronic billing.Conducted for Computer Sciences Corp. by MarketSearch Corp., a survey of car and homeowner insurance billing methods found 88% of auto insurance customers and 93% of homeowner insurance customers still receive bills by mail. Yet 73% of respondents surveyed indicated they would be willing to pay their insurance bills over the Internet. A second survey that asked approximately 350 P&C professionals at CSC's Connect 2005 conference about their own personal insurance experience confirmed these findings.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Expanding on its seminal 2002 study report, "A Comparative Analysis of Claims-based Methods of Health Risk Assessment for Commercial Populations," the Society of Actuaries (SOA) has appointed Milliman USA to produce an updated version of the study.The 2002 report, which evaluated the state of the art in predictive modeling software for health care claims at that time, provided an unbiased forum for comparing the technology and methodologies then available in the market. With the passage of three years and the continuous refinement of these methodologies and software, the SOA strongly felt a fresh look at the tools would provide immediate practical benefits to the health care community.

Dallas - Affiliated Computer Services Inc., a provider of business process outsourcing and information technology solutions, has been awarded an information technology outsourcing (ITO) contract with UnumProvident, a disability income insurer. The five-year agreement is valued at $84 million.Under the terms of the contract, ACS will provide a full range of operational support services for UnumProvident's mainframe and help desk operations, and will assist in the management of the mid-range and end-user environments.

Novato, Calif. - Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. has named Oliver Bussman as its chief information officer, according to Charles (Chuck) Kavitsky, chief executive officer.Bussman has many years of IT leadership experience in the banking, insurance and asset management industries. He will lead the implementation and delivery of the significant IT investment Fireman's Fund has made to improve its customer and employee experience and to its operational effectiveness.

Des Moines - Many auto insurance companies ask customers to estimate their annual mileage when applying for a new policy, but these up-front estimates generally have a minimal influence on the overall premium. And, these companies don't ask for updated mileage readings over time.But what if an insurance company asked policyholders to report exact mileage readings over time and, by doing so, they could control how much they pay for car insurance by controlling the number of miles they drive?

Cleveland - Axentis, a provider of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) management solutions that is included in a Gartner research report titled, "Adoption of Software-as-a-Service Is Happening Outside of CRM," has made the report available on its Web site at www.axentis.com.The resport analyzes the emergence of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model and its widespread adoption in new industries including compliance management, which Gartner states is currently the second largest market for SaaS solutions.

Los Angeles - Farmers Insurance Exchange has begun serving civil summons and complaints upon Redding, Calif. auto glass company Onsight Auto Glass and its owner, accusing them of taking part in a scheme designed to defraud Farmers and its policyholders. The civil complaint, which is similar to prior successful lawsuits against auto glass businesses and body shops who submitted false insurance claims, seeks not only damages for the fraud allegedly committed, but seeks injunctive relief, where the courts are asked to order a halt to these deceptive practices.Outlining a highly unusual and aggressive billing scam, the lawsuit details how the alleged perpetrator deliberately over-billed Farmers for services on 455 occasions. As alleged in the civil complaint, the defendant created a sham office in a remote area, so it could manipulate its billing. In fact, the only things located where the shop is claimed to exist were abandoned mines and a shack. There was no electricity, no running water and certainly no auto glass business. Under national guidelines, automobile glass claims are paid at a premium if the shop is located in less densely populated areas. As explained in the complaint, defendant created documentation that the shop was located in a remote area, so it could charge Farmers significantly more.

Kansas City, Mo. - While increased frequency of hurricanes is nothing new in historical terms, the enormous growth in coastal population and development is dramatically increasing the potential for insured losses, according to a new paper from GE Insurance Solutions."Demographic trends in Florida and other coastal locations as well as the likelihood of increased frequency and severity of storms should remind the (insurance) industry of the growing exposures it will continue to face. The cost of hurricanes will rise--sooner or later surpassing even those of Hurricane Katrina," says the paper titled "Coastal Warning: The Rising Costs of Hurricane Frequency and Severity."

Chicago - Danish insurance company ALKA is fighting customer fraud and enhancing customer services with PredictiveClaims, an application developed by SPSS Inc. ALKA recently purchased and implemented the software in an effort to improve claims handling efficiency while reducing the cost of fraudulent claims.ALKA is one of the five leading insurance companies in Denmark. To differentiate itself in a highly competitive market, the company aimed to optimize its expensive claims handling processes and offer better service to customers. ALKA sought to enable "fast-track claim handling" while still sifting out the fraudulent cases from its high claim volumes. Industry experts estimate that on average 10% of all claims are fraudulent, whereas usually only 0.5% to 1% of fraud is actually being detected.

Okemos, Mich. - The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) and Sircon Corp. have been working to establish a relationship that would provide additional benefits to PIA members. The result is a partnership that provides online services delivered by Sircon's Compliance Express platform at a special rate for PIA members.With PIA joining the Sircon Partner Referral Program, PIA members can now go to a special co-branded Web site designed specifically for PIA, and take advantage a PIA member discount for online services such as:

Seattle - Many companies advertise great service, but how many have been recognized for this by a non-partial third party such as J.D. Power and Associates? To receive recognition, companies must score higher than 730 out of a possible 1000 points. PEMCO received 911 points, a score that was noted as unusually high by J.D. Power and Associates."We come to work every day committed to giving our customers the absolute highest level of service and value," says Jon Osterberg, spokesperson for PEMCO, a provider of auto, home, boat, life, and umbrella insurance to Washington state residents. "This certification demonstrates that. Service is the bedrock of PEMCO's culture, and it's extremely gratifying to see our customers recognize that."

Skokie, Ill. - A survey of more than 100 senior IT and data security professionals at Fortune 1,000 and other major companies across the United States found that 28% percent had little or no confidence that they had detected all significant security breaches in the past year. In addition, 26% rated their current IT environment as more vulnerable than it had been a year before. The survey was released by Forsythe Solutions Group.Respondents cited regulatory pressure as the major catalyst for updating their technology, processes and staff. Legislative guidelines and industry standards demand increased control of and additional funding for security programs. Those experiencing increased vulnerability overwhelmingly attributed this to organizational change, such as mergers or acquisitions, the implementation of new applications or outsourcing.

Oconomowoc, Wis. - Trends indicate that the role of the IT manager requires more focus on business strategy and less time spent on end-user service in today's age of widespread technology, according to Paragon Development Systems (PDS), a provider of IT services and products."Companies are beginning to realize that their IT professionals can be indispensable in identifying and pursuing competitive advantages if given the freedom and time to do so," said Austin Park, vice president of infrastructure services for PDS. "More and more, successes or failures in business hinge on technology, so why shouldn't IT managers spend their time focusing on business rather than putting out fires."

Armonk, N.Y. - IBM has launched a companywide initiative that combines its software and industry consulting expertise to help companies tie data together across disparate business processes"Next to people, information is a company's greatest asset, but it's value can't be realized if it's not effectively managed and delivered to the right people, business applications and processes," says Steve Mills, senior vice president, IBM software group. "While there's no shortage of individual piece-part products out there to help manage, search, secure and store information, companies drowning in data need a holistic approach if they have any hope of using their information for real business advantage. By combining our software and consulting expertise, IBM is helping clients unlock the real value of their business information."

Cleveland - Insurance.com, an online auto insurance agency, claims that consumer car insurance quote requests on its Web site increased by more than 20% in 2005, the fourth straight year of growth."During the past five years we have seen a tremendous growth on our site as a result of customers' increased confidence level with the Internet," says Insurance.com President Lou Geremia. "We've embraced this new growth by adding over 100 licensed insurance agents to our sales center and have extended our sales center hours to 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Standard."

New York - In an effort to enable Korean-speaking policyholders and agents to access and learn more about its products and services, New York Life has launched a Korean-language Web site at www.newyorklifekorean.com. "The Korean-language Web site is part of New York Life's continued effort to serve the Korean community in the United States," says Janet Choi, assistant vice president of the Korean market at New York Life.The Web site contains information on insurance and financial products. An education center provides helpful tips for first-time life insurance buyers dealing with life-changing events including the birth of a child, purchasing a home, getting married and entering retirement. Customers can use the interactive forms and e-mail addresses to submit questions and requests. The site also provides access to information on career opportunities at New York Life.

Hartford, Conn. - The Industrial Hygiene Laboratory of St. Paul Travelers has added a state-of-the-art instrument that helps customers address OSHA's proposed lowering of the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for hexavalent chromium (CrVI). St. Paul Travelers purchased this instrument to help its customers better protect their employees and reduce workers compensation losses.Hexavalent chromium (CrVI) is a human carcinogen for which OSHA has proposed a 50x reduction in the PEL from the current standard. The new Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) has enabled the Industrial Hygiene Laboratory to develop a method for the analysis of CrVI below OSHA's proposed PEL.

San Diego - CareGroup Healthcare System has gone live at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) with an application that delivers automatic healthcare information updates every 15 minutes to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. The bio-surveillance system, which feeds the CDC with information key to early identification of disease trends, is built on the CACHE post-relational database. InterSystems Corp., a health care database provider, spotlighted the bio-surveillance implementation at the HIMSS 2006 conference in San Diego, Calif.BIDMC is one of 10 U.S. hospitals that were approached by the CDC to provide medical data on an ongoing, around-the-clock basis. The initiative is part of a mandate by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, who chairs the American Health Information Community (AHIC), a group charged with advising the federal government on standards for electronic health records (EHRs). Bio-surveillance and public health monitoring are among the first focus areas for AHIC and Leavitt has stated that he wants a system for streaming emergency department (ED) data to public health authorities in place by the end of 2006.

Washington, D.C. - Health insurance plans' cutting-edge information technology (IT) strategies are adding value to health care for employers, health care practitioners and most importantly, consumers, industry leaders said today on Capitol Hill.Participants in the briefing stressed that health insurance plans are using IT not only to process claims more efficiently, but also to promote evidence-based care, add value to health care services and empower consumers through access to better information and decision tools.

Boston - As some insurance companies have learned the hard way, a market conduct exam uncovering noncompliance violations has the potential to cost millions of dollars in fines and lost business. To help insurers steer clear of costly noncompliance risks, CCH Insurance Services, a part of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, has identified the top 10 reasons property/casualty insurers are found to be out of compliance during a market conduct exam.CCH's research has shown that the most common market conduct compliance criticisms are:

Chicago - The company stockholoders of CCC Information Services Group Inc., a supplier of software, communications systems, Internet and wireless-enabled technology solutions to the automotive claims and collision repair industries, voted to adopt a merger agreement with entities affiliated with Investcorp, a global investment group.

San Jose, Calif. - Business Objects S.A., a provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Firstlogic Inc., a La Crosse, Wis.-based global provider of enterprise data quality solutions and services.

Harford, Conn. - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has won the 2006 Annual CIO magazine Enterprise Value Award in the insurance category. The honor is presented to companies in a range of major industries that demonstrate their innovative use of information technology (IT) to further business goals. The Hartford received this ward for implementing its industry-leading automation tool known as ICON 2.0. This electronic quoting and submission system helps agencies and their front line representatives streamline the process of placing small business insurance with The Hartford. ICON 2.0 is accessed through the company's Electronic Business Center (EBC), an intranet site dedicated exclusively to agents that represent The Hartford, and is a user-friendly tool that requires little training.

Kansas City, Mo. - Vision may be the most important element required to underwrite liability risk, says Ajay Gupta, marketing leader of GE Insurance Solutions, a provider of reinsurance and commercial insurance and risk management services. Gupta says insurers tend to look backward at historical loss experience but not forward to factors that may impact future losses.Gupta's article, "Crisis or Opportunity: The Liability Dilemma", appears on GE Insurance Solutions' Web site at: www.geinsurancesolutions.com/erccorporate/theinstitute/pc/0601_cris.htm.

Yonkers N.Y., - An investigation in the March 2006 issue of Consumer Reports magazine contends that a national system of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) being developed by the federal government, states, HMOs, and PPOs to link the medical records of every American has potential for abuse. Consumer Reports claims that while such electronic medical records systems could save lives and billions of dollars in health-care spending, it may also jeopardize the security of personal health care information.The advantages of EHRs are many, according to Consumer Reports, include: more precise patient care from doctors, greater participation by patients, and an early-warning system for medical disasters such as the appearance of avian flu are among the hoped-for achievements for an electronic medical records network.

Needham, Mass. - In the next five years, analysts predict more than 77 million individuals in the U.S. will be of traditional retirement age, and this segment of the population is predicted to be the dominant demographic for a period of 20 years or more. TowerGroup, a Needham, Mass., research firm, expects that this explosion in the retired market will ultimately redefine the U.S. financial services industry, accelerating industry consolidation across banking, securities and investments, and insurance.

Chicago - It was a year with more storms in the Atlantic than any other on record, and it was also the costliest hurricane season ever. Impact Forecasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aon Corp., studies some of the possible reasons for the activity, including shifts in the frequency of storms and the impact of El Nino, behind a year that produced more Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin than any other.The report, "Atlantic Ocean Basin Hurricane Frequency Shift," is available at http://www.aon.com/.

Orlando, Fla. - Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) has released a mold risk reduction program that certifies the design, construction and ongoing operations of newly constructed multifamily and commercial properties. Greenguard Mold Protection Program is designed to ensure that buildings use industries' best practices for safeguarding against the damage and resulting losses caused by mold.The program fills a void for lenders, insurers and building owners that has grown increasingly serious over the last several years. As large court judgments for mold continue to cloud the construction and financing of new buildings, more are turning to mold prevention measures as a way to manage their financial risk.

New York - While to date there exists no standard economic capital methodology in the U.S., it is becoming increasingly clear that the insurance industry needs to move in this direction. This is the conclusion of the 2006 Industry Outlook report issued by the Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services (IAAS) practice of Ernst & Young LLP, New York. The report, released this week, addresses key life and property/casualty sector issues, including economic capital, catastrophe modeling and risk recalibration, and mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity.

Waterloo, Ont. - Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS), a of provider of usage-based insurance (UBI) technologies, is launching a year-long iPAID pilot program in North America and the United Kingdom.The pilot will allow the media, advocacy groups and government policy makers to evaluate the effectiveness of UBI programs in improving driver safety, potential insurance savings, and its ability to alleviate traffic congestion and decrease the levels of vehicle-emitted pollutants.

Dublin, Ireland - Insurers will benefit from a trend in wide-spread adoption of electronic capture of patient data, according to Research and Markets, Dublin, Ireland. In a newly released report, Research and Markets says many businesses already routinely capture documents and data for both regulatory and business intelligence purposes. But health care in the clinical setting has resisted this industry-transforming technology for nearly 20 years, citing the lack of user-friendly interfaces for busy health care providers, lack of workflow understanding on the part of vendors, the expense and complexity of implementation and maintenance solutions, and, simply, the lack of a transparent return on investment for providers. Research and Markets addresses this in "How Electronic Data Capture Will Change Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Marketing," an addition to its offerings of market research reports and industry newsletters.

New York - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) signed an agreement with Firstlogic Inc., an information technology software provider that will supply data quality software on a pro-bono basis.This data quality software, known as IQ8 and IQ Insight, will be used for data analysis on forensic and financial records of United Nations programs in tsunami-affected areas. The software will improve the quality of data analysis.

Atlanta - Consumers can now apply online for health insurance through Kaiser Permanente of Georgia's Personal Advantage online consumer portal, which is powered by the Southborough, Mass. -based ikaSystems' enterprise-wide technology platform. Kaiser Permanente's Personal Advantage product has several plan offerings targeting the individual market."Since implementing the portal just over a month ago, we've received 1,116 Personal Advantage applications," says Nancy Melton, Kaiser Permanente's Personal Advantage product manager. "This represents a significant increase over any previous month in the past year."

Just as the Internet reached its one-billionth user last year, recent consumer research indicates that online transaction failures can have a huge detrimental effect on businesses.The vast majority of consumers (89%) say they experience problems when conducting online transactions, and 41% of all online shoppers say they'll turn to a competitor, either online (27%) or offline (14%), when that happens.

TRANSAMERICA RECEIVES SIX 'BEST IN CLASS' RANKINGSAs a testament to its relationship with its clients, Los Angeles-based Transamerica Retirement Services received six "Best in Class" ratings from the Chatham Partners' 2005 Client Satisfaction Analysis. Transamerica received "Best in Class" ratings: timeliness of contributions, distributions and loans, accuracy of contributions, overall satisfaction with processing of employee transactions, accuracy of participant statements, clarity of participant statements, and courtesy and professionalism of personnel.

VERIO ALIGNS WITH ARSENAL TO PROVIDE EXPANDED DATA PROTECTIONVerio Inc., an Englewood, Colo.-based managed hosting provider, has expanded its data protection and managed storage service offerings through a partnership with Arsenal Digital Solutions, Cary, N.C. Verio's managed storage and data protection services include remote data backup and restore; data center backup and restore; managed storage area network solutions; and database backup.

WEALTH RISK MANAGEMENTThe Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., Warren, N.J., has selected New York-based Risk Control Strategies to support its new Signature Suite offering of luxury personal risk management services. Signature Suite is designed to help identify potential threats and help affluent individuals protect their families and wealth. Risk Control Strategies will provide Chubb's high-net-worth and family office customers with a complimentary personal risk assessment. Risk Control Strategies will also offer Chubb's clients an array of services including cyber crime investigations, identity theft prevention and response, and premise security strategy and implementation.

To remain competitive, insurance companies must successfully respond to merger and acquisition activity, escalating customer demands, and increased regulatory pressures. And all of these factors are expanding the human resources professional's role.HR staff is expected to perform more than traditional reporting and operational duties. In addition to ensuring recruitment of the best employees, HR must also spearhead cost-containment initiatives, provide strategic leadership and, more recently, assist with and oversee regulatory compliance.

Atlanta - The use of credit information in underwriting and rating Florida homeowners and auto insurance policies is now threatened by yesterday's approval of a rule governing insurers' use of credit-based insurance scores, according to the American Insurance Association (AIA)."While the legislature passed a law in 2003, specifically authorizing the use of credit information for insurance underwriting and rating, today's administrative action by the Florida Cabinet may effectively ban insurers' use of credit information," said Cecil L. Pearce, AIA vice president, Southeast Region.

Indian Wells, Calif. - "For many financial institutions, a network security breach involving the release of confidential customer information is not a matter of if, but when," cautioned Tracey Vispoli, vice president, Chubb & Son, during the 2006 American Bankers Association Insurance Risk Management Annual Conference. "It's time for financial institutions to further tighten their data security controls and to prepare for the potentially significant financial cost of this risk."Vispoli, the global fidelity manager for Chubb Specialty Insurance, explained that new laws in nearly half the states require companies to disclose security breaches to their customers residing in those states. "Network security breaches expose companies to class-action lawsuits as well as irreversible damage to the corporate brand," she said. "The new state laws add another layer of responsibility and cost by mandating that companies notify customers of actual or suspected security breaches."

Blue Bell, Pa. - As ID fraud, privacy and compliance with security-related regulations continue to shake the mind set of how financial institutions think about securing their business operations, experts at Unisys Corp. foresee the following five trends that will help banks and insurers rebuild eroding customer trust, and maintain a competitive edge in 2006 and beyond:1. Coordinated, "industrialized" fraud attacks will continue to rise causing more government intervention and pushing financial institutions to work together on common standards to fight increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals.

New York - Lexington Insurance Co., a member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), has expanded it online training on its Web site at www.lexeplhelp.com for customers carrying employment practices liability (EPL) insurance.Launched in 1999 and formerly called www.eplselect.com, the Web site was developed to provide EPL insureds with free risk management resources and training tools.

Westborough, Mass. - According to a recent national survey, 54% of organizations have experienced cyber attacks, with 21% of the cyber attacks causing more than $100,000 in measurable damages, and 11% causing more than $500,000 in measurable damages.The 1st Annual Enterprise Security Survey, generated through an online survey of security decision makers spanning a wide range of industries, indicates that a vast majority of businesses are reliant on the Internet to conduct business and have experienced some form of cyber attack in the past year. Additionally, the survey demonstrates a trend in the change in security spending habits due to government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Hartford, Conn. - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., is customizing its approach to the technology sector with the formation of a Technology Practice Group, which will leverage The Hartford's existing line of technology insurance products to serve both current and future players in the growing market. The new group will be headquartered at the company's home office in Hartford, Conn. It will be staffed by a team of underwriters located throughout the country, as well as legal, claim, product and risk management professionals, the group provides the tools, support and know-how to help agents protect their technology clients from a wide range of rapidly-changing business risks.