While mainframes are still both viable and valuable, perhaps the key to this semantic pretzel is that the needs of the business must come first, and executives shouldn’t rush to adopt new systems simply because they're the latest-and-greatest new tech.

After more than 100 hours of interviews with insurance execs, SMA unearthed 10 common initiatives regarding market recovery and future changes.

Recent security breaches have focused attention on Indian outsourcers at a time when they can least afford it.

In its first report profiling IT service vendors for the insurance industry, Boston-based insurance consultancy Celent concludes that the most successful partnerships insurers have with IT service vendors those that are not just about replacing staff or lowering costs. Though a cost-minded insurer may find significantly lower expense from a good relationship with an IT service vendor, many find these engagements save costs in one area while requiring unexpected expenditures in others. The best partnerships, Celent says, are those that are long-term, strategic engagements in which a vendor is leveraged to bring in new expertise, add both technology and domain knowledge to the business, and is relied on as a true partner.

Gartner lists technologies that will challenge business processes, support new business models and drive revenue growth.

When paired, cloud computing and BPM permit insurers to identify, model and automate ailing mission-critical business processes.

Thinking globally and acting locally, Patni follows the example of Mitsubishi and others that have brought jobs to the United States.

Expansion spurred by BPO deal with health care technology and services provider, and includes long-term plans to service insurance sector.

Insurers that were most happy with their IT services vendor felt they had a true partnership with their vendor.

The partnership will allow Hexaware to offer eBaoTech products on a global scale.

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the board’s launch spotlights the Women in Insurance Leadership Forum, a unique online community dedicated to the personal and professional growth of women in insurance.

Craig Beattie and Karen Monks join Celent as insurance analysts.

Insurers need to utilize a graying IT workforce to keep systems modernization projects on track.

Ohio National signs contract to support two CSC software programs, and Sunshine State extends BPO agreement.

Insurers looking at IT outsourcing, whether for hardware, software or people, should focus not on cost, but long-term business value.

iPartners’ Insurance Scorecard offers performance management dashboards and scorecards, ad-hoc detailed analysis and production reporting.

Critic contends that all this cloud terminology is sort of silly, and suggest that it may even be setting the industry back.

A panel of four C-level insurance executives agree: the economic crisis has changed the competitive landscape. Just what they intend to do about it is another matter.

Insurers have options when it comes to maximizing the important investment of maintaining a core processing system.

The analyst firm recognized 28 insurers in eight different categories, and named Missouri Employers Mutual its Model Insurer of the Year.