Nearly half of the top 200 U.S. insurance carriers are using offshore services, according to Celent Communications Inc., Boston. Among the carriers working with outsourcing firms that provide at least some offshore services are: Guardian Life, Manulife, Sun Life, Fireman's Fund, Farmer's Insurance Group, Allmerica, PacifiCare Health Systems, Abbey Life and Royal & Sun Alliance.But try to get an insurance executive to talk about outsourcing these days--especially offshore outsourcing--and you won't find many takers. Several large insurance carriers declined to be interviewed for this article. And, at a recent Insurance Networking News outsourcing conference in Tampa, Fla., several IT managers from smaller insurance companies said they did not want their employees to know they were attending.

It's been said: People don't mind changing; they just don't like being changed. And that's a fundamental principle underlying the practice of organizational change management--a practice that can mean the difference between success and failure when implementing new technology."When change management is used successfully-when there's a clear definition up-front about what the objectives are and those objectives tie back to the right business goals-the projects I've worked on have had 100% success," says William Speir Jr., change management portfolio manager at Hartford Technology Services Co. (HTSC), a subsidiary of Hartford, Conn.-based The Hartford Financial Services Group.

Writing this month's cover story was more challenging than usual. Few insurance executives wanted to talk about offshore outsourcing-at least not "on the record." That's because the topic is incredibly sensitive these days."My staff doesn't know I'm here," one IT manager told me at the Outsourcing Forum hosted by this magazine in Tampa in February. Another attendee announced that protesters were picketing at another outsourcing conference taking place in Orlando that same week.

Like many of its mid-size insurer counterparts, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Co. understands that overhauling legacy information systems is a costly proposition. As a result, the carrier continues to conduct business from multiple and disparate systems.But what if an insurer could eschew the high cost of a comprehensive systems conversion and reap the operational benefits of an effective but less-expensive alternative?

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company has signed contracts to implement AcroSoft's Insurance Content Management solution. The initial implementation will include the AS Docs System together with its ad-hoc workflow capability and web application interface, which lets agents and adjusters access their company's document repository via the Internet.

The Principal Financial Group is now providing online claim reports for its group life and disability insurance products to help ease the employee benefit administration process for employer customers.

BOSTON--John Hancock Life Insurance Company (JHLICO) is now offering an inflation-adjusted retail note, an addition to its SignatureNotes program. The inflation-adjusted SignatureNotes will be a medium-term note offering, but have a two-part coupon. The first part is based on the year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The second part is a fixed amount, set at the time of the offering, which is added to the year-over-year percentage change in the CPI.

ATLANTA--Sun Microsystems, Inc., the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, today announced that it is working with Research In Motion (RIM) to extend mobile Java Web services technology to the more than one million customers currently using BlackBerry. Sun and RIM will enable the end-to-end secure delivery of enterprise data via BlackBerry based on Sun's Java Enterprise System, Java technology for mobile devices, and Web Services technologies.

BIRMINGHAM, Mich.--Richard P. Poyle announced today the formation of an innovative new enterprise called PKC. PKC will provide consulting and inspections to the insurance industry -- but PKC is much more than the typical insurance inspection company. "The vision is to provide a critical service bridge between underwriters and insured companies. Too often we find that vital risk management and loss control systems are lacking or not properly in place. The gap between the insured and the insurer hurts both parties. PKC will close that gap with consulting services, inspections, training services and documentation," said Poyle. PKC is an acronym that stands for the three principals of the new entity: Richard Poyle, Dianne Kennedy and Gary Copeland.

NEW ORLEANS--Managing general agencies, wholesalers and their agency customers can take advantage of expanded nuServe software providing an organized approach to indicating, rating, and binding business as well as processing claims and endorsements.

HARTFORD, Conn.--Insurity Inc., a ChoicePoint company, today announced that AEGIS Insurance Services, Inc. has selected Insurity's Commercial Intellisys property/casualty policy processing services and software platform. The company is the managing general agent for AEGIS, a leading insurer of utilities and related energy businesses.

Sapiens International Corp.has announced results of its survey of U.S.-based senior insurance executives on industry IT trends conducted at the ISOTech tradeshow in Anaheim, California, in late 2003. The survey uncovered an industry inclination toward short-term solutions and quick fixes that could harm companies downstream.

DALLAS-- Entrust Inc., a global leader in securing digital identities and information, today announced that Aon Limited, a leading global insurance broking, risk management and human capital consulting company, is expanding its use of the Entrust Secure Identity Management Solution by capitalizing on Entrust's innovative CPU-based pricing model to make deployment of its Web-based applications more cost effective.

OLDSMAR, Fla. --eAutoclaims, a provider of claims management services, and ADP Claims Services Group, a leading provider of integrated business solutions for the property and casualty, collision repair and automotive recycling industries, announced today an agreement offering insurance carriers a new service to more efficiently and effectively administer their managed repair programs.

DALLAS--Docucorp International, a leading provider of enterprise information solutions, announced today the availability of Library Xpress for the insurance industry. Library Xpress provides insurers with customized electronic libraries of ISO industry standard forms for the property and casualty (P&C) marketplace.

Keane Inc., a Boston-based business and information technology consulting firm, has completed the acquisition of Nims Associates Inc., an information technology and consulting services company with offices in the Midwest and Advanced Development Centers in Indianapolis and Dallas. On February 11, Keane announced it had signed a letter of intent to acquire Nims, which reported 2003 fiscal year revenue of $48 million. This transaction was completed on February 27, 2004. Nims has a 25-year history of project delivery in IT consulting, training, and outsourcing services with a long-term client base of Fortune 1000 companies, particularly in the financial services and insurance industries. Keane also announced that Nims' president Dwight Berryman has joined Keane as a group vice president reporting to Bob Atwell, senior vice president of North American Branch Operations.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--Workscape Inc., a provider of benefits and workforce management solutions, today announced that it has acquired the business of Performaworks, Inc., a leading developer of Goal-Driven Performance Managementsoftware based in Burlington, Mass.

ATLANTA--Crawford & Company was recently named one of three national service providers to offer property, casualty, and workers' compensation claims handling to CNA Insurance Companies. "Crawford is honored to be chosen as the primary provider for such a prestigious and world-renowned company," said Grover L. Davis, Crawford chairman and CEO. "I look forward to continuing to grow this relationship, and am confident that this arrangement will greatly benefit both companies."

A new study by New York-based PricewaterhouseCoopers has confirmed that Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is on the boardroom agenda as a key driver for a competitive edge in the insurance industry, but some leading insurers need to close the gap between the design and planning stages, and the actual execution and integration of ERM programs. Market and regulatory forces will continue to drive insurers to implement ERM as an enabler for attaining financial goals. Leading companies look to ERM as a framework under which they can not only manage all the categories of risk but also optimize their portfolios and enhance product development. Some, however, continue to struggle with the necessary infrastructure, people, processes and technology essential to fully reap these benefits.

The Phoenix Companies Inc. has completed the implementation of Metaserver Inc.'s business process integration (BPI) technology that supports the Phoenix Information Gateway, which is supporting several straight-through processing initiatives for the Connecticut-based insurer.