Karen Furtado

The pandemic elevated the need for companies to provide digital experiences to customers and employees, such as real-time payments and virtual claims submissions.

The acceptance and delivery of payments must be in real time, and capabilities must let customers create tailored digital payment experiences that fit their needs best.

The idea of the core taking a backseat is a myth: Core systems are not necessarily the drivers of digital projects, but they are the enablers.

Insurers and solution providers are making significant advancements to speed delivery of payments and expand digital payment options.

Since February, driven by the pandemic, the pace of progress on digital payments has accelerated beyond what we thought fathomable.

Not only have we leapt forward in our use of cloud, but we accept that core systems are now being commonly deployed in the cloud.

Which game are you in? Are the systems you're buying for the game just finishing, or the digital game that is just starting?

Insurers that focus on second homes, vacant homes or certain commercial properties should be developing strategies now.

Here are five key challenges for insurers, with examples of how Amazon and Netflix used microservices to address similar issues.

The payment process is changing… but only to a point. The next step is the one that really matters to the insured: the claim payment.

Two companies have begun making it as easy to get an online workers' comp quote as it is for personal lines insurance.

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that we are seeing only the very tip of the iceberg in terms of how AI can transform the business of insurance.

A core system that was top of the line in 2013 may be showing its age. Systems now need to be “digitally native."

Cloud is set to be used in a whole new way by streamlining processes, connecting to advanced technology and consuming more data.

A pressing question for insurtechs: Will startups need to use the incumbent tech market’s capabilities, or will they build their own?

Two award winners exemplify how the use of technology like telematics and artificial intelligence is maturing in the insurance industry.

Recent award winners include TAL, an Australian life insurer whose new product approach is tailored to the self-directed digital consumer.

Core systems used to be replaced once or twice in a career. No longer. The technology is too important and improving too fast.

Some insurers have combined the best strengths of our industry today with the best new ideas from insurtech and the digital world.

Have we entered the seventh inning stretch of this phase of core systems' modernization? Are we preparing to start a new game?

My experience shows that the insurance industry can be doing so much more. At a minimum, there is a great opportunity to educate the policyholder.

Our industry stands at the intersection of two imperatives that can seem very much at odds.

Because of demands for adaptability, this is the first year that a majority of new core systems will not be deployed on-premise.

Haven Life, John Hancock and USAA demonstrate to rethink and reinvent the business of insurance.

Cargill, Deere and other outsiders are retreating from crop insurance, but don't get complacent about nontraditional threats.

Most ask "why" or "why not" to incorporate new technologies into products. Shift the question to "how," and you'll make better choices.

Solution provider winners include Livegenic, which uses video to cut claims costs while increasing customer satisfaction.

Forecasts about Hurricane Joaquin should show insurers what happens if they don't invest in analytics and keep their models up-to-date.

Not long ago, the rate of adoption of emerging technologies and of innovation that we saw this year would have been unthinkable.

FEMA, in particular, is starting to use data following disasters in ways that can provide valuable lessons for insurers handling claims.

Insurers often think core transformation of systems is just a technical exercise; the organization and skills must change, too.

Insurers recognize the need for core transformation but need three technical capabilities to be able to keep up with changes in the market.

Fully 78% of insurers have begun the journey with policy administration systems, but configuration tools are posing a challenge.