Top IT executives for leading insurance carriers believe the industry has much to look forward to as we exit one year and approach the dawn of another. New technologies and improving older solutions have created a bright future for the industry. The lost momentum of the first half of this decade is being replaced by the promise of better days in insurance and technology.

By Robert Regis Hyle

As we reach the midpoint of the first decade of the 21^st century, the future for insurance carriers is looking bright, thanks in no small part to the technology available today. To get the lowdown on a variety of issues ranging from the outlook for 2005 to industry views on wireless technology, risk management tools, outsourcing, centralized vs. decentralized IT, and more, Tech Decisions spoke with senior IT executives from industry leaders Allstate, State Farm, Nationwide, The Hartford, and Ohio Casualty. Some things never change, though. As Allstate senior vice president and CTO Catherine Brune points out, Were focused on providing all areas with better data analytics. For insurers, knowing as much as they can about a particular risk spells the difference between that bright outlook most share today and the dark days of 2001