Tech Decisions will host a pair of Web seminars on Feb.23 and 24 to discuss important technology issues facing theinsurance industry including risk data and core businesssolutions.

The Wednesday, Feb. 23 Webinar is titled Gaining a Competitive Advantagethrough New Risk Data and Tools. Panelists include Deb Smallwood,founder of Strategy Meets Action and Lamont Norman, geocoding andrisk data global product manager for Pitney Bowes Business Insight.The program begins at 12 noon Eastern and is sponsored by PitneyBowes Business Insight.

The Thursday, Feb. 24 Webinar is titled Hard Core: What to Look For inPolicy, Claims, and Billing. Speakers include Matt Josefowicz,managing director and partner with Novarica; Donald Light, senioranalyst with Celent; and Karen Furtado, partner with Strategy MeetsAction. The program begins at 2 p.m. Eastern and is sponsored byGuidewire and ISCS.

Both programs are free and can be accessed–along with archivedWeb seminars–through the registration Website.

With the explosion of external risk data available combined withnew analytics tools and services, insurers are able to betterunderstand, underwrite, and manage risks to extend risk appetite,align risk with the right price, and provide enhanced servicebefore, during, and after a catastrophic event.

During the 60-minute session on risk data, Strategy Meets Actionwill present findings from a recent research study on the use andplans of risk data, and Pitney Bowes Business Insight willhighlight their new product offerings in risk data tools and dataofferings.

By attending, insurers will gain an understanding of:

• New risk data sources
• How to leverage these new sources to gain a competitiveedge
• The areas of the business where insurers are leveraging thisdata
• How insurers are implementing this data
• And what vendor solutions are available

For the core insurance solutions Webinar, the three analystswill discuss how core solutions keep the enterprise running.Maintaining these solutions takes up a great deal of time for theIT staff and robs the carrier of opportunities to better use itsdevelopment resources.

Replacing legacy systems is an expensive, time-consuming projectthat will dominate your world for months. Josefowicz, Light, andFurtado will explain which approaches work best in the three coreareas: policy administration, billing, and claims.

Attendees will learn:

• Which approach—maintenance or replacement—best serves theirneeds
• What help is available to make smart decisions and carry outthose plans
• How to keep the enterprise moving forward during thesechallenging periods