Like the rest of the industry, GuideOne Insurance faces challenges in today's soft market. In the eyes of Tom Fischer, senior vice president and CIO, IT's role during difficult times is even more critical in helping the company respond quickly to provide employees what they need when they need it.

“We're not sitting back and waiting for things to get better,” Fischer contends. “We're investing now at the proper levels to get done what we need to do and to be where we need to be two or three years from now. We want to be ready when the hard market hits again.”

Part of that investment involves a multiyear project to convert three commercial policy administration systems into one. GuideOne is in the process of implementing the AQS Access system, which features rate quoting, underwriting, and policy management capabilities. The new system will help the carrier reduce expenses and improve speed to market for new products.