Twelve years of covering insurance technology doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but it does give me a perspective on the people who work in this business. That's why the selection of our Insurance IT All-Stars is one of my favorite topics to write about.

We've selected five technology leaders who have made a strong impression on industry leaders as well as us. This year's class is a good one, as I think you'll find. Its members include:

• Judith Haddad, executive vice president, CIO/CTO of Patriot National Insurance Group
• Larry Fortin, vice president and CIO, Millers Mutual Group
• John Campbell, senior vice president and CIO, American Modern Insurance Group
• Joan Falcetta, vice president in technology and operations with MetLife
• Carlos Correa, assistant vice president an U.S. IT manager with Liberty International Underwriters

This is the fifth year we've attempted to single out a group of IT executives and put them in the spotlight. From the interviews I conducted with each of them, I found it interesting to hear their views on how things have changed in the last half-decade and what they see happening in the next five year cycle.

The beauty of this business is in trying to keep up with all the changes. Five years ago we were talking about legacy system replacement and five years from now we'll still be talking about it.