Remember the days when business leaders thought a technology solution might help solve some of their problems? Technology no longer assists carriers, it is central to the daily functions of virtually every business in this county and insurers—carriers and agencies—are no exception.

That control is reflected in what followers of the Technology channel of PropertyCasualty360.com and Tech Decisions magazine have read throughout 2012. The stories ranged from the plans insurers made in 2012, to what they likely will be doing in 2013, and even the possibilities of 2020 and beyond.

Here are 10 of the top stories—in descending order—that we published this year. Enjoy the information.

No one likes to think of their company as being behind the technology curve, but those insurers operating without benefit of an advanced analytics system are doing exactly that. Click here to read on.

9) Safe and Sound

Other than sharing common products, the differences between the top tier of insurance carriers and their smaller rivals can be enormous. Those differences are even more apparent when looking at the issue of security. Larger insurers have a target on their back that the mid-tier don't have to deal with, but with smaller IT staffs, the mid-tier and smaller carriers have to not only keep up with known threats but also be on the lookout for attacks that weren't foreseen when they first decided to let customers—and the attackers that come with them—inside their perimeter. Click here to read more.

8) Lessons from Sandy

Insurance carriers affected by Super-storm Sandy were trying to assess how to get their operations back online and running normally and once that was done they could look at how their disaster recovery and business continuity plans played out in the face of a difficult challenge. Click here to read more.

7) Claims Technology Steps Out of the Shadows

The 2012 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study done by J.D. Power and Associates confirmed what most insurers already know: Claims satisfaction is directly linked to customer retention. Click here to read more.

6) Configuration or Contortion? Making the Best Choice in Policy Systems

When choosing a policy administration system, insurers are looking for the ability to make as many changes as possible through “rules and tools”-based configuration rather than code-based customization. Click here to read more.

5) CIOs Spurring Transformation in the Industry

In its 2012 Global Insurance Outlook, Deloitte Research insurance leader Sam Friedman issues a fascinating description of technology leaders in the insurance industry. He describes their work as “revolutionary” and points out the important decisions CIOs make today are less about software or reengineering processes and more about transformation. Click here to read more.

4) Keeping an Eye on Things: The Scary Part of Telematics

Disruptive is a word tossed around a lot in the world of insurance technology, but it's difficult to argue with Deloitte Consulting's Steve Packard—and others—that the use of telematics to make up what is known as usage-based insurance (UBI) fits that description. Click here to read more.

3) Insurers Seek the Coolness Factor with Mobile Technology

Mobility continues to soar over the technology world as well as provide business value to insurers because of its direct connection to business transactions and core systems. Click here to read more.

2) The Efficiency Mantra

Faster, better, cheaper. That was the approach to development pioneered by former NASA director Daniel Saul Goldin in 1992, and it became a mantra of organizations across many industries. Over the past 20 years, that approach has seen both success and failure. Its failures have led to controversy, and even some ridicule. (“Faster, better, cheaper: pick any two.”) Click here to read more.

1) A World Without Personal Auto Insurance?

Can you imagine a world where there are no traffic accidents? What would such a world mean to the hundreds of personal-lines insurance carriers that offer Personal Auto coverage? Click here to read more.

Special Reports /

Top Tech Tales for Twenty-Twelve

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