Agent Survey: To ASP Or Not To ASP?
In each issue of Agency Technology on the Cutting Edge, well offer agents and brokers the opportunity to express themselves on an important issue within agency technology. This months question concerns ASPs.
Agency management software vendors are now offering their products via the Application Service Provider (ASP) mode. This means that the agency management software resides with the vendor and is delivered to the agency user via the Internet or a corporate intranet, rather than being installed on the agencys own computers.
This may benefit the agency, since the vendor provides software upgrades and maintenance, leaving the agency free to concentrate on the business of selling. Some vendors also claim the ASP model of delivery saves money over having to install and maintain the software in-house.
Some agents, however, dont feel comfortable depending on sometimes-shaky Internet connectivity. Others are worried about leaving their critical data in the hands of a third party.
Q. Do you think the ASP model makes sense for your agency?
To answer: Send an e-mail to atrembly@nuco.com, indicating "Yes," "No" or "I dont know." Please feel free to add any comments to your responses. We look forward to hearing from you.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, July 22, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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