REDMOND, Wash. — May 21, 2007 — Giving insurance customers a head start toward developing applications that solve key business issues, Microsoft Corp. today announced it has released new self-running demos, business solution documents and other updated content as part of its Insurance Value Chain (IVC) initiative.
Available for download on the MSDN® developer network Web site, the business solution documents focus on the common workflow areas of new business origination for commercial auto, annuities and policy renewal. Also available are self-running animated demos for these core areas, as well as a white paper discussing both the IVC and Microsoft’s technical and architectural agenda for the insurance industry.
“This hands-on guidance helps insurance architects and developers create service-oriented architectures and deploy pre-integrated software applications around core insurance business processes,” said Dan Woodman, technology strategist for the U.S. insurance industry at Microsoft. “The goal of the IVC is to enable innovation, choice and competitive differentiation — without requiring a massive ‘rip-and-replace’ or expensive consulting engagement.”
The new content on MSDN builds on Microsoft’s announcement of the Insurance Value Chain Architecture Framework (IVCAF) v1.0 at last year’s ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum. The IVCAF is an industry-standards-based approach that delivers a library of integrations and prescriptive guidance on the development of straight-through processing, enabling workflow across multiple insurance applications — on or off the Microsoft® platform.
Microsoft’s IVCAF reduces the time and cost required by insurance customers attempting to integrate core line-of-business applications for cross-enterprise workflows. It also assists customers in selecting and purchasing best-of-breed products from more than 60 industry partners in Microsoft’s growing insurance partner ecosystem versus a top-down, proprietary approach from a single vendor.
More information about the IVC program can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/financialservices/insurance/businessvalue/default.mspx. Those interested can download the self-running demos, business solution documents and other updated content at the MSDN Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/architecture/insurance.
About the Microsoft Insurance Value Chain Program
Microsoft’s IVC program is a growing ecosystem of insurance partners that address key solution areas across the industry — from point-of-sale and service to policy administration and claims processing — by leveraging Microsoft’s core strengths in front- and back-office technologies. The IVC program has grown from a handful of insurance application partners to more than 60 insurance solution and service providers, with the common goal of providing innovative, straight-through processing for insurance on the Microsoft platform using Web services, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and industry-specific standards.
Companies supporting the Microsoft IVC program include Accenture, Acrosoft Corp., AdminServer Inc., AMS, AQS Inc., Avanade, BearingPoint Inc., Blue Frog Solutions, Bluebook International Inc., ClickSoftware, ComplianceArchitech, CSSI, Decision Research Corp., Dexterra, DSPA Software Inc., Duck Creek Technologies Inc., EDS Solcorp, EXIGIS, Fair Isaac, Fiserv Insurance Solutions, GlobeNet Technologies Inc., GRT, HP, IBS, IDP, Impact Technologies Group Inc., Infosys, Infusion Development, Injury Sciences LLC, INSTEC, Insurance Technologies Inc., Insuresoft, Insurity Inc., ISO Insurance Technology Solutions, Itemfield, Majesco, Meridio, Micro Focus, Mobitor, Moore Stephens Business Solutions LLC, NEON Systems, NIIT Technologies, OutlookSoft, Professional Data Management Again, Perceptive Software Inc., Portrait Software, Princeton Financial Systems, ProcessClaims Inc., RDA Corp., Riskclick Inc., RiverPoint Group LLC, RMS, Rolling Thunder, SAP, Satyam, SceneGenesis, Skywire Software, Solcorp, SunGard Insurance Systems, Symbility Solutions, Transact One Corp., Wildnet Group, XDimensional Technologies (XDTI) Inc. and others.
More information about Microsoft’s IVC partners can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/financialservices/insurance/ivcpartners.mspx
About Microsoft in Financial Services
Microsoft’s Financial Services Group provides software that helps financial firms transform the customer, employee and operations experience so they can maximize opportunities for increased market share and profitability. Microsoft software helps empower people and IT staff within financial firms — and across key focus areas such as advisor platforms, channel renewal, insurance value chain, enterprise risk management and compliance, and payments. Through a combination of Microsoft- and partner-provided solutions, customers enable their employees to turn data into insight, transform ideas into action and turn change into opportunity.
More information about Microsoft’s Financial Services Group can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/financialservice
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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