VIEWPOINTS/Hylelites

• 

  Another Cycle for Insurance and Technology

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 29, 2017

  Insurance has gone through several business and technology cycles in the last two decades and with the infusion of not just insurtech tools but with...

  Read More
• 

  An Inside Look at Next Week’s IASA Conference

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 30, 2017

  As many insurance technology professionals prepare to travel to Orlando for next week’s IASA annual conference they will be happy to know the program...

  Read More
• 

  Fulfilling the Insurance Promise—and the ITA Promise as Well

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 27, 2017

  The insurance promise basically amounts to when a policyholder presents a legitimate claim to their insurer, the insurer pays the claimant...

  Read More
• 

  Insurtech: Word of the Year

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 29, 2016

  This is the time of the year when we discuss an important topic, at least for people who write for a living, and that is the Word of the Year...

  Read More
• 

  The Ultimate Disruption: Trump Wins

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 09, 2016

  It’s a new day, America. I just wish I knew what that meant...

  Read More
• 

  Sometimes, All that Glitters Is Gold

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 11, 2016

  Here are six words you rarely hear when an insurance carrier CIO sits down with his boss, the CEO, and discusses the proposed budget for next year: “...

  Read More
• 

  Nothing Will Ever Be the Same in Insurance

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 22, 2016

  Doing things new and striving to be different are staples of American business. No one ever proclaims their new company will offer some of the “same...

  Read More
• 

  A Tale of Autonomous Vehicles and a Deer

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 19, 2016

  Autonomous vehicles had a temporary setback when a Tesla Model S crashed and killed the lone passenger in the car...

  Read More
• 

  San Antonio the Place to be for IASA

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 07, 2016

  The place to be, beginning Sunday, will be San Antonio, Texas where, for four days, the insurance world will congregate to educate, be educated, and...

  Read More
• 

  ITA LIVE Will Be Illuminating for CIOs

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 19, 2016

  Pardon me for bragging a bit, but this is one of the most important weeks of the year for the Insurance Technology Association...

  Read More
• 

  Get Your Feet Back on the Ground

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 29, 2016

  While I remain curious about the effectiveness of package delivery via drones, there is no argument about how valuable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV...

  Read More
• 

  Will Google Compare Be Viewed as a Successful Failure?

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 24, 2016

  Failure is not always a bad thing. There are many reasons why projects and initiatives don’t succeed and they can’t always be blamed on a lousy...

  Read More
• 

  ITA Bridge Award Deadline Nears

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 09, 2016

  There are a number of continuing themes discussed in the pages of ITA Pro magazine and on our website, but none reaches the level of importance as the...

  Read More
• 

  Technology and Your Grandfather’s Insurance Company

  Robert Regis Hyle | January 12, 2016

  Everybody has a wish list and it seems that atop the lists for insurance carriers still operating with legacy systems is the desire to do away with...

  Read More
• 

  Why Not? Is the New Motto for Insurance Distribution

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 24, 2015

  New technology has yet to cause complete disruption in the insurance industry, but there certainly has been more than a minor disturbance in the way...

  Read More
• 

  The Federal Government and Security Standards Meet at a Dangerous Time

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 12, 2015

  Like a ticking clock—channel the old Jack Bauer thriller 24—our enemies, some known the majority unknown, are looking at ways to attack us...

  Read More
• 

  Machine Learning and Insurance: Don’t Run and Hide

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 11, 2015

  Celent’s latest report on (pick your favorite term) artificial intelligence, machine learning, or cognitive computing, is a reminder that fantasy-land...

  Read More
• 

  Beyond Our Wildest Dreams: Insurance IT in 2020

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 14, 2015

  There is always time to look back and re-examine the failures (and the occasional success stories) that have taken place, but looking forward and...

  Read More
• 

  Yet Another Reminder that Security Begins with You

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 23, 2015

  Baseball has a long history of chicanery, but nothing like the news from last week that the FBI is investigating the breach of the database of the...

  Read More
• 

  The Drumbeat for Insurance IT Reaches a Crescendo at IASA

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 16, 2015

  A complaint heard too often is technology has dehumanized us. People stare at their phones or tablets and put aside any personal communication...

  Read More
• 

  Data Leads to Safer Driving, Not Just Lower Premiums

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 05, 2015

  The value of all the data collected today by insurers is not limited to what carriers can learn about their customers; it also will enable insurers to...

  Read More
• 

  The Promise of Insurance Fulfilled 25 Years Ago

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 26, 2015

  For me, the promise of insurance was fulfilled 25 years ago. On June 2, 1990 a violent storm ripped through southeast Indiana and destroyed my two-...

  Read More
• 

  The Smart Play When Implementing Software Platforms

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 05, 2015

  The fear of failure is often greater than the excitement of success. Insurance IT leaders focus so much on the negatives that they forget the positive...

  Read More
• 

  The Right Insurance Technology Solution Includes the Right Systems Integrator

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 28, 2015

  It is exciting to talk about the possibilities the future has in store for us with the many advancements in technology we’ve seen in the last few...

  Read More
• 

  You’ve Been Hacked: Few Surprises in Cybersecurity Study

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 21, 2015

  When Janeen Blanton asked the audience at a session of ITA LIVE last week to guess the number of insurance carriers where Salient Commercial Solutions...

  Read More
• 

  Preparing for War with Technology Companies

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 14, 2015

  “Technology is at war with the insurance industry, but insurance doesn’t know it yet...

  Read More
• 

  Insurers Embrace Changing Relationship between Business and IT

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 07, 2015

  A couple of months ago, when the ITA launched its first Bridge Award, I was curious about the response we’d get...

  Read More
• 

  Targeting the Mobile Customer in Insurance

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 31, 2015

  The fact that more people use mobile devices to connect to the Internet shouldn’t surprise anyone, but if you sit back for a minute and contemplate...

  Read More
• 

  Call It What You Want, Just Be Sure Governance Is in Place

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 24, 2015

  Data governance is as important and complicated a process for insurance carriers as anything they deal with...

  Read More
• 

  ITA Unveils New, Improved Online Buyers’ Guide

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 17, 2015

  From the beginning, the relationship between insurance carriers and software solution providers has been a focus of attention for the Insurance...

  Read More
• 

  Data is the Currency for Insurance Carriers

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 10, 2015

  Companies are generally valued by the amount of sales they make, or in the case of insurance carriers, the amount of premium dollars generated...

  Read More
• 

  Cyber Security Gains More Regulatory Attention

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 02, 2015

  There are two words that throw the fear of god into the face of any insurance carrier: regulatory compliance...

  Read More
• 

  It’s Time to Bury the Phrase ‘Close Followers’

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 17, 2015

  What’s new? We all ask that question, probably several times a day, unless you’re totally self-absorbed with a complete lack of interest in what is...

  Read More
• 

  Has Your Company Bridged the Gap?

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 09, 2015

  I’d like to ask you to put your hands—and your minds—together and show some love for the IT leaders you work with and their business side counterparts...

  Read More
• 

  How Far Away Are We from Autonomous Cars?

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 03, 2015

  The insurance industry is justifiably excited and nervous about Google dipping its toe into the cool water of the insurance industry...

  Read More
• 

  Looking for a Good Night’s Rest

  Robert Regis Hyle | January 26, 2015

  A favorite question of journalists—and I admit to using it myself at times—is what keeps people up at night. In our case, the question is normally...

  Read More
• 

  Earning the Respect of the CEO

  Robert Regis Hyle | January 19, 2015

  When ITA LIVE takes place in April, what promises to be one of the more interesting sessions will focus on the relationship between CIOs and their...

  Read More
• 

  A Day of Reckoning Approaches for Insurers

  Robert Regis Hyle | January 13, 2015

  The day many insurers were looking to with trepidation while consumers were waiting for with some measure of glee appears to be drawing nigh...

  Read More
• 

  The ITA in 2015: Bigger and Busier

  Robert Regis Hyle | January 05, 2015

  The first week of every New Year is a time for hope. Plans have been put in place and unless there were some extremely challenging deadlines attached...

  Read More
• 

  Competition Level to Step Up in 2015

  Robert Regis Hyle | December 16, 2014

  The folks at Majesco have been busy lately. There’s been a bevy of announcements coming from the technology solution provider since early fall when...

  Read More
• 

  Next Gen Insurance IT Workers

  Robert Regis Hyle | December 05, 2014

  There are dozens of issues that keep insurers tossing and turning all night. We’ve learned over the years that no two insurance carriers are alike, so...

  Read More
• 

  Some Insurers Need an Extreme Makeover

  Robert Regis Hyle | December 02, 2014

  Now that we’ve all been thankful for what we have, it’s time to focus on what we don’t have and for many insurance carriers that is modern core...

  Read More
• 

  Giving Thanks for Insurance Technology

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 25, 2014

  This traditionally is a week of reflection amidst the hustle and bustle of getting home for the holidays or preparing a feast for a bunch of relatives...

  Read More
• 

  Modern Anti-fraud Technology Remains Lower Priority

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 18, 2014

  In case you didn’t realize it, this is International Fraud Awareness Week, so it seems like a good time to point out that estimates of fraud are no...

  Read More
• 

  Cyber Attacks Coming to a Business Near You

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 11, 2014

  As the holiday season closes in on us, it’s the time of the year when we break out our credit cards and say a little prayer that the websites we shop...

  Read More
• 

  When Developing Technology, Failure’s Not an Awful Result

  Robert Regis Hyle | November 04, 2014

  Those attending Guidewire Connections were once again reminded—if they could stop laughing for a few seconds—that mistakes are never something we...

  Read More
• 

  Once Upon a Time, Implementation Stories Were Truly Spooky

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 28, 2014

  Halloween is a night for scaring people, too. There will be plenty of zombies and vampires walking through the neighborhoods this week, but there...

  Read More
• 

  A 180-degree View of the Customer

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 20, 2014

  I believe in the agency system because I still like to talk with people who give me their full name and reside in the community where I live...

  Read More
• 

  Identify Managers Before You Begin Any Project

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 14, 2014

  It took a while for companies to figure out that just because technology was involved in improving the way they do business, new software or upgrades...

  Read More
• 

  Insurers Reminded to Look to Their Own Future

  Robert Regis Hyle | October 07, 2014

  At the MajescoMastek customer conference in Chicago last week, an insurance CIO made an interesting point that all of us should consider as we compete...

  Read More
• 

  Inspiration Comes from Many Windows

  Robert Regis Hyle | September 29, 2014

  Last weekend I had the opportunity to view a masterpiece up close, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, possibly the most well-known American piece of art...

  Read More
• 

  Solution Providers Abandoned the IKEA Approach

  Robert Regis Hyle | September 23, 2014

  Have you shopped much at IKEA? The prices are great and the furniture looks good in a practical sort of way. The bigger challenge, at least for guys...

  Read More
• 

  Innovation is More than a Catchy Topic

  Robert Regis Hyle | September 16, 2014

  Innovation should be on the minds of nearly everyone these days. It certainly was on the minds of the 100 or so who took part in the SMA Summit on...

  Read More
• 

  Just When You Thought it Was Safe . . .

  Robert Regis Hyle | September 08, 2014

  When my mother died, my siblings assigned me the task of sorting through thousands of old photographs and distributing anything of real sentimental...

  Read More
• 

  Insurers Can’t Afford to Try, Try Again

  Robert Regis Hyle | September 02, 2014

  IT seems to be growing, according to Grieve, yet many of the traditional tasks performed internally are now being shipped out to others—including...

  Read More
• 

  Go Digital (as Long as the Fries are Hot)

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 26, 2014

  Are you still wondering if digital capabilities are worth the effort for your company? If so, consider that fast-food chain McDonald’s recently...

  Read More
• 

  Means, Motivation and Money Will Keep Carriers Ahead of the Pack

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 19, 2014

  One of the things I looked forward to when we began the ITA Pro magazine and website was to keep asking one simple question: What is going to be...

  Read More
• 

  Standards Turn Foes into Friends

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 12, 2014

  It’s always enlightening to speak with independent insurance agents—and even carriers—about the issues that matter the most to them in their...

  Read More
• 

  Smaller Insurers Often Threatened by Technology Changes

  Robert Regis Hyle | August 04, 2014

  Carriers wisely worry about process management, but not nearly enough attention is paid to the fundamental changes in culture that come with true...

  Read More
• 

  The Disruptors Among Us: Start with Mobility

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 28, 2014

  If you’re a member of the ITA’s LinkedIn Group, you may have noticed a post that asks for opinions on what will be the greatest disruptor in the...

  Read More
• 

  Where There’s Smoke, There’s Venture Capital

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 21, 2014

  If we needed any more reason to believe cybersecurity is top of mind for American insurance carriers, we have this: According to CNN: Venture capital...

  Read More
• 

  The Real Problem With Data Governance

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 14, 2014

  I believe the problem insurance carriers have with data governance is simple: It’s the title. Governance brings with it a set of baggage that scares...

  Read More
• 

  What’s on Your List?

  Robert Regis Hyle | July 07, 2014

  Now that we’ve reached the second half of 2014, it’s time to begin thinking about 2015. The budget season is still a few months out, but it’s...

  Read More
• 

  Filling the Gaps Between Dreams and Reality

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 30, 2014

  I guess the biggest difference in who I am as a journalist and what I cover as a journalist is the skepticism that some of the things I hear—or even...

  Read More
• 

  Don’t Look Now, but Process Changes are Coming

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 23, 2014

  Is there anything that draws leery looks from the staff than the announcement that the company is going to re-examine the processes being used to...

  Read More
• 

  The Responsibility to Fail

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 12, 2014

  How often in life have you asked yourself, “Where did I go wrong?” It’s an important question for those who like to get things right, but none of us...

  Read More
• 

  The Right Way of Dealing with Customers

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 09, 2014

  The customer is always right. Except, of course, when they’re not and then we have all sorts of issues. Back in a previous lifetime, I was editor/...

  Read More
• 

  Data Is Never Beyond Reproach

  Robert Regis Hyle | June 03, 2014

  One impulse with technology is to assume it somehow makes everything we do work better, but as you can see with Bryant Tow’s blog published this week...

  Read More
• 

  Better Driving Habits at the Core of UBI

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 19, 2014

  There’s a great deal to be excited about in the insurance industry thanks to the advances technology has provided. Insurers are finally able to dig...

  Read More
• 

  Bringing Science to Data and Analytics

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 12, 2014

  There seems little doubt that Murli Buluswar has the most interesting title in the insurance field today. The Chief Science Officer for AIG spoke at...

  Read More
• 

  Handshakes and Business Cards: It’s Time for Conference Season

  Robert Regis Hyle | May 02, 2014

  We’re off to Orlando once again for the 11th annual ACORD LOMA Forum and, as usual, expectations are high as the insurance technology field enters a...

  Read More
• 

  ‘Any’ is the Key Word in Mobile Technology

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 28, 2014

  The three “any’s” are ruling the mobile world these days: any time, any place, and any way you want to communicate or do business. These three aspects...

  Read More
• 

  Data Catching Up With Core Systems Conversation

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 21, 2014

  For years, the main discussion point surrounding insurance technology involved core systems. It still remains at the top of the list, but inching its...

  Read More
• 

  Telematics and the Remote Worker

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 14, 2014

  Until last September, I spent 15 years driving approximately 25 miles to work in the morning and another 25 home each night. There are plenty of...

  Read More
• 

  Contrasting Views on Culture vs. Strategy Debate

  Robert Regis Hyle | April 08, 2014

  So how important is the culture surrounding a company, particularly one that is on the wrong end of the mergers and acquisitions chain? I recently...

  Read More
• 

  The Right Concoction of Science and Data

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 31, 2014

  It hasn’t been too long ago that a number of people were discussing the issue of CIOs having a seat at the table. With the size of today’s IT staffs...

  Read More
• 

  Outsiders Provide Next Challenge for Insurers

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 24, 2014

  One of our goals when we launched the ITA Pro magazine and website was to look beyond what was happening today and spend some time examining the goals...

  Read More
• 

  Analytics, Basketball, and the Perfect NCAA Bracket

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 17, 2014

  Analytics assists people on a daily basis to learn more about their business, customers, and pretty much anything that is going on in the world...

  Read More
• 

  Three Dots for Insurers to Connect

  Robert Regis Hyle | March 10, 2014

  There’s no doubt insurance is unlike any other business that operates in our universe, but as we’ve learned, that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain...

  Read More
• 

  It’s a New Dawn for the ITA

  Robert Regis Hyle | February 10, 2014

  I’ve been fortunate in my career to be involved with two start-up magazines. It’s been nearly 15 years since I had the first opportunity and all I can...

  Read More