Microsoft Releases Insurance Value Chain Architecture Framework v1.0

New prescriptive guidance helps insurance customers select and deploy pre-integrated Microsoft partner applications connected via industry and Web services standards.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 9, 2006 — In an effort to reduce millions of dollars of integration pain on the part of insurance customers, Microsoft Corp. today announced a new architecture framework to assist insurance companies in developing service-oriented architectures (SOAs) and deploying pre-integrated software applications around core insurance business processes.

The Microsoft® Insurance Value Chain Architecture Framework (IVCAF) v1.0, which will be demonstrated live at the ACORD/LOMA Insurance Forum in Las Vegas this month, is an industry-standards-based approach delivering 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. The architecture is the result of newly launched integration labs that have been held monthly since the beginning of 2006 on Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., campus.

Microsoft’s IVC Architecture Framework reduces the time and cost required by insurance customers attempting to integrate core line-of-business applications for cross-enterprise workflows. It will also assist customers in selecting and purchasing best-of-breed products from more than 60 industry partners in a growing Microsoft insurance partner ecosystem versus a top-down, proprietary approach from a single vendor.

“Traditionally, the industry has been fed the same processing models from common providers that have prevented product and service differentiation, creating virtually identical legacy processing methods,” said Dan Woodman, technology strategist for the U.S. insurance industry at Microsoft. “Microsoft’s IVC Architecture Framework tackles this issue head-on, and is fundamentally different from the alternatives in the market because it enables innovation, choice and competitive differentiation and doesn’t require a massive consulting engagement to implement.”

Featuring a library of production-quality integrations and composite applications, business narratives, Visio® process models, XML and Web services messaging recommendations, and platform-specific implementation guidance, the Microsoft IVCAF v1.0 offers pre-integrated solutions and Web services integration guidance in four major business process areas:
• New business homeowner’s policy processing. Featuring applications from AMS (point-of-sale and service) and Bluebook International Inc. (replacement cost and property data), this solution streamlines and ultimately auto-populates the process of data entry in a new homeowner’s application.
• New business commercial auto policy processing. Featuring applications from XDimensional Technologies Inc. (point-of-sale and service), INSTEC (rate and quote), Insuresoft (underwriting and policy administration) and Bluebook International Inc. (replacement cost and property data), this straight-through scenario greatly streamlines the steps needed to initiate a commercial auto policy.
• Personal auto collision repair and bodily injury claims. Featuring applications from ProcessClaims (collision repair processing) and Injury Sciences (bodily injury evaluation), this solution allows claims personnel to effectively identify and analyze injury claims from the initial auto property damage claim data.
• Wealth management and life and annuities enrollment. Featuring products from Impact Technologies Group Inc. (point-of-sale and service), Insurance Technologies Inc. (financial needs analysis, illustration and quotation, and electronic application) and AdminServer Inc. (rate and quote, underwriting and policy administration), this solution encompasses the entire sales life cycle, from prospect to policy-in-force.

The future vision of the IVC Architecture Framework is to span a variety of P&C and life insurance business processes in areas such as point-of-sale/service, underwriting, rating/quoting, policy issuance and administration, claims processing, and more. To develop the architecture, Microsoft is hosting the IVC integration labs through its Platform Adoption Center in Redmond, Wash., where industry partners come together to design and build the integration scenarios and facilitate workflows, which are then designed and documented for use as SOA learning tools or pre-/post-sale integration planning on the part of insurance customers.

“We’re excited to be part of Microsoft’s IVC Architecture Framework v1.0 because it not only addresses the issue of pre-integration with our customers, but also it allows for flexibility by being based on industry standards such as ACORD, XML and others,” said Kevin Clay, president of Impact Technologies Group Inc. “Insurance companies ultimately benefit by saving development time and money, while still being able to innovate from within.”

More information about the IVC program can be found at www.microsoft.com/industry/financialservices/insurance/businessvalue/default.mspx More information on the IVCAF, as well as downloadable code, will be posted in June on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN®) program Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/architecture/industry.

About the Microsoft IVC Program

Microsoft’s Insurance Value Chain 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 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 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/financialservices.

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.

Microsoft, Visio and MSDN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Rapid Response Team

Microsoft Corp.

Contact via E-mail