Insurance Networking News (INN) and Celent will partner to deliver the second annual Insurance Networking News VIP Awards, a ranking of technology solution providers to the insurance industry. The ranking will be based on a survey of executives and staff from North American insurance companies, including property/casualty, life/health, and reinsurance. In Part II of the INN VIP Awards program, the tables turn, and the top-ranked solution providers can nominate an insurance carrier customer as a "visionary".

The 2008 INN VIP Award winners will be determined solely by insurance carriers, brokers, managing general agents and agents. Insurers will identify their preferred technology providers in several categories, such as enterprise platforms, point solutions, platform technologies and services. New this year, will be additional rankings by respondent type.

Celent will conduct and manage the program’s survey distribution, data collection and analysis. Celent will also participate in judging during Part II of the awards program.

“We are delighted to work with Celent,” said Pat Speer, editor-in-chief, Insurance Industry News. “Celent’s research and advisory professionals represent exceptional industry acumen, which means our readers and the industry at large will have direct access to the knowledge and expertise generated as part of our collective research efforts.”

“The INN VIP Awards program will provide an important perspective that will contribute to insurance company technology decisions,” said Matthew Josefowicz, managing director of Celent’s insurance practice. “We hope that the structure of this year’s survey, with categories based on respondent type as well as technology categories, will make the results even more useful for INN’s readers.”

Nominating visionary carriers

In Part II of the INN VIP Awards program, the top-ranked solution providers will be offered an opportunity to nominate an insurance carrier customer as a “visionary” for its use of a specific technology, and is encouraged to illustrate the role, if feasible, that ACORD data standards plays as part of their business and technology success story. INN’s readers, its Editorial Advisory Board, and Celent’s top insurance research analyst will determine the top-ranked technology best practice in action.

“This year’s enhanced program reflects an honest and factual assessment of the technology solution provider landscape,” said Speer. “Equally important, the enhanced INN VIP Awards program evokes the necessary discussion of the “why” behind the ranking. By including a critical educational component, such as how ACORD standards have helped facilitate the leading technology’s application success, insurers can map to their own success.”

Awards ceremony

Winners of this second annual ranking will be recognized at an exclusive black-tie event held in conjunction with the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum in Las Vegas in May 2008, and will be featured in a Special Report by Insurance Networking News in the June 2008 issue. This Special Report will include bonus distribution at both the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum in Las Vegas and the IASA Educational Conference & Business Show in Seattle. The INN VIP Awards ceremony will also be broadcast on the INN NewsCast.

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