22 BROKERS’ MONTHLY
Change, change, change
here’s an old song that says: “It than becoming sidetracked by issues they
T
ain’t what you do it’s the way that are not best equipped to deal with?
you do it and that’s what gets In terms of IT, there is little doubt
results.” that most broking firms do not have a
The song was first recorded back in significant amount of in-house expertise.
the late 1930s and then made popular in It is interesting therefore, that so many
the 1980s when Bananarama collaborated brokers still choose to manage their own
with The Fun Boy Three and released it IT systems.
to a modern audience. Brokers are naturally wary about
Whatever the song’s history, its who they give their information to and
sentiment has stood the test of time and how they store the data that is the very by Steve Bow
there is little doubt that in many lifeblood of what they do. This has seen
Managing Director, Broking Division
situations how we do something is often a many make the decision to run their own
SSP
lot more important than what we actually administration system, maintain their
the managed service tend to call asking
do. own server and take responsibility for its
about how best to actually use the system.
Certainly in the ultra competitive upkeep.
How can they make it do this or that and
modern insurance broking market, many However a growing number are
how can they squeeze more out of it.
firms are being forced to examine how asking if this is the best decision. As
These customers simply do not have
they operate and improve the efficiency people become more comfortable with IT
anything like the same number of
with which they do so, rather than there is a trend towards allowing a third
problems around the basic management
change what they actually do. party to run it on a managed basis.
of the system.
IT plays a central role in the Rather than a firm keeping its server
Looking after an IT system is never
efficient running of a modern day broker under the spare desk in the corner, a
a problem until there is a problem and
and in offices up and down the country managed IT service will house the server
this is something that anybody with a
the broking system in place is the very in a specially designed room with its own
home computer will understand.
cornerstone of the work that gets done designated generator should there be a
The first decision that brokers must
on a daily basis and the services that problem with the main power supply.
therefore make is whether they want to
customers are offered. The information will be backed-up
take on this responsibility, whether it
It is no surprise, therefore, that without fail on a daily basis, be protected
actually amounts to false economy and
looking at when and how to replace an by the very latest anti-virus software and
whether they would be able to get more
outdated system plays an important role undergo regular penetration testing. The
from an outsourced solution.
in management discussions and will have operational software will also be updated
a significant impact on the performance on a regular basis meaning it is always Complete or partial outsourcing
of the business for the foreseeable future. compatible with other systems and If firms decide to let a third party
For broking firms looking to invest platforms in the market and that users are run their broking system the next
in a new IT system there are a number of working with the latest and most efficient decision is whether they should go
things to consider. version of what’s available. through a managed service provider
It is interesting to note that a lot of (MSP) or an application service provider
In-house or outsource? the calls we get from firms who do not (ASP).
The first and perhaps most use the managed service are essentially The main difference is that with an
important point is what sort of breakdown calls. Something has gone MSP the broker’s system will be managed
involvement the firm wants to have in wrong with their system and they need from its own independent server, which
looking after its own IT. Should brokers help in everything from rebooting it to can be configured to meet its specific
stick to their knitting and invest their giving it a major overhaul. needs. An MSP will also handle all of the
time and effort in core activities rather However firms who have gone with other software requirements such as
Systems Scene
is sponsored by:
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40