Technology in the Executive Benefits Marketplace Today and Tomorrow

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• Technology in the Executive Benefits Marketplace
  Today and Tomorrow
• Alok Mehta CTO
• Steve Martino Vice President

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How are Recent Advances in Technologies Being
Used in the Executive Benefits Workplace ?
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Outline

• Technology Overview
• Fundamental Changes
• Technology in Action
• Future

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What is Technology?

• Technology can be thought of as a combination
  of content, communication, and hardware. Content,
  the information generated by a system, is the
  product of software capabilities and the business
  processes generating the information.
  Communication involves the process of
  transmitting the content to the user via
  hardware.
• - Stephen W. Forbes, LOMA

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Technology Overview
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Technology Basics Software

• Buy vs. Build
• Building Software
• Complex
• Art not a science
• Three P
• People
• Process
• Product

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Technology Basics - Software

• People
• The software team
• Programmers
• Testers
• Project Managers
• Support

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Technology Basics - Software

• Process
• New Development
• Requirements
• Design
• Construction
• Testing
• Iterate
• Release
• Maintenance, Evolve

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Technology Basics - Software

• Product
• What are we building?
• Project management
• Configuration management
• Managing expectations
• Software artifacts
• Documents
• Flow-charts
• Source code

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Application and Architecture

• Desktop
• Network
• Internet

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Desktop Application

• Single User
• No sharing or manual sharing of information
• Irregularly updated on clients machines
• DLL Hell

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Desktop Application
Desktop
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Network Application

• Client / server technology
• Can be multi-user
• Data can reside on the client or the server.
  Usually a little of both.
• Dependent on users operating system

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Multi-tier Description
Old client server model
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Internet Application

• Network
• Request and response
• Client to LAN to Router to Firewall to ISP, to
  NAP to ISP to Router to Server, and back
• Stateless connection (HTTP)
• Browser
• Thin vs. fat client
• Multi-user
• Communicate with other applications

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Thin Client

• Thin client" is a low-cost, centrally-managed
  computer devoid of CD-ROM players, diskette
  drives, and expansion slots. The term derives
  from the fact that small computers in networks
  tend to be clients and not servers. Since the
  idea is to limit the capabilities of these
  computers to only essential applications, they
  tend to be purchased and remain "thin" in terms
  of the client applications they include.
• www.whatis.com

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Multi-tier Description
Internet
128 Bit Encryption (Private Key)
128 Bit Encryption (Public Key)
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Multi-tier Description
Advantages of using a tiered architecture
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Multi-tier Description
New client server model (Multi-tier model)
Interface layer (e.g. AFS Input Engine)
Business logic (e.g. DTSBusinessObject or
AFServer.exe)
Data Services (e.g. AFSDB or SQL server)
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Multi-tier Architecture
Client Tier Browsers
Presentation Layer HTML
Business Logic Calculators
Data Tier
128 Bit Encryption
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Multi-tier Architecture
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Multi-tier Hardware Topology
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Todays Network LAN and WAN
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Fundamental Changes
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Fundamental Changes

• New technology
• User expectations
• Security concerns
• Integration of disparate systems

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New Technology

• Web based applications
• Voice over IP
• Wireless applications

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Transition to Internet

• Latest version of application
• Universal access
• Multi-user
• Multitasking

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Transition to Internet

• Server-side data
• Speed
• Servers are fast
• But Internet can be slow
• Reduced hardware requirements
• Thin client

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User Expectations of Web Applications

• 24 x 7 availability
• Fast response regardless of users machine or
  connection speed
• Secure data
• Secure transactions

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Addressing Expectations

• Data centers
• Thin client, T1, OC32
• Automated backups
• Encryption

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Solutions to Security Concerns

• Local data is now on remote server
• Securing data
• Advanced backups
• Tier (server) security
• Network security
• Firewall, Intrusion detection, Virus detection
• Traveling data (encryption)
• Physical security
• Digital signatures (www.adobe.com)
• Online banking

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Integration of Disparate Systems

• Ability to integrate NOT develop
• Components
• Identity verification
• Server and network security (www.verisign.com)
• Transaction security
• Data
• XML

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Technology In Action
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Example Data Sharing
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Example Software Distribution

• User creates an account
• Gets access to demo version
• Requests access to other systems.
  (multi-carrier platform)
• Administrator approves the access and sets
  permissions
• Email is sent to the user
• User is ready to use the system

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Example Software Distribution
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Example PULL Technology

• User PULLS the content via web or emails
• User sends an email to an account
• Server processes the email
• Formats the data
• Sends the info. back to the user

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Example PULL Technology
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Example PUSH Technology

• Server PUSHES the content to the user
• Email, Tickers
• Event based
• Changes in some key data like sales figures,
  account value, new account etc.
• Real time information

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Example PUSH Technology
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Example Data Links

• Data from disparate systems
• Inforce
• NAV
• N-tier architecture is important!!!
• Data formats
• FTP
• Email
• XML
• CSV
• Other

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Example Data Links
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Example Advanced Batch Processing

• Run multiple processes at one time
• System can process while you work on other tasks
• Work is processed asynchronously
• User notified when work is complete

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Example Advanced Batch Processing
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The Future in Technology and Applications
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Future will bring...

• Standardization
• Simplification

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Standardization

• Data standardization
• Platform standardization
• Technological standardization

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Data Standardization

• Within application or across disparate systems
• XML
• Location transparency
• Security
• Database, Traveling, Backup
• Information
• Data mining
• Sorting through data to identify patterns and
  establish relationships
• Warehousing
• Copy of data ready for reporting

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Platform Standardization

• Browser-based applications
• Microsoft internet explorer
• Netscape navigator
• Possible non-standard components (with plug-ins)
• ActiveX controls
• JavaScript

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Technological Standardization

• Thin client
• Low cost, independent
• XML
• Common data transfer language between
  applications
• Hosting and SSL
• Provides data and server security

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Simplification
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What will Software Maturity Bring?

• Software agents
• Adaptive personality
• Decision making tools
• Integration between the sales and support process

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Software Agents

• By analyzing patterns of activity, software
  agents understand the behavior of customers,
  products and branches and learn from their
  behavior to automatically and proactively adapt
  to the rapidly changing environments in which
  clients operate!
• CMU

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Software Agents

• Will account for almost 50 percent of total IT
  spending in 10 years.
• By 2010, it will be worth 250 billion.
• Independent decisions, such as automatically
  searching for and purchasing products on the web.
  
• CMU

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Example Software Agents

• Automatic responses via email
• Dynamic pricing
• Identity verification via electronic profiles
• Forward browsing and monitor when a solve
  is complete
• Automatically collects asset bids for liability

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Adaptive Personality

• Learning from user experience to take intelligent
  steps by adapting to their preferences.
• CMU
• Roots in AI
• Record patterns of activity
• Use it for
• Data warehousing, Data mining

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Example Adaptive Personality

• Content Customization
• Pre-defined
• Wizards, Profiles, Cookies, DB
• Are they adaptive????
• Dynamic
• Adaptive Personality

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Example Wizards

• The first step towards customizing the users
  experience
• Gathers data from the user and then helps them
  through an application

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Example Wizards
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Example Profiles

• Customized interface
• Predefined by the application, user, or
  administrator

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Example Profiles
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Example Looks Like Adaptive Personality
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Decision Making Tools

• More Robust Asset/Liability Matching
• Compare insurance products
• Compare alternative funding
• Solve for the optimal funding

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Example Product Comparison Technology
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Integration Between the Sales and Support Process

• Online/live training available for the user
• Live support
• Chats
• Call centers
• Live demos (www.webex.com)
• Webcasting
• Client data travels with them
• Passport
• Service integrated with sales
• Inforce, User tracking, Reporting

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Example Online Training

• Demonstrates streaming video
• Large amounts of information can be sent to the
  user over any connection
• Not interactive

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Example Online Training
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Example Online Training

• Demonstrates Flash technology
• Can create semi-interactive presentations by
  giving the user choices
• Requires flash player
• Start up time varies

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Example Online Training
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Example Activity Tracking

• Tracking your users
• Macro level
• Web Trends
• Reports from ISP
• Micro level
• Programmed in application
• Page visited, actions performed

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Example Activity Tracking
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Example E-Commerce and Life Insurance

• Need to design secure and non-secure sections
• Automated underwriting
• Premium collection

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Example Selling Life Insurance on the Web
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Example Content Management

• Tools
• Managing content in a multilingual environment

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Example Content Manager Tool
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Example Content Manager
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Example Content Manager
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Example Content Manager
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Example Multilingual Content
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Example Multilingual Content
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Wrap up

• Standardization
• Multi-tier WEB architecture
• Thin client
• Disparate systems integration will become more
  common
• Tracking/reporting via data mining and data
  warehousing
• Adaptive personality
• Product comparison via agents

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Additional References

• Technology terms
• www.whatis.com
• How does IT work?
• www.howstuffworks.com
• N-Tier and other tools
• www.microsoft.com
• www.macromedia.com
• Opinions
• www.zdnet.com
• Digital signatures
• www.adobe.com
• Security
• www.verisign.com

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Questions