Allstate Insurance Company of Canada has joined the ranks of insurers providing telematics apps. Allstate Canada said Monday it has debuted a “personalized app for the modern driver” as National Road Safety Week (May 14-20) kicks off in Canada. Several other insurers, including Intact and Desjardins, have apps based on telematics, which monitor driving behaviours. Allstate […]
By Jason Contant | May 16, 2019
3 min read
Your client’s property and life are getting increasingly exposed to cyber attacks because just about everything today has computing power, an information security expert warns. “It used to be what with computer security, we were worried about computers, desktops and laptops,” Bruce Schneier, a special advisor to IBM Security, said Tuesday during the Payments Canada […]
By Greg Meckbach | May 15, 2019
3 min read
It’s a common misperception that large direct insurance companies have lots of money to invest in the best, most innovative technology, creating a divide between them and smaller, “have not” brokerages. But digital transformation is actually levelling the playing field between small brokerages and large direct insurers, says Andrew Au, co-founder of Intercept Group, a […]
By David Gambrill | May 14, 2019
3 min read
Spyware crafted by an “advanced cyber actor” infected multiple targeted mobile phones through the popular WhatsApp communications program without any user intervention through in-app voice calls, the company said. The Financial Times identified the actor as Israel’s NSO Group, and a WhatsApp spokesman later said “we’re certainly not refuting any of the coverage you’ve seen.” […]
By Jason Contant | May 14, 2019
3 min read
“Google Home, Amazon Echo, buy me auto insurance for my new, black 2019 Hyundai Sontata.” If you are a broker, would you be able to handle this voice request for an auto insurance quote? If not, you’d better start strategizing for it, because many are predicting that voice-activated smart speakers will be the next generation […]
By David Gambrill | May 10, 2019
3 min read
Bored of the same-old, same-old? Why not sharpen your pencil and take that dream job as an actuary? According to the Will Robots Take My Job? website, there is only a 21% chance that actuaries will be replaced by artificial intelligence and robots. Automation risk level for an actuary? “No worries,” the U.K.-based website consoles. […]
By Jason Contant | May 9, 2019
2 min read
A day many British Columbia policyholders have been calling for finally appears to be on the horizon. But it may force some brokers to change how they do business. While hosting an AMA (ask me anything) session on popular social media platform Reddit, B.C. Attorney General and Minister for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia […]
By Adam Malik | May 8, 2019
2 min read
While cloud computing can introduce a whole new level of cyber risk, it can also help bolster a client’s information security, the cyber risk manager for one of Canada’s largest retailers suggests. “I will say without any hesitation, as I have been saying for over five years, the potential for security in a cloud architecture […]
By Greg Meckbach | May 3, 2019
3 min read
Connecting consumers with brokers and insurers through voice technology has already begun, but a new blog from Harvard Business Review is warning companies that their reputation could be at risk. The blog was written for general business audiences, but included an insurance example. It warned that if a company prematurely introduces smart speakers for more […]
By Jason Contant | May 2, 2019
2 min read
It’s hard for an insurance company to price cyber because clients are reluctant to report losses, industry experts suggest. “You need historical incidents to understand the types of events out there,” Scott Stransky, assistant vice president and principal scientist in AIR’s Research and Modeling group, said during an episode of A.M. Best TV published Tuesday. […]
By Greg Meckbach | May 1, 2019
2 min read