The Cost of Reactive IT in Insurance
Insurance IT leaders face intense pressure to boost digital performance, reduce operational risks, and control costs. Yet, many insurers lose millions annually due to reactive IT support models that fail to address hidden inefficiencies. Allianz Global ranks business interruption, including IT outages, as the top risk for insurers. Industry estimates suggest that 55% of IT budgets are spent maintaining operations, leaving only 19% for innovation.
Proactive IT: A Game-Changer for Insurers
Proactive IT, powered by Digital Employee Experience (DEX) platforms, is changing this landscape. By collecting real-time data from endpoints across the IT estate, insurers gain visibility into system performance and user experience. This data, enhanced by AI, reveals inefficiencies and enables automation, reducing ticket volumes and saving millions. For instance, a global insurer reduced incident tickets by 35%, preventing 30,000 issues monthly by targeting VPN failures and reboot hygiene.
Uncovering Hidden Waste with Endpoint Data
DEX platforms use sensors to collect thousands of data points from endpoints every few seconds, providing a clear view of device performance, application usage, and user experience. This helps insurers identify waste, such as over-provisioned hardware or unused software licenses. A financial services firm saved £7.2 million by using real usage data to avoid unnecessary laptop refreshes, while another eliminated £3.2 million in software waste by tracking license usage.
Catching Issues Before They Disrupt
Real-time insights from DEX platforms enable IT teams to catch issues before they impact employees or customers. Traditional monitoring often misses user-level friction until complaints arise. DEX platforms track metrics like memory, latency, and application crashes, allowing instant intervention. For example, a global insurer identified a Group Policy Object (GPO) spawning two cmd.exe instances that consumed 20% CPU across multiple machines. The issue was fixed before users noticed, saving thousands in lost productivity.
Scaling Efficiency with Automation
Automation resolves repetitive issues at scale, reducing IT workload and costs. Tasks like password resets, software stalls, or update delays consume significant resources. A healthcare insurer automated 1.1 million sensor-driven actions over 30 days, addressing system hygiene issues like slow search times and cutting ticket volumes. Another financial services firm automated responses to 800 tickets monthly, saving over £150,000 annually and reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR).
Aligning IT with Business Strategy
Proactive IT aligns investments with business strategy and customer expectations. By eliminating waste, insurers can redirect funds to innovation, such as cloud transitions or AI-driven customer service tools. DEX data optimizes IT asset management, creating role-based environments for underwriters, claims adjusters, and customer service reps, preventing revenue loss from failed policy quotes or delayed claims.
Supporting Digital Transformation and Compliance
DEX platforms support digital transformation initiatives by providing granular insights into system performance and user readiness. They also strengthen compliance by ensuring endpoint data meets regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of disruptions that impact critical services like claims processing. The integration of AI and machine learning will further enhance proactive IT strategies, enabling insurers to anticipate demands in a rapidly changing market.
For insurance IT leaders, the shift to proactive, data-driven IT is transformative. By leveraging DEX platforms, insurers can cut ticket volumes, save millions, enhance operational efficiency, ensure compliance, and boost employee and customer satisfaction. As the insurance sector evolves, proactive IT will be essential for turning IT from a cost center into a catalyst for innovation and growth.
