A IDC Financial Insights Special Report

The IDC Financial Insights North American Insurance IT Spending Guide is an annual analysis of the current status and projected growth of IT spending in the insurance industry. This five year outlook on IT spending by individual lines life and annuity insurers, personal lines property/casualty insurers, and commercial lines property/casualty insurers provides IT vendors with key information needed to develop effective market strategies and measure growth areas.

IDC Financial Insights offers this benchmark for consistent, detailed data on these major segments of the insurance industry to provide a profile of the IT growth opportunity across solution categories, insurance segments and technology components. This pivot table tool presents spending forecasts according to current assumptions relating to economic trends, end-user surveys, and IDC Financial Insights' comprehensive segmented research expertise. In addition, the Guide provides targeted data for sales organizations with specific spending predictions and analysis correlated by insurance segment size and type.

Key Questions Answered

• What is the impact of economic, industry, and technology trends on IT spending among the insurance industry?
• What technology needs in the insurance industry are driving key growth opportunities for IT vendors?
• How does the outlook for IT spending differ amongst types of insurers and solution spend areas?
• Where are your best prospects within the insurance industry?
• How does insurer size and charter impact IT investment strategies

Market Segments and Subjects Analyzed

• Technology Components – Hardware, Software, IT Services, Internal Services
• Solution Categories – Marketing, Product Development, Business Acquisition, Channel Management, Policy Administration, Claims Management and more
• Insurer Types – Life & Annuity, Personal Lines Property/Casualty, and Commercial Lines Property/Casualty
• Insurer Size – Tier 1 through Tier 3

Competitive Analysis and Advisory Services
By presenting a regional and segmented perspective on IT spending by financial institutions, the North American Insurance IT Spending Guide helps IT suppliers that are targeting the insurance sector to identify market opportunities and to execute an effective strategy. In addition, the detailed market segment data will assist insurers plan their budget allocations more effectively.

The Guide provides a comprehensive spending view of the insurer functions and supporting technologies. In conjunction with the Guide, one receives the IDC Financial Insights Taxonomy benchmark, a framework from which to categorize and relate functions and solutions in insurance. The Guide starts at a high level with categories of hardware, software, and IT services (both internal and external). The second level then reveals major insurer segments such as Life & Annuity, Personal Property/Casualty and Commercial Property/Casualty. The third level of detail then allows for specific spending numbers and delineates accordingly by insurer type and tier level. For example:

Life & Annuity - Functional Process / Solution Category Components:

• Marketing
• Product Development
• Business Acquisition
• Distribution
• Policy Administration
• Claims Management

IDC Financial Insights will publish the Guide annually for the Insurance Industry as well as provide access to the Insurance Taxonomy report, a framework from which to categorize and relate functions and solutions in insurance. This framework demonstrates the relationship between insurance functions and provides insight as to where technology solutions are properly applied. Documenting the function and solution relationship will provide a greater understanding of the application of technology to the business of insurance. Our high quality benchmark data and analysis also includes:

• ANALYST INQUIRY TIME (fee based) to answer specific questions on the market segmentation and spending forecasts within the regional Guide
• 24 x 7 ACCESS for five (5) users to the Guide and Taxonomy reports via financial-insights.com, a dynamic, personalized Web experience
• DISCOUNTED ADMISSION to our annual IDC Financial Insights client conferences and/or IDC's Directions conference
• COMPLIMENTARY INVITATIONS to monthly interactive forums in which clients receive additional insight about our research and strategies, have the opportunity to interact directly with analysts, and listen to their peers' questions

For more information, contact:
sales@idc-fi.com