A Guided Tour for Risk Management and Insurance Professionals through the Capabilities of On-line Media

 

A Vision. "Internet technology" refers to the communications protocols, standards, and software that allow virtually any computer in the world to interact with any other computing device, regardless of make or manufacture. Imagine having easy access from your desktop or television monitor to nearly any aspect of your own organization and the outside world. Because of the rapid growth in use of Internet technology, this vision is fast becoming a reality.

Within a few years, we will be able to view, listen to, and use the content of virtually any book, periodical, manual, brochure, current schedules, directory, broadcast, video, CD ROM, photograph, sensor, surveillance device, and continuously-updated software programs. As the ultimate network, the Internet provides an inexpensive method for communicating with nearly any person or organization in the world. Not surprisingly, the emergence of this technology is attracting lots of attention. Freeway off-ramps leading to Internet conferences are nearly as jammed as those leading to rock concerts of the '60s.

Changes in Business Process and Structure. Full realization of this vision will significantly change the types of risk to which organizations are exposed, and alter the ways in which such risks are managed. The exchange of digital information via e-mail, file transfers, and web pages is inherently more efficient when conducting transactions than more traditional methods, such as the use of printed forms, letters, and faxes. It is quite common today for original source documents to be created as digital files on some form of machine, such as a personal computer, cash register, or accounting system. But, in order to send the information contained in the documents to someone else, it has been necessary to convert it into a format that is commonly recognizable. This is typically a paper-based printed image, created with a printer or fax.

The conversion of the original digital files to a fax or printed page essentially involves "downgrading" the files to mere "bit-map" images, which are not easily manipulated and which are large and inefficient to store. Using scanners and optical character recognition software, the recipients of such documents then may seek to re-digitize the information so that it can be stored and manipulated by their own software programs, such as relational databases and search engines. This un-digitizing and re-digitizing of information in an inexact and cumbersome process.

Direct transfer of digital information can be far more efficient and precise, but only works if there is compatibility between the systems of the sender and recipient of the information. Internet technology provides the needed compatibility. However, once files are received via Internet communications, they must then be capable of conversion to the specific file formats recognized by the recipient's own software.

Traditional business methods rely on direct exchanges of information between people, one seeking information, the other giving information; or one giving information for an order, the other taking the order. People are part of the medium for the exchange of information, either by initiating a transaction or inquiry, or by routing or responding to the transaction request. Direct transfer of digital information can reduce the number of people in the chain to obtain information and complete a transaction. Examples include the use of "self-serve" Internet Web pages to make airline reservations, check bank account balances, transfer funds, trade securities, and provide 24-hour help desk support. Because these methods can involve a dramatically lower cost per transaction, it seems inevitable that the processes of price competition will serve to make them commonplace - just like using automatic teller machines for cash withdrawals from a bank account.

For transactions involving selection from a range of choices, using Web pages can save a great deal of people time. Not only do Web sites perform a "self-service" approach, but they are more efficient than other such approaches. For example, a recent effort to redeem telephone company "rewards points" for an award item, such as free travel, involved listening to a voice mail message listing nineteen different choices. The time spent listening to all nineteen choices is "linear," as opposed to the two or three-dimensional display of information on Web pages. A two dimensional display allows a user to scroll directly to the item of interest, make a selection, and be on with the rest of the day's business. If there are a very large number of choices, a search engine facilitates the process.

Another characteristic of Internet technology is that the cost of transmitting information is distance insensitive. Sending an e-mail message form San Francisco to Singapore costs the same as sending the same message from Brooklyn to the Bronx. The low cost and ease of sending messages to large numbers of people and businesses anywhere in the world is likely to alter the economics of many businesses. Some companies will find that competition escalates to a truly global market. Competitors having a low cost structure and lightweight, portable organizations will be able to maintain a presence on the Internet comparable with large, multinational enterprises. Certainly this phenomenon will alter the way business is transacted and the structure of certain industries.

The World Wide Web is a very low-cost way of publishing information and making it available to the rest of the world. No longer do the high costs of duplication and distribution present barriers preventing the publication of anyone's ideas or other forms of intellectual property. However, for a particular Web site to be noticed, it must be promoted, usually through establishing a presence through advertisement in or links from other, more frequently-visited sites. Not all of the content capable of being published on the Web is of the same quality as that which survived the editorial process of traditional print publications. Some is distinctly inferior. New mechanisms are needed to weed out the good and original content from that which is out-of-date, inaccurate, poorly-conceived, or trite.

New Risks. Risk Managers are charged with the job of identifying, avoiding, controlling, transferring, and financing various types of risk affecting their organizations. Due to the ways in which the on-line medium is changing the way business is conducted and structured, the character of risks confronting the organization is being transformed. Moreover, these changes are occurring at a rapid pace. Usually, rapid rates of change are accompanied by organizational stress, manifesting in varied ways that generate unexpected losses. For example, losses may result from employees whose jobs have been altered or eliminated in the transition, including Workers' Compensation stress claims, computer security breaches, and loss of proprietary information.

New types of risk are being created. Increased reliance on automated systems means greater exposure to the risk that a key part of the infrastructure may fail, especially in event of a failure in the power supply. Corruption of data or backup files by unauthorized access or by disgruntled employees may cause the loss of days' worth of business transaction records. Sensitive information may be obtained by competitors who are able to adopt sophisticated espionage techniques, such as "packet sniffing," of unsecured electronic communications. Employees may, without authorization, participate in industry on-line conferences or newsgroups in ways which may invite claims of slander or defamation. Employees or contractors who contribute "content" to company-owned web sites may knowingly or inadvertently infringe on another company's copyright or trademark. Other employees may publish something considered "indecent" on either a public or internal web site, leading to possible sexual harassment claims or objections from anyone able to view the material who considers it to be "indecent." Fraudulent transactions may cause loss, due to failure to authenticate the identity of any other parties to a transaction. These are just a few of the new exposures created by the new technology.

New Tools. Even as Internet technology creates new risk exposures, it provides new tools for managing risk. Effective risk management requires a combination of knowledge and communications skills. Internet technology facilitates access to knowledge, and makes communications easy, inexpensive, and rapid. As Internet tools become available, new applications are being formulated by risk management, insurance, and safety professionals.

Internet Web browsers are not limited to viewing text and graphics. They also can serve as the "graphical user interface" for a wide variety of software applications. When combined with powerful, cross-platform computer languages such as JAVA, the HTML language of web pages is able to edit and validate data being entered into database applications, and to display the results of queries and reports. These functions can be performed both over the open Internet, as well as within private "intranet" networks using Internet protocols and standards. Listed below are some examples of useful risk management applications using Internet technology, including some "visionary" examples that may be reality by the time this text reaches the printing press.

Risk Identification. Identification of risk involves obtaining up-to-date information and evaluating it for hazard factors. Within an organization, it is necessary to receive updated information on physical risks, hazardous materials stored at various sites, and current values by obtaining input from each site. Doing so using paper forms is slow, and requires entry of the data. The Internet provides an easy way of transmitting such information in a timely, efficient manner, even if the computers and software in use at the various sites are entirely different.

Web sites on the Internet provide access to flood maps, topographical information, aerial surveillance data, seismic hazards, and approaching severe weather. The Association of Bay Area Governments' web site provides information about local conditions and infrastructure. Included are weather reports, an environmental help line, transit routes and schedules, and earthquake scenarios. The earthquake information includes a color-coded map showing the estimated degree of damage that would result from a hypothetical magnitude 7.3 quake on any of several different fault lines, including the ability to zoom in on a particular neighborhood. It can be found at www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/bayarea.html. Using a University of California at Berkeley web site, you can you may create a seismogram from the monitoring station and location of your choice (http://quake.geo.berkeley.edu/bdsn/make_seismogram.html).

Other geophysical and meteorological hazards are monitored by Hazard Net (http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/~hazard). It is a collaborative network prototype under development as a demonstration project of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). The goal of HazardNet is to enhance the timeliness, quality, quantity, specificity and accessibility of information for persons and organizations world-wide concerned with preventing, mitigating or preparing for or large-scale natural and technological emergencies. When fully operational, HazardNet will:

HazardNet evolved from earlier projects, including the International Emergency Reduction, Readiness/Response System (IERRIS) project and the Emergency Preparedness Information Exchange (EPIX) of Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.

A FEMA Web site provides current information on hurricane movements, together with probabilities of various wind speeds at different locations. The location is http://www.fema.gov/fema/trop.html. Overall weather data is available from the federal NOAA site at http://www.esdim.noaa.gov. Climate prediction and long range weather forecasts are at The Climate Prediction Center (http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov/). Broader-scale information, such as Arctic ice pack thickness and ocean levels is compiled at the web site established by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html. At http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/resource/drought.html, NOAA provides specific drought hazard information.

Disaster Recovery. Up-to-date information on disasters arising both from natural and manmade causes is available from Disaster Net (http://www.disaster.net/). Emergency communications are the focus of NACEC, the North American Center For Emergency Communications (http://www.nacec.org/). Helping disaster victims get in touch with relatives and others, and vice versa, is the purpose of LifeLinks, at http://www.clickit.com/touch/lifelink.htm. The National Drought Mitigation Center (http://enso.unl.edu/ndmc/) specializes in assisting people in coping with the reality of a drought situation. EQE International Inc.'s home page offers an excellent example of how a commercial enterprise can provide useful information, as well as general information about its publications and business risk services. Its web site, http://www.eqe.com, provides visual and graphic updates on natural catastrophes around the world.

Using GIS and AutoCad Technology as a Tool for Disaster Recovery. The Internet originated as a method for maintaining communications in event of a nuclear war. Not surprisingly, it provides an excellent tool for disaster preparedness and disaster recovery. Since disasters usually involve a spatial component, a technology known as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) offers promising capabilities for integrating information pertinent to recovery after a firestorm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, or flood occurs due to a natural hazard. An example is a web site created by the City of Oakland in the wake of the Oakland Hills firestorm (http://199.35.5.101/index1.htm). GIS allows for viewing of "layers" of maps, showing the location of such varied information as property boundaries, streets, buildings, and infrastructure details.

GIS combines spatial information with other forms of data which normally are maintained in a relational database or spreadsheet. In a public entity or private utility application, information is maintained on each component of infrastructure, including such services as water, sewer, electrical, telephone, gas, and cable, are. Details include installation date, manufacturing information, maintenance schedule, hazardous material contained, installation or construction details, and other information needed to repair or replace the assets.

When you make a request for a GIS map view, you get an image created on the fly from raw data. Additional information can be added in a post-emergency situation, such as routes for access and egress. Claims adjusters and emergency response team members using laptop computers with cellular modems could use such information to communicate with their home offices and with others in their response team, greatly expediting the recovery process.

AutoCad software used in searching through wreckage during the Oklahoma City bombing incident demonstrated its usefulness whenever 3-dimensional views of structures are needed. Property owners normally maintain files of information on all of their major facilities. In order to locate missing persons, hazardous chemicals, or valuable files in a disaster affecting a major structure, a three-dimensional computer graphic, created from conventional architectural drawings, can be an invaluable aid. Many contemporary buildings are being designed from such software. By maintaining information on structures and their contents in this manner, insurance recoveries also can be expedited. Internet and intranet software permits the viewing of such files in remote locations without the need to install special software. A "VRML-capable" web browser would be able to view complex buildings and other details, such as modifications to the structures caused by a disaster.

Using the Internet to Distribute Date from Sensors and Monitoring Devices. With the advent of H-323 technology recently announced by Intel, it will be possible for any Internet phone system to talk with any other Internet phone system. This will make it feasible to monitor sounds and pictures from almost any site, using a video camera, microphone, and link to a telephone line or cellular modem.

Using highly-compressed audio and video files, PARAMAX, a Reno, Nevada-based company, is beta testing a system that transmits full-motion video and sound via the Internet. The system permits simultaneous, monitoring, from anywhere in the world, of a job site, participating in video conferences, view meetings and other events, and witness fires, court trials, natural disasters, and even hostage situations. This can be accomplished with equipment costing under $400, using ordinary 14,4 or 28,8 modems. Full-motion video is achieved with 30 frames per second, requiring ISDN or, Frame Relay, or T-1 line speed. Using analog modems, transfers of up to 26 frames per second are achieved with 28,8 modems, and up to 15 frames per second at 14,4 modems. Access to the information can be restricted, using password or other methods of restricted access. Such applications no longer require expensive dedicated lines and high-tech control rooms. The technology involves compression of video files to a size only 1/600-1/800th of the original file size.

MIMOSA is a joint project by major equipment manufacturers to embed microchips that monitor the vital functions and degree of wear of industrial equipment. Off-site boiler and machinery inspectors and engineers may be able to monitor the risk of machinery breakdown by transmitting the information gathered in this way over the Internet. Such early detection may allow for corrective action before an expensive breakdown occurs. More information on MIMOSA is available at www.riskinfo.com (RiskINFO) and www.hsb.com (Hartford Steam Boiler).

Another example of information gathered by sensors and transmitted though a Web sites is the use of sensors on underwater buoys outside San Francisco Bay for measuring tidal currents, water temperature, and salinity. The information is available to large ocean vessels and shore stations needing to plan the most appropriate times for ships to enter the Bay safely, when clearance over underwater shoals will be greatest.

Air Touch Paging, a subsidiary of Air Touch Communications, offers a free e-mail service to page people. Simply enter a person's 10-digit pager number, followed by @alphapage.airtouch.com. If the person you are transmitting to has an alphanumeric pager capable of displaying text, you can send a lengthy message. Or, you can simply send a telephone number to a regular pager. The system can be used for machine-generated alarms to employees when problems occur. This would facilitate early warning of a range of events, including fire and earthquake. If very high access speeds become available for such a service, it might even be possible for a machine sensing a seismic wave or a tsunami to provide a timely warning before the wave reaches places miles away, where a few moments of warning might save lives and property.

Research and Reference Resources. Risk management often requires research, in order to respond to queries on a broad range of subjects. Examples of real questions that can be researched over the Internet include:

By using powerful search engines, such as Yahoo, Excite, or Alta Vista, risk managers are able to search a wealth of information, ranging from the card catalogs of major university libraries to recent articles in most major world newspapers or the PR NewsWire. One problem is that, until a search is narrowed, thousands of matches may be obtained, the great majority of which are irrelevant and worthless. You may need to re-phrase your question, or use some of the special features of the search engine to better-focus your query.

Other ways of finding information specific to a particular industry is to use a Web site that specializes in a particular subject. For example, the Hartford Steam Boiler (www.hsb.com) site provides information on boilers and machinery. Risk retention and purchasing groups are the focus of the Risk Retention Reporter (www.rrr.com). RiskINFO (www.riskinfo.com) specializes in risk management reference material, current insurance news, and commentary by industry experts. Search engines within such sites have a high probability of finding a specialized topic within their scope. Inferential search engines, such as Casepoint Webserver by Inference Corporation, use "case based reasoning" provide a more advanced search capability, by asking multiple questions that refine your search and help find answers from a "knowledge base" of thousands of pages of risk management information.

Some of the risk management and insurance reference publications that provide all or a significant part of their content on the World Wide Web include:

Interesting excerpts and samples of printed information is available on the Internet from:

Descriptions of resources available in print are provided by:

The Insurance Information Institute's web site provides the full text of many of its consumer brochures, recent financial results for the property/casualty insurance industry, and the III's catalog of publications and other services at http://www.iii.org/index.htm.

Risk Management and Insurance News. Current news is available from several established publishers and compilations of current print media news reports:

Smarts Publishing at http://www.riskinfo.com/smarts/index.htm offers:

Individual Inc. provides NEWSPAGE (http://www.newspage.com), which searches news wires, newspapers and trade magazines worldwide to find articles relevant to insurance and other industries.

Actuarial and Statistical Data. Actuaries can obtain resources at a web site established at the University of Calgary that is named for the famed Italian Actuary, Gaetano Balducci. Located at http://balducci.math.ucalgary.ca/ari.html, it provides a wealth of information, including a announcements of upcoming actuarial conferences, white papers, and links to other actuarial, risk, and insurance sites, including a link to Jerry Tuttle's Actuarial Joke Page, http://users.aol.com/fcas/jokes.html. The Society of Actuaries has established a web site, http://www.soa.org/, that provides a listing of Society's activities, special projects, and printed publications.

Listings of statistical information of interest to actuaries are available at the NCCI's web site, http://www.ncci.com/. The National Council on Compensation Insurance collects and analyzes information covering more than $20 billion in annual workers compensation premium. Additionally, it compiles and provides individual company experience rating to 400,000 employers annually. Its Workers' Compensation loss cost estimates for more than 600 business classifications in 37 states helps national and local businesses to prevent workplace injuries and benchmark workers compensation costs. Data available from the NCCI includes customized analysis and exhibits on costs by classification and by state, and the cost of workers compensation medical services by injury diagnosis.

Insurance Regulatory Information. Because insurance is highly-regulated by each of the 50 states in the United States, and every country in the world, legal and regulatory information is a necessary fact of life the permeates the industry. The information is becoming easier to access, and compliance with filing and reporting requirements is being automated through use of the Internet.

For example, filings made for Surplus Lines placements within California is the subject of the California Surplus Lines Association web site (http://www.insweb.com/proforgs/sla/), including on-line interactive forms for making the required filings. Nationwide insurance legal and regulatory information, including links to web sites detailing the laws of individual states, is provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at http://www.naic.org/. The California Department of Insurance (http://www.insurance.ca.gov/), for example, provides access to the full text of state insurance laws at http//www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Workplace Safety and Environmental Health. There is a wealth of resources on the Internet of interest to managers of environmental safety and health and Workers' Compensation loss control. OSHA requirements, interpretations, directives, corporate-wide settlement agreements, hazard information bulletins, and field inspection reference manuals can be found at the OSHA web site (www.osha.slc.gov). Another federal site relevant to environmental health and safety is maintained by the Environmental Protection Administration. The EPA site is at http://www.epa.gov/.

A site maintained by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides research information on the prevention of work-related injuries, and has links to numerous related sites. It is located at www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html, as part of the web site established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A web site developed by Ploss Associates (http://www.tiac.net/users/dploss/home.html), an environmental safety consulting firm, is a commercial site with minimal advertising and a great deal of informational content and links to other resources of interest to safety professionals.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MDSS) providing guidelines on the handling of hazardous materials are available through a search engine at www.enviro-net.com or at gopher://atlas.chem.utah.edu:70/11/MSDS.

Other relevant sites for workplace safety professionals include a site that the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom.htm. Reviews of current safety topics, a safety forum, and a chat area are available at www.safetyonline.net. The National Council on Compensation Insurance offers free workplace safety tips on its home page: http://www.ncci.com/.

Property Loss Prevention. Information concerning the National Fire Codes, consisting of 275 codes and standards, covering all areas of fire safety, published by the NFPA, is at http://www.wpi.edu/~fpe/nfpa.html. Virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation in society today is affected by NFPA's consensus standards-making system and the codes and standards developed through this open system. The codes are used in nearly every country in the world.

Professional Collaboration and Communication. Risk managers rely on collaboration with their colleagues to save time and effort, and avoid "re-inventing the wheel." As new laws, practices, and technologies emerge, risk managers are constantly finding new ways of solving problems. Professional societies provide an important way of networking with others facing similar issues, and learning from their efforts. The Internet is proving to be an important way in which such organizations foster communication between their members. some of the organizations which has established web sites for this purpose include:

User Groups. Risk managers, safety managers, brokers, agents, and information system professionals all use various types of computer software to automate their business and departmental processes. They share a common need with other users of such systems to learn how to overcome system flaws, how to optimize use of the system through tips and tricks, and to communicate with the software developer with a common agenda prioritizing needed enhancements and upgrades. The Internet is a useful way of sharing information such as answers to "frequently asked questions" (FAQs) with such User Groups, as well as an automated help desk, on-line chat area for immediate answers to questions, and discussion forums for posting of questions or comments. Some User Groups which have begun to employ such a format include:

Communication with Members/Owners/Policyholders. A type of insurance organization that requires close interaction among its membership is the "Joint Powers Authority" or Public Pool insurer. Such entities were created in response to a general lack of availability of insurance for public entities from privately-owned insurers. Consequently, a variety of pools and self insurance funds were created for the mutual sharing of risk among public entities. Since these pools are "owned" by their member-insureds, there is close interaction across a broad spectrum of insurance coverages and services. There are significant opportunities for such pools to utilize Internet technology for more advanced applications, including the deployment of software for reporting of incidents and losses, management of insurable assets, and loss prevention activities. Some of the pools which have established web sites include:

Insurance Coverage Analysis and Loss Adjusting. Insurance coverage and adjustment of losses is the focus of the Insurance Adjusters Resource Center at http://207.6.100.1/insurance/. Sites providing information on insurance coverages include Coverage.com at http://www.coverage.com/index.html and the Society of Insurance Research (SIR), a not-for-profit professional organization whose purpose is to stimulate insurance research in areas affecting the future direction of the industry and to foster the exchange of ideas among its members. Its home page is at http://connectyou.com/ins/sir.

Insurance Claims Fraud Prevention. The Insurance Fraud Bureau's web site deals with insurance fraud statistics, and tips on forming a special investigations unit. In addition, its quarterly publication, "FocusFraud."' is at http://www.ifb.org. Information on insurance fraud research is found at the Insurance Fraud Research Register at http://www.finweb.com/rmisearch.html.

Insurance Career Information. Ohio State University has developed a "Jobs in Insurance" web site that serves as an electronic employment agency. It is sponsored by the Fisher College of Business to give risk management and insurance job-seekers basic data on skill requirements, types of job descriptions, salary information, and other information about the industry. It is at http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/dept/fin/jobs/insure.htm. A commercial effort to provide employment agency functions on-line is the Insurance Career Center at http://www.connectyou.com/talent/. Numerous other web sites in the industry list open positions and job requirements for their own companies' needs.

Discussion Forums. RiskForum is a new, interactive web site dedicated to discussions with colleagues, moderated by industry experts, on focused subjects of current interest. It includes a "wish list" for future topics. Another way of conferencing over the Internet involves the use of a "Listserve," by means of which each subscriber to the list receives email messages daily on any topic or question posted by any member. Such a Listserve is operated by James Garven, formerly an insurance and risk management professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Information can be obtained at an ancillary service, found at http://www.RISKWeb.com/.

Insurance Marketplace. Some web site-based services are going beyond simply using the on-line medium as a way of providing and exchanging information and other intellectual property. InsWeb, developed by Strategic Concepts Corp. in Burlingame, California, provides a "centralized insurance marketplace" on the Internet. In addition to providing information and resources to facilitate informed insurance purchases, it seeks to promote a more efficient means of accessing insurance agents, brokers and insurers. Beginning with personal lines, InsWeb foresees on-line transactions of insurance for small business commercial lines. It is located at http://Insweb.com.

Insurance Net, is another on-line resource for buyers of both personal and commercial insurance. Designed by Nexus Analytical, it contains relevant product and market information at http://www.insurancenet.com. Insurance News Network (http://www.inn.com), provides comparative insurance quotes, together with reference information on auto, home and life insurance to consumers in the United States.

Thousands of insurance companies, agents, brokers, and service providers have established web sites that describe their offerings. "Insurance Companies and Resources on the Net," is a home page that provides users with a comprehensive listing of insurance industry web sites. Its address is http://lattanze.loyola.edu/users/cwebb/hotlist.html. Other indexes of available products and services include the Risk and Insurance Magazine's Buyer's Guides at http://www.riskinfo.com, and listings of industry services on InsWeb and IVANS.

Quality and Benchmarking. The Quality Insurance Congress home page at http://www.-nashville.net/qic95/ serves to provide insurance-related quality and benchmarking information.

Using the Internet to Run Insurance and Risk Management Software. Software applications can be performed over the Internet, eliminating the need for installation and updating of sophisticated systems on a multitude of desktop computers. Relatively inexpensive desktop computers, capable of running web browser software, soon will be able to access and run software designed for a variety of insurance applications. They won't need to be connected to corporate databases over expensive "wide area networks." They can simply access such applications and data using the nearest connection to the Internet, and special security technology to maintain confidentiality of information.

Internet technology is being applied in numerous ways to enhance existing client/server software applications currently in use by both commercial and public entities. These applications typically are designed for "IntraNets" and Virtual Private Networks, due to the need for privacy and security of the information. Some of the areas in which programs are being used and developed for use by risk managers, safety managers, and insurance professionals include:

Summary. Only a year ago, the Internet was perceived by risk management and insurance professionals as a place inhabited by "surfers" and "hackers". Since then, there has been a dramatic rise in acceptance of the Internet as a valuable resource by insurers, risk mangers, agents, brokers, and safety professionals. The amount of useful content and software applications available through the medium is growing exponentially. If you wish to speculate on where it's all headed, and how it will re-shape risk management and insurance, your comments are welcome at http://www.riskforum.com.

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