4-page Case Study - Posted 6/14/2007
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Executives at Insurance Company Gain Performance Data in Minutes Instead of Hours
United States-based Physicians Liability Insurance Company (PLICO) offers liability insurance for the healthcare industry in Oklahoma. After committing to a long-term growth plan, the company wanted to replace its existing IBM AS400-based administration system. Historically, executives needed the support of IT personnel to extract performance data from the system—waiting up to 24 hours for results. PLICO selected a policy administration system from Sirius with a business intelligence solution by Moore Stephens Consulting using Microsoft® ProClarity. With ProClarity tools, backed by a Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 database, executives generate graphical reports highlighting performance data in minutes. IT personnel can focus on higher-value strategic tasks, avoiding the need to write programmes to extract data, and the company is reducing costs.
Situation
The Physicians Liability Insurance Company (PLICO), established in 1979 in the United States (U.S.), wanted a solution that improved business intelligence for management. In 2005, the company, which offers liability insurance for the medical practice in Oklahoma, committed to a long-term growth plan. However, it found the existing IBM AS400-based administration system restricted the responsiveness of managers to changes in the market and their ability to drive expansion.
Historically, managers needed the support of IT personnel to access business data stored on the IBM solution. They made a request to one of two IT employees with the skills to pull data from the system outlining the kind of information they wanted. Next, they waited up to 24 hours for the data to arrive in a spreadsheet format.
The wait reduced the ability of individuals to react quickly to change, and increased costs. For example, when outside auditors worked at the company, the time they needed to complete tasks could be extended as they waited for data to arrive. The delay ramped up indirect costs too—employees had to cope with the stress of waiting for information to then deliver reports to line managers within tight deadlines.
On average, IT personnel received seven requests per week for business data. Around 60 per cent of the time, they had to write specific programmes to pull the required data from the system. This interrupted existing work schedules, sometimes causing IT personnel to work through breaks to compile the requested data. Becky Meares, Director of Information Technology at PLICO, says: “We could work four to eight hours writing the programme and it meant that all the other work we had on our desks had to wait.”
Solution
PLICO looked for a new policy administration system designed specifically for the insurance industry that also provided a business intelligence solution. Crucially, using a business intelligence product, managers would gain KPI data rapidly without the need for IT support. Furthermore, they would have a solution with the flexibility to generate analysis on the fly, supporting even greater responsiveness.
After evaluating a number of solutions, PLICO chose Sirius for Insurance from Sirius Financial Systems, along with bIntelligent for Sirius, a business intelligence solution developed by Sirius partner Moore Stephens Consulting. Sirius for Insurance supports data processing and workflow for insurance companies. The solution is built on a Microsoft® client-server framework and is backed by the “Designed for Microsoft BackOffice” accreditation—with Sirius the first insurance software provider to receive the accolade.
The business intelligence solution provided by Moore Stephens Consulting is based on a Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 database with Analysis Services. Users then access the data using a suite of tools from Microsoft subsidiary ProClarity, which includes:
•ProClarity Desktop Professional—a Windows®-based client for data analysis and advanced calculations.
•ProClarity Analytic Server—the central component of the business intelligence solution, helping users analyse and communicate data through a variety of interfaces. It also acts as the library for analysis results.
•ProClarity Dashboard Server—this helps users personalise dashboards to focus directly on the KPIs and other information they need to monitor.
The business intelligence solution using ProClarity tools was vital in the company’s decision to choose the overall Sirius for Insurance solution. Meares confirms: “ProClarity played a big part when we assessed the value of the Sirius option.”
PLICO decided to roll out the business intelligence solution first, before implementing the Sirius for Insurance administration system. Meares explains: “We wanted everyone to be familiar with the business intelligence tools first. Our expectation was that when we moved to the Sirius system, the transition would then be pretty seamless.” As a result, the company deployed the bIntelligent for Sirius solution on top of the existing IBM AS400 technology.
In May 2006, Moore Stephens Consulting began work designing the data cubes for the ProClarity solution to deliver the KPIs PLICO wanted. Work was completed in less than two months and training provided for IT personnel and four key executives, including Dale Niekirk, Chief Operating Officer of PLICO. Dino Selmanovic, Business Intelligence Solution Architect at Moore Stephens Consulting, says: “We organised a few days of open training sessions where we were on hand to answer questions. As the system is incredibly intuitive, PLICO personnel adopted it rapidly.” Under an existing schedule, six more executives are to begin using the ProClarity solution in the first quarter of 2007.
Benefits
As a result of adopting the Microsoft-based Sirius for Insurance solution, coupled with bIntelligent for Sirius using ProClarity, PLICO executives gain real insight rapidly to make better business decisions. Professional reports, including easy-to-understand graphics, are available in minutes, IT professionals can focus on higher-value strategic tasks instead of extracting data for managers, and the company has reduced costs.
Executives Gain KPIs in Minutes to Make Better Decisions
Using the bIntelligent for Sirius solution with the ProClarity product suite, supported by SQL Server 2000, PLICO executives can create insightful performance reports in minutes. In the past, they could wait up to 24 hours to gain the data in a spreadsheet format and then repair their reports. Now, with minimal training, they can access that data and produce reports with rich graphics without delay.
Meares says: “When employees began using the bIntelligent for Sirius solution, their first comments were ‘wow.’ Compared with previous practices, the transformation was incredible.” For executives, the ability to create these reports instantly has reduced their stress levels. With timelines for producing reports more controllable, they can plan better when it comes to delivering figures on a regular basis.
Empowered Executives Have More Control over Business Operations
Executives are taking full advantage of the business intelligence solution’s flexibility to generate new KPIs—securing greater control over business operations. With the time constraints of the past, managers focused their attention on the most important performance indicators. However, the speed and flexibility of the new system ensures they can increase the variety of reports, gaining a better understanding of current operations and identifying additional inefficiencies.
Meares comments: “Executives can now create far more reports. For the company, it should give us more accurate pricing information so we can really drill down on where we’re making money and develop those areas.”
IT Personnel Free Up Time to Focus on Strategic Tasks
Meares and her colleague who extracted the data from the AS400 system now have additional time with bIntelligent for Sirius solution to focus on higher-value tasks. “I would say at least 90 per cent of the requests we get for data are now handled by the bIntelligent for Sirius solution,” she says. Meares adds that the requests that do come in are because executives are probably unaware that it can also deliver what they need. “It’s often the case of simply giving them a bit more training—then they can go away and use it” she adds.
Currently, the time Meares and her colleague save goes into preparing for the deployment of Sirius for Insurance and the replacement of the AS400 system. With Meares focused more on the Sirius for Insurance roll out, PLICO can expect a more seamless transition. In addition, without Meares’ high level of involvement, the company would probably need to employee extra support staff.
Company Builds Good Foundation for Future Sirius Deployment
PLICO plans to move over to Sirius for Insurance later this year. By deploying the bIntelligent for Sirius ahead of the move, the company has increased the likelihood of a seamless transition to the new policy administration system. This is because IT personnel can focus on switching from the AS400 to Sirius, aware that executives are already trained and happy using the ProClarity product suite.
Furthermore, with the continued development of ProClarity tools and the release of new database solutions such as SQL Server 2005, PLICO knows executives will continue to gain fast access to the KPIs that will help drive better business decisions.
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is comprehensive, integrated data management and analysis software that enables organizations to reliably manage mission-critical information and confidently run today’s increasingly complex business applications. By providing high availability, security enhancements, and embedded reporting and data analysis tools, SQL Server 2005 helps companies gain greater insight from their business information and achieve faster results for a competitive advantage. And, because it’s part of Windows Server System, SQL Server 2005 is designed to integrate seamlessly with your other server infrastructure investments.
For more information about SQL Server 2005, go to:
www.microsoft.com/sqlserver
For More Information
For further information about Microsoft products and services, please visit www.microsoft.com/uk or call 0870 60 10 100*.
For hearing impaired customers with a Minicom, contact: 0870 50 30 400*.
*Lines are open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday. Please note, numbers prefixed 0870 will be charged at national call rates. For details of national call rate charges, please contact your telecommunications provider.
For more information about Moore Stephens Consulting products and services, call or visit the Web site at: http://www.moorestephens.co.uk/
For more information about PLICO products and services, call or visit the Web site at: http://www.plico-ok.com/
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published June 2007
