This month’s special feature takes a deep dive into data stacks. Every insurance brand has got loads of data, many use platforms which allow partners at access, or share data in turn. Then there’s public data, like MoT or DVLA databases, ONS or government agency studies, stats year-on-year, or even Met Office weather forecasts. Don’t laugh, they are sometimes correct.
But how can insurers, MGAs and brokers get the best from all data stacks? Tough question, let’s get some expert industry views;
HYLAND – ACCELERATE AND ENHANCE WORKFLOWS
Comments by Arsalan Minhas, AVP Sales Engineering, EMEA & APAC at Hyland
“For many insurers, AI has become synonymous with automation – streamlining admin-heavy processes like claims intake or underwriting. But if we only use AI to move faster, we risk missing its greatest potential: transforming repositories of unstructured data into tangible strategic assets to better support policyholders, enhance worker productivity, drive insights to make better underwriting and claims decisions.
“Today’s insurance data is like an iceberg – companies are only utilizing the 10% visible above water while the true competitive advantage lies in the 90% of unstructured data hidden beneath the surface, waiting to be harnessed.
“AI doesn’t just accelerate workflows; it can provide the context and perspective to make smarter, faster, more business-focused decisions. From claims notes and adjuster reports to customer correspondence and historical policy data, documents are often trapped in disconnected systems, underutilised, or completely overlooked.
“In an industry drowning in data but starving for insights, AI is not just a lifeline – it’s the difference between insurers who will thrive and those who will become cautionary tales in business school case studies.
“In drawing insights from across policies, claims, and even partner ecosystems, insurers gain the power to identify fraud patterns, flag high-risk cases earlier, improve customer experience, and inform product development. It’s not about replacing human expertise but augmenting it with real-time intelligence.
“Insurers are sitting on a wealth of untapped data, and the challenge lies in successfully integrating it. That makes federated content strategies and intelligent automation critical to success now and into the future. They allow you to bring together the right data, at the right time, in the right workflow, without forcing a rip-and-replace of core systems.
“Insurance data silos are the industry’s Berlin Wall – artificial divisions that separate what naturally belongs together. Companies that tear down these walls will experience their own economic miracle.
“The real benefit of AI isn’t about parlour tricks or replacing staff. When used properly, AI should be complimenting and supporting your teams, expediting processes and bringing intelligence to time intensive, manual tasks – this is where the real value of AI lies.
“The most successful insurers won’t be those who use AI to cut headcount, but those who use it to elevate their people from data processors to insight generators and relationship builders.”
SHERWEN STUDIOS – INTEGRATION IS CRUCIAL
Matt Sherwen owns Sherwen Studios, a creative, strategic and technology-driven digital consultancy for transformation, AI and automation. From website development to full omnichannel digital infrastructures, Sherwen Studios works with clients to help them understand how to evolve their digital presence. When it comes to data, integration is the key issue;
“It may be tempting to leap straight into the integration of a new AI tool or third-party plugin to improve efficiencies, but to ensure that your procurement and implementation processes go smoothly, it’s essential to start the process with an in-depth tech stack audit.
Too many businesses fail to recognise the importance of this critical first step. However, your procurement process needs to ensure that you are selecting the right tool that can be easily integrated into your system. A failure to focus on this step could result in misused funds, an incorrect software selection or even duplication of technology that you already have in your system elsewhere.
The tech stack audit will critically assess what technology you currently have and where your bottlenecks and issues are. It’s not just about establishing what technical issues you face – it’s also about identifying any limitations within your skill set and knowledge base. The audit forms the basis for establishing strict KPIs, which will almost certainly impact your vendor selection choice.
During the audit stage, it’s essential to look at whether there are any emerging vulnerabilities within your system (such as security risks, outdated software or inefficient processes) and use those insights to look beyond what you thought you initially needed. It’s about establishing what problems you are trying to solve with any new AI or software implementation and making an informed decision about what type of new software is required.
Too often, we see businesses jump into an AI or automation selection because it is seen as a shiny new toy that other people are using. But without considering how it will be implemented into your existing system or whether you have the right skills and capabilities in-house to use that system to the best of its ability, you could be risking a costly mistake.
Investing in new software and making the most of advances in AI and automation is about futureproofing your business – but you can only do that effectively when you have taken the time to audit your current capabilities fully and identified what improvements you are trying to make.”
DENODO – RELAXING AT THE LAKE HOUSE
Errol Rodericks, EMEA & LATAM Product & Solutions Marketing Director at Denodo
With data now stored across data lakehouses, cloud data warehouses and other platforms, insurance organisations face growing challenges in sharing information safely and securely across their ecosystems. Brokers, reinsurers, and third-party partners often operate in silos, hampered by fragmented communication and inconsistent data access. A new approach is needed – one that supports secure, governed, and flexible data sharing without compromising underlying systems.
A logical data management approach – where diverse data sources appear as one unified, virtual layer – enables insurers to discover, integrate, and prepare data across multiple platforms without physically moving it. This supports the rapid iterative, and controlled development of data products.
Crucially, logical data management also facilitates the integration of shared partner data into existing platforms, making it a powerful enabler of open insurance. As a result, brokers, reinsurers and third-party providers can securely share and access well-governed data in real-time, regardless of where that data resides.
By establishing an enterprise-wide logical layer, insurers can access and work with unified data views without interacting directly with the underlying systems. This enables them to extract and normalise competitive pricing data using sophisticated web automation, quickly surfacing shifts in competitor products and pricing.
This is achieved through its sophisticated web automation capabilities. The ITPilot module within the logical data management navigates through competitor websites and extracts product information such as name, description and price. A scheduler then automates this process monthly, creating a snapshot of competitive data that is stored in a database for further analysis.
As a result, insurers can respond more quickly to market changes, develop smarter pricing strategies, and maximise revenue opportunities. Additionally, by automating the extraction of competitive web data, organisations reduce manual effort previously and can analyse a much broader list of competitor websites to make more informed product and pricing decisions.
AX – SEAMLESS DATA MAPPING
Scott Hamilton-Cooper, Chief Commercial Officer of AX said: ” AX and Motor Assist are a vertically integrated service provider in the accident aftercare sector with the added benefit of ensuring a seamless and consistent flow of data across our services which maximises operational efficiency for our own business and for our partners.
“Recently, we have integrated our systems with Power BI (a data intelligence tool), enabling live and real-time data to be published exactly how our partners wish to see it, either through customised dashboards or into their own Power BI interfaces. This enables them to make quicker, more accurate decisions and to manage risk more effectively.
“Internally, this advancement allows all departments across the business to access data performance for their specific areas, ensuring transparency and streamlined tracking of key business KPIs.
“Motor Assist also provides a specialised mapping service, enabling data from one provider to be seamlessly mapped onto Motor Assist systems. This ensures clients experience an uninterrupted supply of data even when transitioning between providers, saving time and improving efficiency.
“Using AI to analyse large-scale data trends empowers us to deliver actionable insights. These insights enhance front-end decision-making, fostering continuous improvement and driving optimal results for both our clients and our organisation. This data-driven approach ensures sustained excellence in service delivery and efficiency, which is vital in this challenging period for the automotive insurance and accident aftercare sectors.”
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