ID Federation released SignOn Once in May of 2014
ID Federation, the insurance industry coalition behind the creation of SignOn Once has announced three new board members to its board of directors.
For those unfamiliar with SignOn Once, it is a standard by which token technology is used in order to authenticate each user’s identity among multiple insurance systems.[pullquote]SignOn Once grew out of collaboration by insurance professionals within the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’s ACT (Agents Council for Technology), the Real Time/Download Campaign, ACORD, technology user groups and other communities.[/pullquote] The result is that an insurance professional needs only one password in order to “sign-on” rather than signing into a each and every carrier or insurance system with a different password.
Begun by carriers, solution providers, industry associations and agencies, ID Federation is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating “…a safe and standard way to secure technology authentication for as many parties as possible in the insurance industry” in order to help the independent agency system.
Why? According to ID Federation for the simple reason that agencies and carriers consistently rank password management as the number one problem point in the daily operations of their business. The following statistics provided by ID Federation further highlight the problem:
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Up to 75 percent of help-desk calls are from employees who forgot or need to reset a password.
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Password resets can cost up to $150 per incident in labor due to lost productivity.
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Every month, 25 percent of employees forget three or more passwords.
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To remember passwords, 60 percent of people rely on memory, and 30 percent use sticky notes, a computer Word document or spreadsheet, or “other” means — all of which pose a security nightmare.
Two of the three new Board of Directors members hail from the Massachusetts insurance industry
While three new members were appointed to the ID Federation’s Board of Directors, we thought it interesting to note that two of the new Board of Directors members, Steve Aronson and Peggy Scott, both hail from the Massachusetts insurance industry. The following are more about each of the new members.
Steve Aronson, Aronson Insurance
Steve Aronson, an agency technology leader and advocate for over 25 years, has held committee and leadership positions with users groups including NetVU, AUGIE (ACORD User Groups Information Exchange) and the Agents Council for Technology. Aronson, a passionate and vocal supporter of the use of Real Time, leads the growth and development of the third-generation independent insurance agency Aronson Insurance, based in Needham, Mass.
Read our 2013 Agency Interview with Mr. Aronson here.
Peggy Scott, Vice President, Commercial Insurance Distribution Operations, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
Scott, a career employee of Liberty Mutual with 40-plus years of diverse experience, has delivered business-critical initiatives in business process re-engineering, data integration, and technology development. Scott has participated in industry forums such as ACT (Agents Council for Technology) and AUGIE to further technology in the agent/broker distribution channel.
Bruce Winterburn, Vice President, Industry Relations, Vertafore
Winterburn, who has spent the past 20 years working within the insurance software industry, has significant experience and knowledge in the agent, wholesale and carrier distribution channels. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Winterburn has owned several businesses, including a small-town independent insurance agency that he and his son co-own. Winterburn, frequently published and featured in insurance trade publications and a regular speaker within the industry, is a strong advocate for the independent insurance distribution channel.
