IBM and Innovation open new center in Bangalore, India

Bangalore: IBM and Innovation Group has opened a new Innovation Center for Global Insurance in Bangalore, India. The new center will help the companies innovate on next generation core systems, develop new business models, and tap emerging technologies to create competitive advantage and improve the customer experience.

Based at IBM’s Bangalore campus, the new center provides clients with access to hardware, software, and services including IBM System z mainframes, IBM Information Server and DB2 Data Server software, and Innovation Group’s Innovation Policy and Innovation Claims insurance applications that deliver high quality, low-risk, and cost effective solutions for the enterprise.

Ed Ossie, president of Innovation Group, said, “The Innovation Center and the increased focus on our IBM relationship is a response to the success of the partnership in the last 24 months. Our current and prospective customers appreciate the provision of deeper capabilities and the flexibility we offer together in serving the global insurance market. The acceleration of our relationship has been in direct response to our joint customers as well as demand from prospective clients for Claims and Policy Administration Solutions in many key markets.”

In 2005 the companies entered a five-year agreement to create a new client-focused global delivery center and strengthen client site capabilities in key markets. The new center ’builds on the original agreement and IBM and Innovation Group will increase joint staffing levels in Bangalore and across other sales regions throughout 2007 to streamline delivery capabilities and meet the growing demand for mainframe-based core systems.

Norbert Dick, general manager, insurance industry, IBM, stated, “Insurance companies require core systems that are open, flexible, scalable and secure. The combination of IBM and Innovation Group technologies coupled with IBM’s systems integration leadership will help joint clients achieve a single view of their customers, lower operating costs, and streamline risk management across the enterprise.”

“Globally, insurers have over 40 technology vendors to consider when replacing their claims or policy administration solution. Having an established sales and delivery partnership between a system integrator and vendor is an important consideration for insurers who look to them to support those processes,” said Stephen Forte, a principal research analyst in Gartner’s insurance practice.

IBM
Innovation Group