Applied Systems®, the international insurance-business software provider, and its Applied Client Network used their annual Applied Net conference held Aug. 23-26, 2021, to address an array of pressing technology issues facing the P&C insurance space. Applied Net is an assembly of independent insurance agents and brokers, along with representatives from MGAs and carriers. This was the second year the event was virtual rather than in person. Company execs said roughly 12,000 people registered for the conference. "This past year has been a year of digital acceleration, driving innovation for our industry that creates greater productivity, simplicity, intelligence and value for all stakeholders," Applied Systems CEO Taylor Rhodes said in a press release. He added during an Applied Net media roundtable: "We hope we're talking about things that matter to the industry." Rhodes said that insurance carriers have been challenged by the demand to integrate their applications and programs with expanding P&C insurance distribution channels. "Maintaining all of this connectivity" has been overwhelming for many insurers, he said. He added that the societal shift toward remote work, which was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, will have a lasting impact on business. It also exposed disjointed offline processes. To that end, product modernization efforts at Applied Systems now spotlights the need to "offer clients an omnichannel experience with simpler capabilities" and automate the entire insurance policy lifecycle "to create a digital roundtrip." "These are the types of products that we think are really hitting the existential crisis of needing to digitize the ecosystem and create digital connectivity with data and rich processes along the way," Rhodes said. This is the landscape in which Applied Systems is modernizing its product suite. Applied Net was an opportunity for the company to spotlight product developments, including:

• The agency management system Applied Epic is being launched in a browser-native version with new open architecture.
• The policy quoting platform Epic Quotes will now support commercial lines business.
• Updates and innovation to the Applied Systems benefits-broker offerings.

"It is crucial for companies to have digital connectivity," Rhodes concluded, "in order to allow new and innovative business processes and revolutionize their customer service models." See also:

• The new digital ecosystems: Not your father's insurance industry
• Building the right digital ecosystem for your insurance agency
• Q2 IVANS Index shows ongoing insurance market hardening