Anyone wondering what’s new in the insurance technology industry has a new place to look.

i3, a new Web site from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, is a window on technology innovation in the insurance industry.

The site, which stands for Innovation in Insurance, is operated as a small business enterprise by Moore School students who are interested in insurance and technology. It focuses on issues related to technology innovation in the insurance business cycle, from the time a policy is sold until the claim is paid and the policy has expired. But it also includes news about mergers, acquisitions, major investments, and major industry developments; vendor and company announcements, including new products and personnel moves; and a directory of insurance technology vendors.

“Insurance is perhaps the most data and process-driven service business in the world,” said Jeff Thompson, i3’s managing director and adjunct faculty member for insurance at the Moore School. “This new Web portal provides everyone in the industry, particularly insurance technology professionals, the critical access to information about innovative developments in the industry.”

The small business has recruited a Board of Directors and Board of Advisors made up of leading executives and academics in the industry to guide the content and research direction of the program.

“From an educational perspective, this initiative provides a tremendous opportunity for our students to interact with key executives in the insurance industry and gain direct, hands-on experience in running a small enterprise,” said Scott Koerwer, deputy dean of the Moore School of Business.  

i3 is a natural fit for the Moore School of Business, which ranks among the top ten in the country among business school insurance programs by U.S. News & World Report. Students also benefit from their school’s community: Columbia, S.C., is a hub for the insurance technology industry, with more than 30 companies represented in the area. The region is home to Eagle Eye Analytics, AcroSoft Corp., AIG Technology, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of SC, CSC, Duck Creek, Group1, SpeedBuilder Systems, StoneRiver, TM Floyd & Company, Trumbull Services, AQS, CGI, Innovation Group, and DocuCorp/Skywire.

“Columbia has a strong reputation in the insurance technology industry,” said Eddie Jones, senior vice president of marketing for StoneRiver and cochair of i3’s Board of Directors. “By successfully partnering with the University of South Carolina and by developing new talent in the industry, we believe we can further enhance Columbia’s already strong reputation with the aim of attracting future investment in the Midlands.”