Vertafore Listened to Your Feedback

As you may know, Vertafore customer support transitioned to an enhanced platform on April 30. They heard your feedback and are actively working to elevate your support experience with a dedicated team that is focused on improving the system to meet your needs.

 

The automated phone system has been updated with options that are now simpler and easier to use, and coming soon they will have a hotline directly to ImageRight, AIM and FinancePro support, including an option to leave a voice mail at any time.

 

Their goal is to ensure that Vertafore customer support is easily accessible and available when you need it. If you need assistance, please contact them at (800) 444-4813 and select option 2, or contact your account manager.

 

Your feedback is important to them, so please send your suggestions to customersupport@vertafore.com.

 

Thank you for being a Vertafore customer.

  

 

“Bring Your Own Device” Opportunities & Risks 

Employees expect it; but employers need to manage the risks 

 

By: Danielle Johnson, Director of IT, InsurBanc

 

The consumerization of IT revolution — sparked by the iPhone — has shifted the IT culture so that the users are the ones getting the latest, cutting edge technologies first, and they want to bring those devices to work. 

— PC World Magazine, Dec. 20, 2011, Tom Bradley

“Pros and Cons of Bringing Your Own Device to Work”

  

What Is BYOD? 

Many workers today expect the companies they work for to allow them to use their personal mobile devices and personal computers at the office, and/or to provide remote connectivity to the office via personal devices. Technologists dub this trend “BYOD” (bring your own device).

 

Why is BYOD Important? 

Mobile devices — along with their applications and on-the-go Internet access — provide attractive options for speed, connectivity and productivity. Many people wouldn’t think of spending their workday without a Blackberry, iPhone, Android, iPad, or other device to access company systems and data. Most important, senior managers want to use these devices and are using their organization’s technology more because of them.

 

Many employees see their own personal devices as superior to those provided by their employers. Employees also tend to believe they are more productive if allowed to use their own devices for work and data syncing, between office and home.

 

Thus, BYOD is significant because employee-owned devices are now accessing company systems, and being used for work purposes presenting security and privacy concerns to the employer.

 

Employers see the inherent value in a more mobile, more connected, and more productive workforce. Many employees and managers have no problem connecting and addressing work issues after hours and/or on the weekends. It can be considered a motivational strategy.

 

What Are the Security Risks? 

BYOD mobility offers access to enterprise data, systems and corporate email. Employees can store and process data, and connect to networks.

 

While BYOD may be considered necessary and convenient, this type of connectivity can raise significant data security and privacy concerns, which lead to potential legal and liability risks.

 

Consider:

• The device gets lost or stolen, with access to company data and systems.
• The device contracts a virus, or has malware installed that can obtain company logins and data from that device.
• The personal device user — however good his/her intentions are — can in effect be circumventing company security standards.
• The company cannot control the use of the personal device should the employee allow children or friends to use the device.
• The employee may use the device to place files in personal applications in the cloud which may not be secure.
• The employee plugs a mobile device into the USB port of his or her office computer thereby transmitting a virus to the office desktop.

Here are some facts to consider when trying to balance personal device access with security:

 

Employees don’t perceive the risk. Many employees perceive the use of their own devices at work as placing no extra burden on technical support. But dealing with any data or system security issue requires know-how and technical resources.

 

Executives perceive the risk, but aren’t fully ready. In August of 2011, a Deloitte webcast poll of more than 1,000 U.S. information technology and business executives found that 28 percent of respondents believe there are unauthorized personal digital assistants (PDAs) and/or tablets connecting to company systems, especially to email servers. About 87 percent of respondents think their systems are at risk for a cyber attack originating from a mobile security lapse, the poll reported.

 

The same poll found 40 percent of respondents are unaware of whether their organizations have strategies or controls to enforce mobile security. Further, it found that only 24 percent of respondents believe that “all devices connecting to my intranet are authorized.” Only 17 percent reported that they monitor for rogue connections.

 

Malware is on the move. Malware that targets mobile devices is increasing, reported IBM Security Solutions researchers in a fall 2011 whitepaper. Citing an IBM security research report, the whitepaper presented statistics showing that mobile operating systems vulnerabilities tripled from 60 to a projected 180+ from 2009 to 2011.

 

Enterprise systems and mobile systems are catching up with each other. While many corporations have for years allowed Blackberry-based access to email and other company systems, users are now demanding that iPhone/Android-based smartphones, and tablet computers be provided access to these same services.

 

How do you proceed once BYOD is determined necessary? 

Since there are risks to the mingling of personal devices and work systems, companies must take the lead in assessing and managing the risks, so as to safeguard their systems and data. Some simple steps include:

1. Institute a strong written BYOD Policy that is consistent with the organization’s Employee Handbook policies such as the IT Policy and Acceptable Use Policy. 
2. Determine which data to protect,
3. Define what devices will be supported.
4. Determine which employees need remote access via personal devices. Do not open BYOD participation beyond those employees that have a strong business reason for mobile access.
5. Define security requirements.
6. Train and educate employees concerning policy and BYOD use. 
7. Monitor employee mobile devices for compliance with your organization’s policy.
8. Secure employee’s authorization to “wipe” the employee’s mobile device remotely (restore to the original factory state), as a condition of giving access to any of the business’s systems.
9. Place controls over access to and use of the company’s wireless Internet.  For example:  do not broadcast your wireless SSID, restrict access to employees only using MAC address filtering in the router, and invoke WPA 2 on the router.

Security Solutions 

If an enterprise is allowing employees to use their own mobile devices, the following security measures should be implemented.

1. Require strong phone startup PIN which is at least 6 – 8 characters long. If not supported, use the maximum allowed. Reduce the PIN required timeout setting to no longer than 10 minutes.
2. Require specified encryption and anti-malware software on each device.
3. Require and install mobile tracking software/applications which allow online access to track the location of a lost/stolen phone, and the ability to perform a lock/scream and/or remote data wipe. Secure employee’s authorization to take these actions on the device if the device is misplaced, lost or stolen, as a condition to giving the employee access to the business’s systems and data.
4. Do not allow “broken”/”rooted”/“jailbroken” devices on your network. These phones have removed limitations installed on the phone by the carrier allowing the user to run apps and files not approved by carriers. This process opens the device up to security risks.
5. Large enterprises monitoring multiple devices and platforms should consider Mobile Device Management (MDM) software. MDM software centrally controls and protects the data and configuration settings for all mobile devices in the network. MDM can also provide a secure document delivery platform and end to end data transmission encryption.

The opportunities of BYOD are present — and here to stay. As an analogy, home security is more complex for a bigger house with more entrances and windows. So too is systems security more complicated as smartphones and other remote devices present new entry points to be analyzed and protected.

 

All of the security tips presented here are simply guidelines to aid agencies in diminishing security and privacy risks, and managing them. However, none can be guaranteed 100% effective. 

 

Danielle Johnson is the VP, Director of Information Technology at InsurBanc, which IIABA and the W.R. Berkley Corporation established to assist independent agencies with their specific banking needs. This article reflects the views of the author and should not be construed as an official statement by ACT. 

 

 

PowerUsers Workshop – Learn from the Best 

September 21-22, 2012 

Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing 

Indianapolis, IN 

 

Are you a Systems Expert? Do you want to be? Learn from others just like yourself. This is content you cannot get anywhere else. Trade tricks and tips, share information – there’s no substitute for sharing experiences with others that work on the same products with the same goals in mind. Don’t miss out – Register NOW! SuperSaver discount ends July 13! 

 

  

Back by Popular Demand

Account Manager Certification for AMS360 Users (NcAM) 

 

NetVU is pleased to announce the AMS360 Certification immersion class has been scheduled for December 2012.  Account Managers using AMS360 will want to attend this training and the prestigious distinction of this certification.  The certification process includes a series of webinars on Version 6.0, followed by tests, and a four day immersion course and test.  

 

Check out the YouTube Video for a Brief Overview 

 

Immersion Certification:
December 3-6, 2012
NetVU National Headquarters, Irving, TX

Certified Account Managers (NcAM) will: 

• Become experts in their field, including version 6.0
• Use AMS360 to its full potential and teach others to do the same
• Increase utilization of your agency management system 
• Gain access to a private NCOM forum
• Be given special consideration when contacting Vertafore Support
• Gain access to the "Best Practices" guide to help you share and implement what you've learned  

Review and register for 6.0 webinars 

 

To qualify for the "Immersion Certification" course, individuals must pass the test of at least six of the nine available webinars prior to the immersion class.  The Certification instructors will teach at an advanced level, so intermediate working knowledge of all courses is recommended. 

 

Click here to register now for the immersion session.   

Space is Limited! 

 

 

Vertafore is Pleased to Announce the Release of AMS360 Version 6.5.

AMS360 v6.5 provides significant new capabilities for every staff member in your agency.

• CSRs and account managers can provide faster customer service with one click access to policy summary and related activities, and customer quick pick
• Producers can create and edit customer information on the go with their tablet device
• Office managers can purge inactive customer data and configure AMS360 using the new Administration Center, which consolidates all system administration functions

For a comprehensive list of new features, review the AMS360 v6.5 Release Notes (DOC778).
 
How to Upgrade to AMS360 v6.5Agencies using the online version of AMS360 will be upgraded to v6.5 automatically on a staggered schedule between now and September 2012. Email notifications of the upgrade will be sent two weeks in advance.

Agencies using the in-house version can upgrade to v6.5 beginning June 22.
 
If your system is on a version older than AMS360 v6.0, you will need to be updated to v6.0, as updates need to be performed sequentially.
 
Free AMS360 v6.5 Upgrade Training at Vertafore UniversityTo learn more about the key enhancements in AMS360 v6.5, we invite you to attend one of our many release seminars scheduled for now through the end of August 2012. Register today for the AMS360 v6.5 Upgrade Seminars at Vertafore University. 

 
Upgrade Resources and InformationVertafore has prepared a library of documentation to streamline the upgrade process and provide you a best-in-class upgrade experience our competition cannot match. Available resources from the My Vertafore knowledgebase include:

• AMS360 v6.5 Configuration Guide (DOC681)
• AMS360 v6.5 Release Notes (DOC778)
• How to Dx360 to clear cache files in AMS360 (SOL19206)
• How to create a desktop shortcut for AMS360 (SOL18913)

Don’t forget, in order to access My Vertafore and communication center links you will need your agency login and password. If you have any questions about this release or the installation steps, please contact Vertafore Customer Support at 800.444.4813 or online at My Vertafore.

 

Thank you for the continued opportunity to support your agency. We value your partnership.

  

Leaders Keep Focused and Motivated

Leadership Workshop is one of the best opportunities to get together and really collaborate. Everyone has a unique approach and perspective, so the teamwork and creativity is amazing. Getting together with other agents to brainstorm makes such a difference – it’s how we find ways to keep our business and our industry moving forward.

 

At NetVU, individuals are really valued. Opinions spark discussion and new ideas, and relationships keep us motivated and informed about trends and ways to get better. For Chapters, the larger world of NetVU makes such a difference – not only technical expertise and tools but information that helps us serve our customers more effectively in our rapidly changing industry.

 

NetVU is already a fantastic organization and resource, and the vision for making it even better is exciting.  The interaction with other leaders keeps you focused and motivated – it’s such a benefit to know that you are part of a group that is focused on the bigger picture and providing opportunities to stay ahead of the competition.