An insurance agency answers to three groups at once: the carriers that appoint it, the regulators that license it and the clients who trust it with their lives on paper. Each one is asking harder questions about technology than it did a few years ago, and a small office usually has no one whose job it is to answer them. That is where IT support for insurance agencies has to start.
Zippie IT, a veteran-owned company in Meridian, Idaho, provides IT support for insurance agencies, independent advisors and small financial practices throughout the Treasure Valley.
Your carriers are asking more
Carrier appointments, errors and omissions renewals and your own cyber policy now come with security questionnaires. They ask whether you use multi-factor authentication, whether your backups are tested, how you handle email and what happens when an employee leaves. A wrong or hopeful answer can cost you coverage at the moment you need it.
We help you answer truthfully, then close the gaps so the next questionnaire is easier. Our cyber insurance readiness work covers the controls underwriters ask about most often.
Your regulators expect safeguards
Agencies and advisors handle the kind of information that privacy and security laws were written for: Social Security numbers, health details, account numbers and financial histories. The federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions to safeguard customer information. Many states have adopted insurance data security laws modeled on the NAIC’s model law, and advisors registered with the SEC are subject to its customer information safeguards. Which rules apply to you depends on your license and your affiliations, and a broker-dealer or carrier home office may add its own requirements.
Your compliance contact or the Idaho Department of Insurance can tell you what applies. We take the technical requirements they hand you and put them into practice: access controls, encryption, logging, training and an incident plan.
Your clients hand you everything
Clients email scans of driver’s licenses, medical questionnaires, tax returns and statements because it is convenient. Left alone, that convenience piles sensitive documents in inboxes and downloads folders for years. We set up:
- A secure way to request and receive documents, instead of plain email.
- Retention habits so old files do not sit in mailboxes forever.
- Encrypted laptops and phones, and a way to wipe a lost one.
- E-signature and file sharing that keep a record and limit who can see what.
IT support for insurance agencies: portals, software and the password problem
A busy agency may sign in to thirty carrier portals, a quoting tool, an agency management system and a CRM. People cope by reusing passwords, sharing logins and keeping them in a spreadsheet. We replace that with a company password manager, multi-factor authentication where portals support it and individual accounts that can be switched off the day someone leaves.
A relationship that goes both ways
Many of our agency clients also serve business owners who ask them, “Are we safe?” or “What do I need for the cyber policy?” We are glad to be the practical IT contact you can point those clients to, and we will return the favor by recommending local agencies when a client of ours needs coverage. If you place cyber policies, we can explain what underwriters will look for before an application goes in.
Get started
To get IT support for insurance agencies that your carriers will notice, start with a free network and security review. We check your sign-in, devices and backups and tell you in writing what a carrier or auditor would notice first. We are not your attorney or compliance officer, and we do not give legal advice. To talk first, contact us or call (208) 810-1795.
We use your details to respond to your request. If you want details, see our Privacy Policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does IT support for insurance agencies include?
Support for staff and devices, protected email, a password manager for carrier portals, tested backups and help completing carrier and regulator questionnaires.
Which privacy and security rules apply to an insurance agency?
It depends on your license, the states you write in and your affiliations. Federal law requires financial institutions to safeguard customer information, and many states have insurance data security laws. Ask your compliance contact or the Idaho Department of Insurance, and we will implement the technical requirements.
Our carrier sent a security questionnaire. Can you help?
Yes. We review each question against how your office really operates, help you answer accurately and list what needs fixing.
Do you support the agency management software we use?
We support the systems around it, including sign-in, devices, email, backups and networks, and we work with your software vendor when a problem is in their product.
Can we send clients a safer way to upload documents?
Yes. A secure upload link or portal replaces emailed attachments and is usually easier for clients than they expect.
Do you refer clients to agencies?
When one of our clients needs coverage we are happy to introduce local agencies. We do not accept referral fees.