ABSTRACT
The insurance industry has embarked on a revolution in the way it does business. A new business model is emerging, and it demands a new automation model. Many established companies, especially those with a keen eye on the strategic advantages of leading-edge automation, have already adopted the new business model either comprehensively or in specific niches, such as a specialty line or a residual market. Forward-thinking start-ups are running their entire company on the new business model and powering it with a network of personal computers. Client/server is a system in which most of the active computing, or processing, can be done on “clients” — inexpensive but powerful personal computer workstations. The clients and the server combine to become a virtual supercomputer with enormous processing power. A client/server system thus can support a sizable insurance company’s processing environment.
