​Efficiency is the name of the game. While the independent agency channel peeks over the horizon looking for emerging—and potentially disruptive—insurance technologies, there is a solution already available that can greatly enhance productivity: SignOn Once. ACT News asked Irv Kantar, business manager at ID Federation, to give us a better picture of its advantages and availability. ID Federation is a coalition of carriers, vendors and agencies working to eliminate the hassles of user ID/password management, which can consume excessive staff and help desk time.

ACT News: What is ID Federation? What pain is it addressing in the marketplace? 

Irv Kantar: Password relief for independent agents and carriers has been a high priority for years. There is no consistent way today for agents to handle all the credentials they use daily.  Some agents have sticky notes on their monitors, others have a list under the keyboard, or there is a shared file with all IDs and passwords for the agency.  None of these is a secure method for preventing unauthorized access to either the agents' systems or the carriers they represent.

ID Federation was formed to develop a solution, and it's called SignOn Once. The idea is to eliminate multiple user IDs and passwords. The agency has a single location to enable or disable all of its carrier accounts in one place, per user. Say a user—a CSR, for example—leaves the agency and has 10 carrier accounts. The agency could disable that one user one time, and it ripples to all 10 carriers.

ACT News: What about carriers? 

Irv: For carriers, a large portion of support resources is spent assisting agents with passwords. I understand it can cost carriers up to $150 every time they have to fix or reset a user password. SignOn Once eliminates that cost.

ACT News: What's the status of your progress? 

Irv: While this was announced last year, many people aren't yet aware that both Vertafore and Applied are certified identity providers with ID Federation. Vertafore has about 30 agents using the feature, and Applied plans to begin rollouts later this year. We also have five carrier members on board. We are in discussions with an additional four that are close to an agreement. There are about 12 more that have SignOn Once on their technology road maps.

ACT News: What advice would you have for carriers waiting in the wings?

Irv: The first step is to get this budgeted and on your project road map. There is a wealth of information at idfederation.org, including the trust framework that defines the business, legal and technical requirements and offers a number of use cases to show examples for implementation. There is also information about the history of ID Federation, how to get started, and benefits for carriers and agents. Once a carrier joins, the company is welcome to participate in our committees to help maintain the framework so it remains current with technology and the industry. I am available to answer any questions and provide additional information.  

ACT News: What will carriers have to do in the process? 

Irv: Unlike the technology vendors, insurance companies don’t need to get certified per se. They just need to accept the tokens that are provided by the certified identity providers, such as Applied or Vertafore. Because some carriers are still set up with one ID and password per agency, they will need individual IDs for everyone in the agency for the process to work. They need to work with Applied and Vertafore and conduct a pilot test and be sure everything works as it should. Depending on what their infrastructure is like, some will have a lot of work to do and some will have a little.

ACT News: What can agents do to help? 

Irv: As more carriers implement, agents who represent those carriers will find it easier to do business with them. The key, we believe, is when more agents start asking their partner carriers for SignOn Once. When we talk with agents, they say they’d love a single sign-on process. We’ll be working more with agent associations and user groups to help us spread the message. ACT has been a strong advocate since the very beginning. 

ACT News: What are your priorities in 2018? 

Irv: Our committees are actively reviewing current documentation and the website content and will be updating all in the next few months.  We are also in discussions with additional carriers and solution providers, and we expect to have at least four new members this year. We’re also looking at new ways to get agents to encourage their carriers to join and get started. 

ACT News: On a personal note, you've already done a lot in your insurance and technology career. Why take on this new challenge? 

Irv: I feel it's something that's desperately needed in the industry. Passwords have been an issue ever since agents logged on to carrier sites. And carriers say the same thing. Even today, carrier security requirements for password changes differ widely—some every 30 days, some every 60 days, others every 90 days, and some have non-expiring passwords. Password management always shows up in the top two or three pain points uncovered in industry surveys. Beyond making customer data more secure, it's the constant resets of user ID and passwords that cause significant pain.

I thought this was an issue where I could get more interest rounded up among agents and carriers. I believe in the concept. I think it's something really needed. Once we reach critical mass with carriers and solution providers, agents will realize this is almost as important as download. It eases connectivity to carrier systems.

Irv Kantar is business manager for ID Federation.