Progress Software Enables Kemper, a Unitrin Business, to Introduce New Insurance Products Faster and Better Connect with their Agents
BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 12, 2009--
Progress
Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a global provider of
application infrastructure software used to develop, deploy, integrate
and manage business applications, today announced that Kemper*, a
Unitrin business and provider of personal insurance products, developed
a
service-oriented
architecture (SOA)-based IT infrastructure to enable faster product
introductions and to enhance their customer service.
Progress provides the connectivity and data interoperability required to
support Kemper’s SOA implementation using the Progress®
Sonic®
Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and the Progress
DataXtend®
Semantic Integrator (SI). The Sonic ESB provides event-driven
messaging between multi-vendor ESBs and back-office systems. The
DataXtend SI eliminates data discrepancies for more efficient policy
administration by providing an ACORD-based, single view of policy data
that Kemper uses to build a more efficient policy administration system.
“The Sonic ESB and DataXtend SI enable us to provide an accurate,
consistent view of information to independent agents from our siloed
mainframe applications. This, in turn, greatly improves our customer
satisfaction levels,” said Dan Benton, Chief Application Architect,
Kemper. “The products we deployed from Progress Software have proved
more valuable than we initially expected. Both products addressed our
initial back-end technology needs and have continued to provide ongoing
benefits that truly unite IT with our business goals.”
By creating an SOA-based IT infrastructure, Kemper eliminates
labor-intensive batch processing across legacy systems, thus improving
their speed of doing business and enabling Kemper to reach a faster
time-to-market with new products and services.
"Kemper's SOA implementation is a powerful example of the benefits that
can be delivered when IT is closely aligned with business needs. We see
Sonic ESB and DataXtend SI improving the customer experience by enabling
consistent, immediate and accurate communication with independent
insurance agents," said Hub Vandervoort, CTO, SOA Infrastructure
Products, Progress Software. "The agility that naturally arises from a
SOA implementation will allow Kemper to update and replace older
technology incrementally, and provide the flexibility needed to quickly
realize value from mergers and acquisitions."
About Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) provides application
infrastructure software for the development, deployment, integration and
management of business applications. Our goal is to maximize the
benefits of information technology while minimizing its complexity and
total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com
or +1-781-280-4000.
About Unitrin
Unitrin is one of the nation's leading financial services providers. The Unitrin
family of companies specializes in property and casualty insurance
and life and health insurance for individuals, families, and small
businesses.
Among the brands in Unitrin'sProperty and Casualty Insurance businesses
are Kemper®* and Unitrin Specialty, which sell automobile, homeowners
and other personal insurance and commercial automobile insurance through
networks of independent agents, and Unitrin Direct, which sells
automobile and homeowners insurance directly to consumers or through
employer-sponsored voluntary benefit programs. Unitrin'sLife and Health
Insurance businesses bring a high-level of personalized service to their
customers. Additional information about Unitrin is available by visiting
its Web site (www.unitrin.com).
* Unitrin uses the registered trademark "Kemper" under license, for
personal lines insurance only, from Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company,
which is not affiliated with Unitrin. Lumbermens continues to use the
name, "Kemper Insurance Companies", in connection with its operations,
which are distinct from, and not to be confused with, Unitrin's Kemper
business segment.
Progress, Sonic, and DataXtend are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its affiliates or
subsidiaries in the US and other countries. Any other trademarks
contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software
Lisa Coulouris, 781-280-4995
lcoulour@progress.com
or
LEWIS
PR
Richard Young, 617-226-8840
progresssoftware@lewispr.com
