It’s tough enough to win new business. Whether it’s a new insured, renewal, or endorsement to a current policy, you want to make the “sign on the dotted line” process as quick as possible. Agency data and signature security may be the furthest thing from your mind.
But, as a conscientious agency owner, you know it’s important to abide by the regulations around data and signature security. The information gathered in each policy you write is highly sensitive. If this data gets into the wrong hands, it can be devastating for both your customers and your agency.
Did you know? Strategic Insurance Software holds the CompTIA Security Trustmark+ for maintaining strict security standards in our Partner XE management system
Keeping Your Agency Safe
There are already regulations in place to keep your agency from such a security nightmare. The first step to keeping data safe stay up to date with guidelines set by ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act) and UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act). Have your lawyer review these documents and double check your agency’s compliance.
Lucky for you, the Agents Council for Technology (ACT) has created this Agency Cyber Guide for Big “I” independent agents and brokers document to help independent agencies maintain data and signature security. Some of the major action items include:
- Limit access to sensitive data and e-signed documents
- Require multi-character encrypted password authentication to access customer data
- Conduct employee background checks for those accessing secure information
- Store data on a secure server with redundant backup systems to prevent data loss due to disaster or emergency
- Test security systems (procedures, layers of protection, and server) regularly
- Monitor server access to detect actual and attempted attacks or intrusions
Read about essential tech tools to help your agency run faster and safer
Using the Right Tools: e-Signing
As mentioned above, a secure server is an essential piece to maintaining data and signature security. Another key tool is an e-signature platform, allowing your agency to sign documents quickly and securely. Integrating e-signing with your agency management system has a positive impact on sales and security.
SIS has partnered with RPost and InsureSign to make e-signing easy through our Partner XE management system. Our partner agencies were looking for a way to make the cumbersome document signing process easier without sacrificing security. Integration with these e-signature partners allows Partner XE users to capture secure signatures and easily attach contracts to customer profiles and polices.
To keep up security, check out our resources on agency data security and read more on e-signature apps. These resources can show you how to streamline operations while keeping your agency data safe.
Or, get in touch with us to talk more about how Partner XE can help you work faster, smarter, and safer. Contact us at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.
Sarah Deak has been contributing to the SIS team since 2013, covering topics like agency perpetuation, workflow improvements, data security, and marketing. She has a background in small business, working with organizations to improve their online presence and client engagement. Sarah also writes for the SIS newsletters and website, and counts herself lucky to hear from our many passionate, hard-working clients for our client stories. Her favorite part about working for SIS are the dedicated, service-minded people.