IBM Insurance Ambassador: Insurers Poised for E-Profits.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--In the new online economy, insurers have several advantages that will be theirs to seize, said the general manager of IBM's global insurance industry practice.

Insurers are harnessing increased computing power to better quantify risks, anticipate catastrophes and respond to individual customers, IBM's Andy Williams said. Two new areas of technology--wireless communication and how to handle digital signatures--should have the greatest impact in the coming years, he said.

Williams offered tips from IBM's own transition to an "e-business":

* Rethink customer needs. What does your customer really want?

* Avoid or stop uncoordinated e-commerce initiatives.

* Rethink and protect the brand.

* All points of customer contact need to be integrated.

"Technology is not there for the sake of technology," Williams said. "Really think about how you're going to apply that to your businesses."