Best’s News & Research Service - August 18, 2003 01:21 PM (EDT)
Tug-of-War: Insurers Must Determine Which Platform Best Fits Their Needs.
OLDWICK, N.J. //BestWire// - Although insurers have been able to choose between J2EE and .NET technology platforms for nearly a decade, the decision is still far from easy.
Sun Microsystems' Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition, better known as J2EE, is a programming standard that uses Java language to support applications enabling enterprise programs to reach suppliers, customers and employees via Internet browsers. Many insurers believe the standard's proven scalability and strong interoperability are a winning combination.
While Microsoft's .NET, which helps companies build enterprise Web services, is newer to the market than J2EE, users say it's a cheaper and relatively simple programming model that allows various programming languages to communicate with one another.
The two enterprise architectures differ, but their strong interoperability positions both well for Web services. In fact, the growing phenomenon of Web services as the standard for doing business over the Internet makes both .NET and J2EE must-haves for some insurers.
Other insurers, however, have made a choice. For FCCI Insurance Group, based in Sarasota, Fla., interoperability was a key factor in its decision to select J2EE, while Pacific Life Insurance Co. is finding value in .NET’s reusability and programming language neutrality.
Technology providers also see different values in the two platforms. "There is no door No. 3 choice, companies have to pick one or the other," said Randy Wheeler, founder and chief executive officer of Valley Oak Systems Inc., a national provider of claims management software, services and support. Because of its maturity and stability J2EE is a more established technology, while .NET still has to answer the question of "let's prove it," he said.
Doug Massey, product developer of Blue Frog Solutions, an e-business solutions provider, believes .NET language and development tools are much easier to work with.
Allstate is one of the insurers finding value in both platforms, recognizing the two to be complementary. The company integrated J2EE language into its .NET technologies through deployment of IBM's WebSphere 4.5. The dominant system among insurers for Java development and deployment, WebSphere can be used to manage the infrastructure and support Web services, enabling development of business applications and existing mainframe applications.
The growing use of J2EE, .Net and WebSphere among insurers will be examined in three separate sessions during A.M. Best's Insurance & Technology conference, E-Fusion 2003, Sept. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Philadelphia. For conference information visit www.efusion2003.com
(By Lori Chordas, senior associate editor, Best's Review:
Lori.Chordas@ambest.com)