Technology & Infrastructure

Align’s management team has over 90 years of combined experience managing complex insurance operations at insurance company and general insurance agency operations. In each instance, significant efficiency advances were achieved through the implementation of effective technologies and a rigorous streamlining of workflows and processes. Every aspect of Align’s underwriting and policy production process has been designed to incorporate technologies and workflows that ensure that internal efficiencies are maximized.

Align has invested heavily in advanced information technology solutions enterprise wide. Specifically, the Company invested in the following systems solutions:

Policy and Claims Processing

For policy, claims and bill processing, Align purchased InsureSoft’s (formerly Applied Systems) Diamond® System and MGA Systems’ IMS System.

The Diamond® System is a fully automated and integrated system that enables all processing to happen on-line and in real time; including rating, underwriting, billing, policy issuance and claims. This real time policy and transaction processing eliminates the need for more costly overnight batch processing. The system is scalable to any size, and can extend company-specific business rules out to producers, customers and business partners via multiple interfaces. Align leverages the Diamond system for lower average premium, high transactional volume businesses, such as personal auto insurance. Align uses its IMS System in businesses with lower transaction volumes and higher average premiums, that nonetheless demand excellent processing capabilities and a completely paperless workflow. The IMS System has been deployed in the Commercial Programs, Specialty E&S and Property Divisions.

Point of Sale Systems

Align developed its own proprietary modular application to web-enable the Company’s point-of-sale business processes. Particularly important for complex, higher transactional volume, lower average premium business such as personal auto insurance, Align offers its producers the ability to instantly quote, rate and submit a policy application on behalf of a customer directly at its website. Align’s POS systems are fully integrated with its backend processing systems and, as a result, all rating and rules-based expert underwriting is handled prior to a policy being bound. Align also offers it distributors a complete set of online post sale servicing capabilities, such as Policy and Billing Inquiry and full real-time Endorsement Processing. Align is one of the very few insurance providers nationally that can deliver real-time endorsement processing (including out-of-sequence) and full instant online documentation reprint capabilities.

Document Management Systems

Align uses document management solutions from Oracle, Inc. Documanage is a full-featured document management system usable in either a workgroup system or in a large, widely distributed networked user base. Specifically designed for vertical industries that need to create and produce a high volume of personalized, individualized documents, such as insurance, Documanage offers full scanning and digital import capabilities and can be used as a document-based workflow control system, an active document development management system or an archive/publishing system. It can also be used in support of post-production Internet, intranet or extranet archive applications, serving documents to thin-client users.

Align fully leverages all of these advanced capabilities across the enterprise. These cutting edge systems mean that Align operates a highly efficient, completely paperless processing environment.

Accounting

Align uses Microsoft’s Great Plains Enterprise Accounting Software to manage its general ledger, accounts receivables and accounts payables. Align has integrated the Great Plains software with its policy and claims processing systems so that the seamless exchange of transaction records, check printing, reconciliation processes and cash management is facilitated.

Reporting

Align chose Microsoft’s SQL Server Reporting Services to serve its reporting needs due to the fact that all of Align’s integrated infrastructure systems are run on SQL. Reporting Services is a comprehensive, server-based platform for creating, managing and delivering reports to both clients and employees. Reporting Services allows Align’s business users to generate and receive real-time reporting to help make better decisions. SQL Server Reporting Services makes flexible, customized reports available to a broad base of workers and business analysts, as well as to executives and Align’s external clients.