From the Editor

Risk & Insurance, Jan, 2001

There's no longer any hedging the fact that a new age is upon risk and insurance executives.

On one hand, this is reflected in the widespread opinion that soft market conditions have finally given way to firming prices. That's good news to providers, of course, but insurance buyers are confronted with a more urgent need to manage risk efficiently and cost-effectively. The result should prove a boon for the alternative market of captives, risk retention groups, and the other self-insurance solutions that we regularly chronicle in these pages.

Risk's millennial age, though, is a matter of new technologies that are converging to create not only instant global information but also a redefinition of markets.

From my perspective, I can measure the force of change--unscientifically, I'll admit--just by monitoring the surge of unsolicited e-mails I receive each day, promoting new technologies, fledgling Web sites and Internet solutions for buying, selling and managing the risk and claims processes.

This is why we're responding this year with some expanded features for Risk & Insurance You'll notice, for example, a page ahead of this one newly devoted to "Technology Solutions," with targeted news and information that will build on such popular features as our "Insurance Online."

We're also ratcheting up our coverage of technology innovations and trends via our special reports in February, June and December, with a stand-alone report slated for midsummer. These reports will offer relevant technology insights for insurers, agents and brokers, risk managers and benefits executives, with reporting from our tech-savvy stable of journalists.

Risk & Insurance also offers value-added services online at, www.riskandinsurance.com. With a freshly redesigned and enhanced Web site in progress, we'll be providing a deeper online experience as well. And, since so much of our growth over the past decade has been in response to reader needs and suggestions, we hope you'll continue to tell us how we can better provide you with the services and solutions you need.

Matt Damsker

Editor-in-Chief

mdamsker@lrp.com