Insurance Holdings of America Launches Ultra-Fast Network For 2000-Plus Sites Using 3Com Gigabit Ethernet, Layer 3 Switching and Wan Routing Systems

Business Wire, Dec 4, 1998

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1998--

Full Range of 3Com Enterprise Systems Drive Mission-Critical Call

Center and Innovative Point-of-Sale Applications for Fast Growing

Insurance Program Franchiser and Services Provider

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS) today announced that Insurance Holdings of America LLC (IHA), a major franchiser and brokerage services provider to independent insurance agencies and organizations, has standardized its new enterprise network on advanced 3Com(R) systems. The heart of the $4 million network consists of four new 3Com SuperStack(R) II Switch 9300 Gigabit Ethernet switches and multiple redundant CoreBuilder(tm) 3500 Layer 3 switches at IHA's new call center and data center in Oriskany, NY. IHA is also using a local area network (LAN) at its Beverly, MA, headquarters based on 3Com Fast Ethernet switches and a massive frame relay wide area network (WAN) provided by Sprint services and 3Com NETBuilder(R) routers. The WAN will link more than 2,000 nationwide franchisees, all of which will use 3Com OfficeConnect(R) routers and LAN hubs.

Known for developing breakthrough insurance information services using leading-edge technologies, IHA operates two subsidiaries: Insurance Technology Services of America (ITSA) and Consumer Insurance Services of America (CISA). ITSA provides cost-saving products to insurance agents and carriers which ensure accurate rate quotes and easy underwriting integration. CISA's flagship product is GROUPadvantage, a turnkey franchise program that provides insurance agencies, employers and associations with training, marketing and network-driven software developed by ITSA. GROUPadvantage was recently selected by SAM'S Club, the leading nationwide warehouse club, to service the needs of the SAM'S Club Insurance Program.

Fueled by 3Com systems, IHA is now employing a cache of cutting-edge strategic network services designed to expand GROUPadvantage to 3,000 franchisees by year 2000. For example, at SAM'S Club, the 3Com network connects manned sales kiosks to the 340-user Oriskany call center and will ultimately provide videoconferencing with Oriskany-based GROUP advantage representatives for claims and other services.

The call center network supports IHA's computer telephony integration (CTI) system, which is driven by Answersoft's Sixth Sense Server middleware and instantly delivers customer data to the desktops of customer service staff as they field calls from agents and consumers. Long-term, IHA plans to use voice over IP over its WAN to automatically transfer customer calls from the call center to the franchisee servicing that customer.

Call center staff and franchisees also utilize an intranet based on multiple Microsoft IIS Web servers as well as 12 Netfinity servers -- based on the 3Com LAN/WAN -- to complete every kind of insurance transaction, including underwriting, ratings, billings and quotes. The Oriskany network additionally delivers itsaPRISM, ITSA's sophisticated point-of-sale system for insurance agents. Using itsaPRISM, agents rapidly retrieve comparative ratings and third-party data, such as credit reports and motor vehicle records, to more quickly assess and submit risks to insurance carriers. At Beverly, IHA's headquarters LAN delivers Microsoft Exchange for email and scheduling and Microsoft NetMeeting for videoconferencing and shared white-boarding with Oriskany and several IHA regional offices.

"Our mission is to provide insurance agencies with the fastest, most efficient access to policy and customer information and to rapidly service the insurance needs of consumers affiliated with our GROUPadvantage franchises," said Jim Barry, IHA's CIO. "Using 3Com Gigabit Ethernet systems and supporting WAN and remote office solutions, we now have a network architecture that allows us to more effectively achieve our objectives and will help us realize our growth plan now and in the years ahead."

Proven, Cost-Effective Speed

IHA's new network emanated from its need to equip Oriskany and its headquarters with a reliable, high-speed architecture that could provide advanced data and multimedia services within each facility and to GROUPadvantage franchisee locations. To achieve this, the company evaluated Gigabit Ethernet and supporting systems from Bay Networks, Cisco and 3Com and standardized on a 3Com enterprise solution.

"3Com was the first to market Gigabit Ethernet and provided several advantages," said Barry. "Their technologies outperformed and were more cost-effective than Bay's and Cisco's, which were just being rolled out. They also have a clearer vision as to where their products are going and gave us superior price points," he added.

Deployed this June, the core of the call center and data center network consists of the multiple redundant CoreBuilder 3500 Layer 3 switches and four 3Com SuperStack II 9300 Gigabit Ethernet systems. The CoreBuilder 3500 systems' Layer 3 switching allows the company to achieve wire speed in Oriskany's IP environment and provide virtual LANs (VLANs) for optimal network performance. The SuperStack II 9300 systems have Gigabit Ethernet connections to several servers and Gigabit Ethernet links to multiple SuperStack II 3900 workgroup switches, which provide 100 Mbps desktop connections to call center users. The company ultimately intends to deploy in excess of 40 SuperStack II 3900s.