GT Software Provides Real-Time Direct Data Access, Browser-Based Terminal
Emulation and 3270 Web Enablement for Farm Bureau Insurance
ATLANTA, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- GT Software, a leading provider of
real-time Enterprise Mainframe Integration and Web services solutions,
announced today that Farm Bureau Insurance Company of Michigan, owned by
Michigan Farm Bureau, has selected GT Software's tcACCESS(TM),
VisualConnect(TM) and vcEmulator(TM) to enhance and extend legacy
applications. These improved applications will ultimately be deployed at home
office and field site locations.
The Farm Bureau Insurance Companies are dedicated to providing excellent
insurance coverage, customer service, and claims assistance, with more than
400 insurance agents, 100 claims employees, and staff employees throughout
Michigan,
When Farm Bureau Insurance decided to keep their core legacy systems, they
faced the challenge of preserving the business logic embedded in those systems
over the past 20 plus years. Another major challenge they faced had to do
with accessing multiple data platforms. Like many other companies, the most
recent applications that they had developed and purchased reside on the open
systems environment. "We have a need to access and update information from
multiple platforms within a single business function. Our business areas are
anxious to benefit from the improvements we can make using GT Software
products," said Darcy Cypher Vice President of Information Systems.
Farm Bureau Insurance selected GT Software for three major initiatives
that are currently underway. The first project delivers a comprehensive
inquiry system for field offices enabling agents to perform more customer
service online. This project will leverage the capability of tcACCESS to
access existing CICS transactions and screens through standard SQL statements
as well as the capability of VisualConnect to reuse existing screens. This
allows the re-use of existing business logic, which is a requirement for
future application development. "We are excited about the ability to directly
access data from any of our data platforms -- VSAM and compressed VSAM, IDMS,
flat files, and SQL Server," said Sandy Dent, Director of Applications
Software at Farm Bureau Insurance.
The second initiative uses GT Software's vcEmulator for browser-based
terminal emulation and to drive end-users to the corporate portal. "We were
facing the need to upgrade the majority of our desktop systems to Windows XP
and we did not want to reinvest in an expensive, 'fat' terminal emulation
package when our target is to Web-enable the majority of our applications,"
Dent said. "We were seeking a product to provide a 'zero' client footprint,
rapid deployment features, the ability to maintain the look-and-feel of
current emulation interface, and minimal physical tiers. vcEmulator met all
of these needs."
The third initiative uses GT Software's VisualConnect to enable the re-use
of existing green screens and all of the embedded logic, which will allow Farm
Bureau Insurance to reengineer data entry processes. "Our first specific
business area will be our life insurance processing department. Improved
workflows, greater accuracy and reduced training are the primary expected
outcomes," stated Cypher. "This implementation will be characterized by the
need for GUI screens, the ability to combine/modify multiple screens, add
edits/drop downs/push buttons, and enhance the current end-user experience.
About Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan is comprised of Farm Bureau Life
Insurance Company of Michigan, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of
Michigan, and Farm Bureau General Insurance Company of Michigan.
Headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, these companies provide protection for
more than 80,000 lives, 145,000 homes, 33,000 farms, 16,000 businesses, and
169,000 autos. Together with their clients, they make Michigan a great place
to live; a place where good things are happening. Farm Bureau Insurance works
with their clients to define and reach their goals.
http://www.farmbureauinsurance-mi.com/index.htm
About GT Software
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, GT Software is a
leading provider of enterprise mainframe integration and Web services
solutions. Our tools provide a complete, flexible, and non-programmatic
foundation for leveraging more value to enterprise systems and applications.
Our array of tools extend current applications and data to new users on the
Web, access Web data from current applications, expose closed architectures to
external databases, and provide the means to quickly and effectively integrate
and transform existing applications to take full advantage of today's Internet
technologies. GT Software has over 2,000 installations worldwide and provides
high-quality, innovative and cost-effective solutions for many Fortune 1000
companies. GT Software is a privately held company that is currently
represented in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa and South
America.
http://www.gtsoftware.com
SOURCE GT Software
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Related links:
http://www.gtsoftware.com
http://www.farmbureauinsurance-mi.com/index.htm
CONTACT:
Suzanne Aliberti of GT Software,
+1-404-253-1300, saliberti@gtsoftware.com; or Mike Bradshaw of
Connect Public Relations, +1-801-373-7888, mikeb@connectpr.com,
for GT Software
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