In 2002, Amazon eliminated millions of dollars from its technology costs by switching to the Linux operating system, an open source technology platform from the Linux Foundation. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Amazon stated it was able to cut technology expenses by about 25%, from $71 million to $54 million, primarily through “migration to a Linux-based technology platform that utilizes a less-costly technology infrastructure, as well as general price reductions for data and telecommunication services due to market overcapacity^[1]. Amazon continues its open source technology strategy today, as do thousands of other companies. Today, 96.3% of the world's top one million servers run on Linux^[2].

We’re at an inflection point with blockchain technology. A greater community of interest has developed beyond cryptocurrency with the realization that blockchain can solve all types of problems. Insurance regulators nationwide are starting to create “sandboxes,” essentially incubators where new technologies and innovations can be developed and tested, exempt from prohibitive regulations, until a proper regulatory framework can be created.

In August, AAIS Views detailed the results of our hugely successful Proof of Concept (POC) for openIDL (Open Insurance Data Link) that proved the blockchain technology can dramatically improve the insurance regulatory reporting proves for insurers and regulators. We also saw that insurer information could be correlated with data from other sources to reveal deeper insights, and that data could be leveraged by regulators, while remaining private, secure and in full control of participating carriers

openIDL, the groundbreaking blockchain technology AAIS developed to streamline regulatory reporting and connect data across the insurance industry has a chance to revolutionize the entire insurance ecosystem. When you peek behind the curtain, you see just how much went into building out this platform collaboratively with stakeholders in the insurance and technology world.

On Aug. 16, at the 2021 Summer National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) National Meeting, AAIS VP of Government Affairs, Legal & Compliance, Robin Westcott, presented the results of a Proof of Concept (POC) testing whether openIDL could support a COVID-19 Business Interruption Data call issued by the NAIC.

The meeting served as the kickoff for the openIDL Regulatory Reporting Steering Committee (RRSC). Ms. Westcott provided highlights from the positive findings set out in the report published by AAIS declaring that blockchain/distributed ledger technology had passed the test enroute to even broader applications across the industry.

Following is a summary of Ms. Westcott’s presentation:

AAIS conducted a Proof of Concept (POC) using the open Insurance Data Link (openIDL) for regulatory reporting. The results demonstrated that this blockchain/distributed ledger technology can dramatically improve both the output and process of insurance regulatory reporting for insurers and regulators.

Blockchain started as a popular buzzword among techies but has since permeated across industries. In insurance, its potential is being realized as game changing. Truman Esmond, AAIS Vice President of Membership and Solutions, spoke at a recent webinar hosted by The Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation on how AAIS is utilizing blockchain to support industry.

The collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Florida, shocked the nation, starting a much-needed conversation about the importance of risk mitigation. As the events unfolded, we learned that the information about the significant risk of collapse was known—to some—but simply went unheeded. 

AAIS CEO Ed Kelly opened the April 13 edition of AAIS Pulse newsmagazine with an exciting announcement: AAIS has launched openIDL as a Linux Foundation project. The Linux Foundation is the preeminent nonprofit consortium supporting one-source technologies that drive innovation and transform industries.

During the February 2021 AAIS Pulse newsmagazine, AAIS VP Truman Esmond was joined by Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director of Hyperledger, Brian Hoffman, Vice President State and Bureau Regulatory Affairs, at Travelers, and Arron Lamp, Vice President Enterprise Business Intelligence & Analytics & Operations, at Travelers, to discuss the obstacles and opportunities around leveraging open-source technology.