Technology will be the driving force for the development of re/insurance companies in the future, with a greater focus on globally integrated systems as firms expand and move between jurisdictions.That is the view of Rob Stavrou, of IT consultancy and solutions provider Northdoor, who was in Bermuda this week meeting with insurers to discuss his company’s offerings.As a London-based firm that specialises in re/insurance, Northdoor is focused primarily on the Lloyd’s of London market, but is looking to branch out into Bermuda and other global business centres, having already done work in South Africa, Australia, Ireland and Europe.Mr Stavrou said he had seen a number of trends in the market place, particularly with the move towards Solvency II equivalence with a shift from the planning stage to the implementation of the process all of which was affecting companies’ IT systems.He said there had been a big push towards setting up data directories to archive information for regulators as well as an emphasis on tools such as web application platform Microsoft SharePoint.“There are some people who are well ahead of the market and doing well and there are those that are behind and have some work to do and others in the middle that have done enough to show they have plans in place but need to deliver on them,” he said.Another area that has seen a significant amount of activity has been mergers and acquisitions, with more firms trying to get a foothold in the Lloyd’s market, and Mr Stavrou said there was a need for the different companies and markets involved in the process to align their systems with each other.But one of the biggest changes he has witnessed has been the globalisation of firms as they look for new places to do business and expand into with a growing demand for IT systems to support them.He said that there had been a shift from traditional large and functional systems to more flexible and integrated models that work anywhere in the world between different offices and time zones which meet the standards required.Northdoor was launched 22 years ago and has a staff base of 100 dedicated professionals with a number of top clients on their books including Munich Re, Canada Life and various Lloyd’s managing agents and plans to do more work in places such as Bermuda.“We have got a new client that we have started some work with on an underwriting system and I will be giving a demonstration to another prospect while I am here,” said Mr Stavrou.“I am keen to get the message across that Northdoor is a consultancy specialising in IT solutions for the re/insurance industry and would like to get involved with other clients and prospects out here in Bermuda.”Among the benefits his products bring to a market like Bermuda are that the systems are portable and mobile through the use of cloud computing and can be run on iPads as well.And he is looking forward to sitting down with prospective clients in Bermuda to find out more about the issues they face.Even the paper-based system of writing insurance at Lloyd’s could be a thing of the past, according to Mr Stavrou, with a move towards an electronic system and managing agents wanting to fully utilise their gateways already happening.“Now technology drives the industry it is the number one decider whereas before it was about functionality and cost, now it is about how well it fits into the IT world,” he said.For more information contact Rob Stavrou on +01144 207 4488 500, e-mail rob.stavrou[AT]northdoor.co.uk or visit the website at www.northdoor.co.uk