Newsfeeds

Gartner Voice is a series of podcasts in which Gartner analysts share insights and expertise on current issues in business and technology. Podcasts are open forums between participants and do not constitute published Gartner research. The views expressed are those of the participating analysts only.

Future-Proofing Insurance IT
Insurers must focus on longer-term planning to transform into an adaptive enterprise. Focusing on controlling IT maintenance costs, improving insight into corporate performance and creating greater process agility are key elements in this transition. Listen and learn more.
Global Trends & the Indirect Channel Business
Many trends, particularly cloud computing, impact the way IT vendors recruit, manage and reward their partners. Moreover, new delivery methods require a different type of sales person. Are channel partners equipped to adapt? Listen as Tiffani Bova discusses the highlights of her recent market insight, "Enhancements to Channel Programs Focus on Better Partner Alignment."
One-to-One Marketing Comes of Age
As conversational media takes off, thanks to advances in social software and community building, customers are talking to each other, often in public. This makes many marketers nervous when, in fact, these interactions create a whole new marketing asset while actually reducing costs. Listen as Ram Menon, CMO of Tibco, shares his insight on "bonding as the new branding."
European Policy Administration Solution Market
The European market for life insurance policy administration systems is highly fragmented and provides different options for both mature and startup organizations. Life insurers and pension providers need to evaluate criteria such as scalability and vendor maturity before selecting a package. Listen and learn more.
How to Engage the Blogosphere
News about an IT provider that begins in the blogosphere can seep into mainstream media in an instant, something that has marketing executives and their media relations teams concerned. But this trend is here to stay and marketers must adapt. Listen as Amrita Chandra, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing at Asigra, advises marketers on how to proactively engage the blogosphere in marketing, media relations and thought leadership.
Trends in Online Learning: Part II
Should universities be concerned about online trends in higher education or should they embrace them? The answer is yes on both counts. Listen as Lisa Bodell - President and CEO of Futurethink - continues the conversation about how universities are enhancing their brand with online learning.
Trends in Online Learning: Part I
As the cost of higher education rises even higher, alternatives are clearly needed. Listen as Lisa Bodell - President & CEO of Futurethink - shares her insight about how MIT and other Ivy League schools are getting online.
Product Lifecycle Management in Service Industries
Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a technology-enabled discipline that supports the processes necessary to create, evolve and support products from idea through retirement. So why is PLM becoming increasingly important in service-based industries? Listen and find out.
Redefining the P&C Administrative Market
Buyers of property and casualty (P&C) policy administration systems may find the market confusing based on ambiguous solution descriptions and market definitions by vendors. Listen as Gartner analyst Kimberly Harris-Ferrante provides some clarity.
How Marketers Can Become Better Public Speakers
Presentation skills is one the primary capabilities all marketing professionals need. Even those that aren't client-facing frequently pitch internal management, sales people and potential alliances on the benefits of working with the marketing organization. Listen as Paul Barsch - experienced marketer, frequent public speaker and Director of Marketing at Teradata - shares tips and advice on how marketers can become better public speakers.
Are you Ready to Automate Lead Nurturing?
Gartner recently moved automated lead management out of the trough of disillusionment and into the early stage of productivity on its hype cycle for automated marketing solutions. But, a few objections from buyers still remain as they evaluate automation for their own organizations. Listen as lead management expert Carlos Hidalgo responds to some common concerns.
Social Networking in Insurance
Social computing can be used in insurance to address internal as well as external user groups. Some of the objectives are to improve employee collaboration, deepen customer relationships and facilitate collaboration with agents or brokers. Listen and learn more.
Measuring the Strength of the Customer Relationship
In IT, buyers and sellers strike deals that put them in relationships for years to come. But how do you measure the difference between a buyer that is satisfied and one that is truly invested in a relationship with you? Listen as Read Ziegler - CEO of the Vantedge Group - explains the difference and what this means for marketers.
The Insurance IT Organization of the Future
To keep pace with the shifting needs of the insurance organization, IT departments must evolve. This will include building new skills, improved alignment with the business, increased use of packaged software and strategy-led outsourcing. Listen and learn more.
How to Manage a Customer Reference Program
Few executives in marketing and sales would debate the value of reference selling. However, most of us manage references on an ad hoc basis versus making it a standard operating practice. Listen as Joshua Horwitz - CEO of Boulder Logic - provides insight and advice in how to put more structure and discipline around reference selling to make it really pay off.
Channel Performance and Custom Communications
Providers tend to execute a single communications plan across all of their partners, often missing out on opportunities to improve indirect channel performance. Listen as Tiffani Bova highlights the key findings of her recent research that shows how tailored communications can drive higher contribution and loyalty from all channel partners.
How to Govern Social Media
One of the keys to taming the wild-wild-west of social media can be found in governance practices. In this podcast, Chris Boudreaux of Accenture highlights the findings of his survey of how leading companies are applying governance to social media to protect the brand, the company and the message. Listen and learn more.
P&C Insurers: The Year in Review
2009 was a difficult year. Shrinking economic activity, rising unemployment, decline in investment returns and eroding confidence in the financial system rippled through to even the most-resilient insurers. But as insurers navigate through the continued turbulent effects in financial markets, many have managed to continue investment in IT, specifically with core systems. Listen and learn more.
The New Normal in Life and P&C Insurance
In the aftermath of the economic crisis, property and casualty (P&C) and life insurers need to adapt their business and IT priorities. IT managers need to become more agile and align closer with their business peers to gain a competitive edge in an uncertain and challenging market environment. Listen and learn more.
Leveraging Social Media in Public Relations
Social media extends the one-to-one marketing model that sprang from Web 1.0 more than ever, helping marketers reach out and connect with prospects that were previously difficult to find. But all the increased market noise from social media introduces new challenges. Listen as Tiffany Anderson - Account Supervisor at Sterling Communications - discusses social media's impact on the traditional world of public relations.

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