Name: Danny Blood
Title: CTO & Chief Engineer, Boston Software
Base: Needham, Massachusetts
Why do you love the industry and continue to do what you do? From an economic and employment point of view, the insurance industry is a rock of security and stability for individuals and companies. And I think that’s one thing I’ve learned to appreciate over the years of my participation in the industry.
In the software industry specifically, you have to solve problems. I love understanding and building systems — from technical, architectural systems to the systems we use for collaboration. I really enjoy creating systems with colleagues who are also caring, dedicated and engaged in solving those problems.
Why are you passionate about SignOn Once? SignOn Once makes an agency workflow much simpler and easier to use, while simultaneously increasing security for all parties involved.
A big part of what we do at Boston Software is to improve the insurance agent’s or CSR’s experience and make their jobs easier. With SignOn Once, you have one password and once you’re in, you can navigate between systems that are part of SignOn Once. It just reduces all that friction. I’m thrilled that Boston Software ispart of ID Federation.
Is there a great book or podcast that has had an impact on you as a professional? Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein, is fascinating because it grapples with the idea that specialization can be a blind spot or a weakness and that having a broader understanding of several things can be more beneficial than a deep understanding of one thing. I think that’s a great model for life in general, as well as a professional life. If you think about this in the context of the industry, SignOn Once provides that level of range: security is a niche issue, but the big picture of improving the industry insurance model as a whole in order to solve a particular problem is key.
If you could change anything about the insurance industry, what would it be? I think the pace of innovation is naturally slow for insurance, but there are many opportunities for technological innovation as well as new models for how business could be accomplished. We’re seeing more of that now with investment in insurtech. I think it could help the industry as a whole to think about and view insurance products and solutions through this new lens.
From your perspective, how has COVID affected the industry? I think that working from home is going to stick. The convenience of it is too much for people to want to give up. And the myth that you need to be in an office to collaborate and get things accomplished has been demolished. You just have to think about work in a different way. That’s what I try to focus on with my team: How do we figure out the best way to make this work, knowing that we can’t replicate an office environment virtually?
