Name: Steve Aronson
Title: President & CEO, Aronson Insurance
Base: Needham, Massachusetts
How did you get involved with ID Federation and SignOn Once? I am a career insurance geek; I installed my first agency management system in 1981. I don’t write code, but I am a manager of a business that’s trying to be more efficient and effective — and technology has allowed me to do that.
I’ve become involved with many agency industry associations, including ACORD, and as a user group leader. Through those relationships, I was approached by Jim Rogers at The Hartford about ID Federation. Ultimately, Aronson Insurance became the first retail insurance agency that tested and implemented ID Federation between The Hartford, Vertafore and our agency.
Favorite thing about the insurance industry? This is the best business in the world. We get to help and protect people — and we make a difference. I get to do something different every day whether it be accounting, finance, or technology. On the client service side, I get to step into the client’s business so today I’m a carpentry contractor, tomorrow I’m a real estate owner.
I am passionate about SignOn Once because? I’m a small business owner and I’m expected to deliver great customer service and run a profitable business. SignOn Once solves several nagging problems. One of which is too many passwords!
Cybersecurity is very important. ID Federation dramatically reduces the chance of password fraud —whether an employee shares a password; an employee steals a password to get into some place they shouldn’t be; or an employee who was let go steals as much as they can before the agency decommissions their access. These are all real problems our industry faces — and SignOn Once by ID Federation solves them.
A great book to read? Good to Great by Jim Collins has been the all-time most impactful book for me. We were already a very good, well-run business, but this book helped me understand what I needed to improve to become a great business. It ultimately led to a fantastic financial exit through Acrisure.
What advice do you have for other agency leaders? We are a community of IA agents; we aren’t necessarily competitors all day, every day. There is value in the local agency board, the state association, and the technology user groups.
Get involved. If you simply come to your own office every day, and only work on your own book of business, this will just be a job. But If you’re willing to engage and make a difference and share, you’ll make this a career.
Anything else you’d like to add? Cybersecurity is a squeaky wheel that lies under the radar… until there’s a security breach. Agency principals don’t necessarily understand the password problem because they’re not hearing the issues from their staff, which means they’re not asking their companies for better security.
Our community needs to reach out to carriers to share the dramatic improvements they can make in security and efficiency by adopting ID Federation and SignOn Once. I firmly believe it’s the carriers who need to be adopting this technology in partnership with the major vendors to help agents.
