We want to make sure it is an integral part of our customer experience. Johnson is a Computerworld contributing writer in Seattle. Looking ahead, IT leaders have their eyes on new technologies that shoulder the double duty of ensuring data security and privacy and making their businesses more efficient. Using digital signatures could streamline the authorization of financial transactions. Rogers says digital signatures may become acceptable to his industry and his customers within a few years.
Medical records are currently subject to tight restrictions on their release and distribution.
Nolan says he hopes this security and authorization technology can automate the transfer of medical information to his databases, easing what's currently an awkward step for the company's customers when they order prescription drugs. At The Hartford Financial Services Group, senior vice president and CIO David H. Annis says he sees possibilities within new identification technologies, like digital certificates and biometrics. The Hartford has a dedicated technologies futures team that tracks developments like these. The futures team is a means for The Hartford to adopt new technologies when key factors fall into place, he says. The team is looking not only at technical factors but also at the business case.