Wenli Yuan, KyongSun Kong
May 22, 2013

ASIA-PACIFIC INSURANCE
DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
GROWTH THROUGH SUPERIOR PRODUCER SERVICE
This authorized reprint contains an excerpt from a Celent
report profiling and evaluating 11 different distribution
management systems. The full report is 77 pages long. The
report was not sponsored by C2l Biz Solutions Private Limited
in any way. This reprint was prepared specifically for C2l Biz
Solutions Private Limited, but the analysis has not been
changed. For more information on the full report, please
contact Celent at www.celent.com, info@celent.com.


CONTENTS
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1
Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 2
Distribution Management Systems: Definition and Functionality ........................................ 4
Definition .......................................................................................................................... 5
Report Methodology ............................................................................................................ 6
Criteria for Inclusion ......................................................................................................... 6
Evaluation Process .......................................................................................................... 6
Celent’s ABCD Vendor View ............................................................................................... 7
The XCelent Awards ........................................................................................................ 8
About the Profiles ................................................................................................................ 9
C2L BIZ Solutions: SymbioSys - Distribution Management System................................. 10
Company and Product Background .............................................................................. 10
Lines of Business .......................................................................................................... 11
Functionality .................................................................................................................. 11
Usability, Analytics and Document Management .......................................................... 16
Technology .................................................................................................................... 17
Implementation and Costs ............................................................................................. 18
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 19
Leveraging Celent’s Expertise .......................................................................................... 21
Support for Financial Institutions ................................................................................... 21
Support for Vendors ...................................................................................................... 21
Related Celent Research .................................................................................................. 22





EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Insurers are increasingly using producer service excellence as a tactic to retain and grow
business. The activity level is high in the distribution management automation space
among both insurers and vendors. From January 2011 to January 2013, 26 insurers
licensed one of the new systems profiled in our report.
This report helps insurers refine their distribution management system strategies and,
where appropriate, establish a list of vendors for evaluation. Six distribution management
systems are fully profiled. All are used in Asia-Pacific for at least one line of business in
life, annuities, health, or property and casualty insurance. Five limited profiles are
included for market entrants, systems that did not meet the criteria for a full profile, or (in
one case) a vendor that chose not to be included in the full profiles.
This report also names the winners of the XCelent Awards.




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INTRODUCTION
Insurers are increasingly using producer service excellence as a way to retain and grow
business. Expanded functionality and improved technology mean that insurers continue
to have a wide spectrum of systems and vendors to consider when they are looking for a
solution that fits their needs. This review helps insurers refine their distribution
management system strategies and, where appropriate, create a list of appropriate
vendors for evaluation.
This report includes full profiles for six Asia-Pacific distribution management systems that
met the inclusion criteria described in the Report Methodology section. Five limited
profiles are provided for market entrants, for systems that did not satisfy all the inclusion
criteria, and, in one case, a vendor that chose to not be included in the full profiles.
This review also uses Celent’s ABCD Vendor View, which is our standard representation
of a vendor marketplace, designed to show at a glance the relative positions of each
vendor in four categories: Advanced technology, Breadth of functionality, Customer base,
and Depth of client services. Insurers should consider which factors are most important to
them, and review the detailed profiles in this report with these in mind.
In evaluating alternative systems, Celent urges insurers to develop a clear understanding
of their needs in these key areas:

Level of insurer control in maintaining the system: How important is it to be self-
sufficient in making updates to the application, and how much does the insurer want
to rely on the chosen vendor for services? Support models vary between suppliers,
from complete independence after implementation to significant dependence on
vendor resources for modifications.

Level of IT control in maintaining the system: How important is it to transfer system
maintenance from a technical (IT) area to business users / business analysts?
Systems also vary regarding their design and the utilities provided to allow
nontechnical personnel to build and modify commission plans, change screen
layouts, and even set up automated data exchange between systems. Before
evaluating alternatives, insurers should determine the extent to which they want
updates performed outside of a technical systems area.
 Enterprise or division scope: Will the system be used for multiple lines of business
across the enterprise, or will it be applied to divisional and/or targeted, monoline
organizations? If multichannel/multiline support is needed, applications must be
carefully vetted regarding their ability to effectively handle this requirement effectively
with acceptable performance.

Level of agent self-service: To what degree will the agent/producer force be involved
with the system? The degree of self-service varies between applications, with some
allowing only basic demographic viewing or updating, others handling simple
transactions such as problem reporting and routing, and some enabling more
advanced transaction processing for producers such as creation of custom, ad hoc
reports.
 Use of BPO services: Insurers are encouraged to determine if selected activities
involved with distribution management can be outsourced. For example, the
administration of licensing, first-level call center support for agents, and onboarding
assistance are candidate processes for placement with a vendor.
 Number/depth of prebuilt components: Vendors vary in the number and
sophistication of insurance-specific frameworks that are delivered with the base

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system. Examples include common commission plan structures/calculations, basic
workflows for onboarding, and simple escalation logic for the routing of problem
tickets. The availability of prebuilt components accelerates the implementation
process and can be a source of best practice. Insurers should discover how many
such utilities are offered by each vendor and evaluate the functional depth of the
activities with the highest priority.


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DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: DEFINITION AND
FUNCTIONALITY
Distribution processes involve disparate administrative functions that are focused on
operational issues such as configuring compensation plans, administering payment and
reconciliation, registering and licensing producers and tracking education requirements. A
conceptual view of what Celent calls “producer lifecycle management” is depicted in
Figure 1.
Figure 1: Producer Management Lifecycle

Source: Celent
To a producer, all of these tasks are part of maintaining and growing a relationship with
an insurer. When service issues arise, agents are not interested in knowing that different
people handle different parts of the process using systems that do not “speak” to one
another. They would like their commission or licensing or contracting problem resolved
immediately with as little time investment as possible.
However, in a typical insurance environment, multiple departments perform separate
tasks in the cycle. Coordination of activity and integration of information is minimal. This
is especially problematic since producer management involves a substantial volume of
transactions and data from multiple sources. Typical processes and automation were
designed for an environment that has long since passed—one that was much more
stable and predictable.
These conditions result in multiple issues including poor service, a lack of insight into
producer performance, unreliable data, and high support costs. It is critical to increase
production within existing agents (to keep them happy), necessary to expand into new
producers (to bring them onboard quickly and with minimal hassle), and essential to
monitor performance of all sales activities (to know who is doing what and take action
appropriately).

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Many insurers are also expanding into additional distribution channels, such as
bancassurance, direct marketing, and online channels.
Celent believes there is an opportunity for insurance companies to gain market share
through the execution of a strategic approach to producer lifecycle management. Carriers
can gain competitive advantage in their distribution efforts if they bring together and
consolidate these various processes to create an integrated approach that delivers higher
quality service, more reliable information, and lower costs.
Accomplishing this goal will require process optimization and integrated automation, both
of which are highly dependent on technology. However, in the past, system solutions
have also been fractured. Separate vendor applications were required to accomplish all
the tasks across the lifecyle because no offering “did it all.”
In this report, Celent reviews distribution management systems as a single set of
activities that includes what has historically been labeled enterprise incentive
management (EIM) and licensing and compliance systems. Applications are evaluated
based on their ability to address the full lifecycle of a company-producer relationship.
DEFINITION
This broad approach to distribution management results in the following components
being in scope for review (see Table 1).
Table 1: Distribution Management System: Components

COMPONENT
MAJOR TASKS

Compensation Management
Commission calculations, commission hierarchy,
plan management

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Coordination of customer data and
communication

Document Management
Creation and maintenance of commission
statements and correspondence with distribution
resources; may extend to correspondence with
end customers as well

Producer Appointment Management (licensing,
hierarchy management, renewal, termination)
Appointment, hierarchy management, renewal,
termination activities

Producer Licensing and Licensing Compliance
Management
Producer licensing, renewal, and termination;
including interface with states for reporting and for
updating of compliance requirements

Producer Onboarding Management
Workflow and task automation to speed process
of establishing a new agent

Producer Portal
Agent self-service inquiry and, in some systems,
transaction support

Producer Recruitment Management
Agent self-service inquiry and, in some systems,
transaction support

Registration Management for Producers of Variable
Products
Interface with regulators to ease administration of
agents selling variable products

Sales Performance Reporting and Management
Tracking, reporting and predicting past, present,
and future producer performance
Source: Celent

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REPORT METHODOLOGY
CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION
Celent’s objective has been to include in this report as many as possible of the leading
distribution management systems being used or actively sold to Asia-Pacific insurers.
The report contains two types of profiles: full and limited. The topics covered in both
types of profiles are broadly similar; however, full profiles are written with more detail and
include comments from reference insurers. Additionally, vendors with a full profile are
included in the Celent ABCD Vendor View; limited profile vendors are not.
The criteria to be included as a full profile are:
 At least two Asia-Pacific life/annuities, health, or property & casualty insurance
customers in production.
 Participation by at least two reference customers.

These criteria were designed to maximize the number of systems that can be reasonably
expected to remain available (and viable) based on vendor size and strength, maturity of
product and client base, and other important factors.
One exception is for C2L BIZ Solutions. Its SymbioSys - Distribution Management
System was developed in 2011 and 2012. In a short period it already has one client in
production and two more clients in implementation. We included this solution in the full
profile section.
The limited profile section includes five vendors that did not meet the criteria for a full
evaluation but did provide significant information about their offerings. In one case, a
vendor chose not be included as a full profile. When initiating a solution search, insurers
are encouraged to contact these suppliers and receive an update on their current
activities in Asia-Pacific.
EVALUATION PROCESS
Celent sent a detailed RFI to a broad set of distribution management system vendors.
After receiving completed RFIs, each full profile vendor provided a briefing concentrating
on usability and functionality for everyday users, and rules, tools, and connectivity for IT
or administrative users.
Celent also asked at least two references provided by each vendor to complete an online
survey in order to obtain their view of the system’s business and technology value.
Both the RFIs and the reference surveys provided quantitative and qualitative data.
Vendors had an opportunity to review their profiles for factual accuracy but did not
influence the overall evaluation or the placement in the ABCD Vendor View. Celent has
retained final authority over the content of the published profiles. Some of the vendors
profiled in this report are Celent clients, and some are not. No preference was given to
Celent clients either for inclusion in the report or for the subsequent evaluation.
Not all data gathered from the detailed RFI, vendor briefing and demo, and reference
surveys has been included in each profile. Celent has attempted to capture key points
and values about each vendor at an appropriate level. Unpublished information remains
in the Celent knowledge base and is available to Celent’s subscription and consulting
clients.

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CELENT’S ABCD VENDOR VIEW
Celent’s framework for evaluating vendors is the Celent ABCD Vendor View. This is a
standard representation of a vendor marketplace designed to show at a glance the
relative positions of each vendor in four categories: Advanced technology, Breadth of
functionality, Customer base, and Depth of client services.
The Celent ABCD Vendor View shows positions of each solution evaluated. Each vendor
solution is judged relative to the others in the group.
While this is a standard tool that Celent uses across vendor reports in many different
areas, each report will define each category slightly differently. For this report, some of
the factors used to evaluate each vendor are listed in Table 2.
Table 2: Factors Used in the Distribution Management System ABCD
Advanced Technology (and
flexible technology)

Usability for both business and system administration users

Code base, including modernity of language and consistency of
architecture

Range of databases, operating systems, application servers, and
integration methods supported

Ability to modify system using visual tools rather than through code

Method of extending data model (tools only, mix, coding only)

Extent of business user involvement in making changes

Reference comments regarding technologies and flexibility
Breadth of Functionality

Components as well as functions and features provided in base
offering

Functions and features provided through configuration by a
nontechnical business user

Power and ease of use of rules, workflow, and product configuration
capabilities

Supported and in production lines of business

Reference comments regarding functionality
Customer Base

Number of Asia-Pacific clients on current or previous version

Number of Asia-Pacific clients on last upgraded versions

Number of new Asia-Pacific clients since January 2011

Number of Tier 1/Tier 2 Asia-Pacific clients
Depth of Customer Service

Size and experience of professional services and support team

Reference comments on implementation experience

Reference comments regarding quality of on-going support

Flexibility in pricing models
Source: Celent

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THE XCELENT AWARDS
Within this framework, the top performers in each of the ABCD dimensions are
recognized with a corresponding XCelent Award:
 XCelent Technology for the leading Advanced Technology score
 XCelent Functionality for the leading Breadth of Functionality score
 XCelent Customer Base for the leading Customer Base score
 XCelent Service for the leading Depth of Service score

Celent advises insurers to look at complete solution profiles at the next part of this report
to better understand each solution. We suggest that insurers consider their specific
needs and evaluate each vendor against those needs. Although they are very successful
in one or more of the criteria, the XCelent Award winners may not be the best match for
an insurer’s specific business goals and solution requirements.

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ABOUT THE PROFILES
Each of the profiles presents information about the vendor and solution, professional
services and support capabilities, customer base and reference customer feedback,
functionality and lines of business deployed, usability, product configuration, and
workflow abilities, technology, implementations, cost, and some summary comments.
Concerning fees, Celent asked vendors to provide first year license and first year other
implementation costs (work by the insurer, vendor, or third parties) for two hypothetical
insurance companies:

Insurance Company A, a single licensed insurance company with eight lines of
business, producing annual premium of US$250 million;

Insurance Holding Company B, with four sub companies, writing in five countries with
annual premium of US$2.5 billion.

When discussing insurance customers of the various solutions, the profiles use the terms
very small, small, medium, large, and very large insurers. Very small insurers (Tier 5)
have under US$100 million in annual premium; small (Tier 4) have US$100 million to
$499 million; medium (Tier 3) have US$500 million to $999 million; large (Tier 2) have
US$1 billion to $4.9 billion; and very large (Tier 1) have US$5 billion or more.
Each profile includes a table of available components which lists the vendor’s breakdown
of its system into component parts. The profiles also include a list of in production and
supported lines of business and the number of clients using the system for those
products. Additionally, the profiles include tables detailing functional capabilities and the
vendor’s estimate of the use of these features in existing implementations.

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C2L BIZ SOLUTIONS: SYMBIOSYS - DISTRIBUTION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
COMPANY AND PRODUCT BACKGROUND
C2L BIZ is a privately owned insurance industry solution and service provider.
Table 3: C2L BIZ SOLUTIONS Snapshot
COMPANY INFORMATION
Company Size
Approximately US$ 225,000 derived from the agency management solution.
98 employees, 27 of who provide professional services / client support for
the agency management solution, with an average of 7 years of industry
experience.

Headquarters Location
Global HQ: Mumbai, India
APAC HQ: Singapore
DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
System Name
SymbioSys - Distribution Management System
Launch Date
2011
Last Major Release
Version 1.1, Aug 2012
No major technology change
Target Market
Life, health, non-life for all geographies
SaaS Offering
N/A
CUSTOMER BASE
Asia-Pacific Clients
1 in production in India
2 in implementation
New Asia-Pacific Clients
Since January 1, 2011
3
Clients Outside Asia-Pacific
0
Marquee Clients
Future Generali Life Insurance company limited
Source: Vendor RFI

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LINES OF BUSINESS
SymbioSys - Distribution Management System is designed for all lines of business, but
currently only has life business in production. Non-life and health insurance will be in
production by December 2013.
Table 4: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Lines of Business
LINE
STATUS
NUMBER OF ASIA-PACIFIC
CUSTOMERS
NON-LIFE, COMMERCIAL LINES
Supported but not in production
0
NON-LIFE, PERSONAL LINES
Supported but not in production
0
SPECIALTY
Supported but not in production
0
LIFE
In production
1
ANNUITY
Supported but not in production
0
HEALTH
Supported but not in production
0
Source: Vendor RFI
FUNCTIONALITY
The components of SymbioSys - Distribution Management System include hierarchy
management, performance management, compensation management, and Finance &
MIS. Its support status for components surveyed for by Celent is listed in Table 5.
Table 5: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Components
COMPONENT
STATUS
Compensation Management (commission
calculations, commission hierarchy, plan
management)
Can be licensed/installed as stand-alone component
(without Distribution Management solution)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Not available

Document Management
Not available; Solution provides for ready-made hooks
to integrate with any third party Document
Management system

Producer Appointment Management (licensing,
hierarchy management, renewal, termination)
Can be licensed/installed as stand-alone component
(without Distribution Management solution)

Producer Licensing and Licensing Compliance
Management
Can be licensed/installed as stand-alone component
(without Distribution Management solution)

Producer Onboarding Management
Can be licensed/installed as stand-alone component
(without Distribution Management solution)

Producer Portal
Can be licensed/installed as stand-alone component
(without Distribution Management solution); The next
release of SymbioSys - Distribution Portal is
scheduled in June 2013

Producer Recruitment Management
Not available

Registration Management for Producers of
Variable Products
Available ONLY bundled with Distribution
Management (no additional cost)

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Sales Performance Reporting and Management
Available ONLY bundled with Distribution
Management (no additional cost)
Others: Replacement of Policy
Available ONLY bundled with Distribution
Management (no additional cost)
Others: Tax Management
Available ONLY bundled with Distribution
Management (no additional cost); Country specific
taxation rules need to be configured
Source: Vendor RFI
Almost all of the commission and hierarchy management functions surveyed for by
Celent are available either as a base offering or through configuration by a nontechnical
business user.
Table 6: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Commission and
Hierarchy Management
FEATURE
STATUS
USE AMONG
EXISTING CLIENTS
Unlimited-tier commission management
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Ability to consolidate commissions from
multiple lines / multiple companies in a single
processing instance
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Set up, calculate, pay and report company
sponsored bonuses for agents, managers, and
field staff (i.e., bonuses based on production,
persistency, and other sales incentive
programs for various members of the
hierarchy)
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Payment hold/release
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Payment schedules that can be personalized
for individual agents by insurer staff
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Administration of payments / recoveries other
than commission
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

User-defined rules managing recoupment,
garnishments, and chargebacks
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Producer finance history (adjustments,
advances, recoupments, payment details)
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Prebuilt interfaces to common financial
packages
Delivered as part of base system
(Currently available for SUNGL
and ORACLE Financial)
●●●

Unlimited levels of hierarchies
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Ability to track relationships beyond basic
hierarchical relationships
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Territory / office hierarchy management
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

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Ability to consolidate multiple operating
companies, multiple channels, and multiple
divisions into a single entity
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Ability to consolidate and map multiple IDs into
one
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Single allocation of portfolio on transfers
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Bulk allocation of portfolio on transfers
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

Automated portfolio transfers
Available through configuration
by a nontechnical business user
●●●

User-defined rules management of orphan
portfolio assignments
Not available (Orphan portfolio
can be transferred manually)

Source: Vendor RFI
Key: ● = 0–33%; ●● = 34–66%; ●●● = 67–100%

SymbioSys supports multiple distribution channels. It supports definition of channels,
agencies/partners, and branches, as well as agents. Besides supporting unlimited levels
of hierarchies, the system also allow the same level of hierarchies, as well as skip level of
hierarchies. System allows configuration of multiple/parallel hierarchies for a given
producer, such as commission hierarchy, reporting hierarchy, monitoring hierarchy,
geography, relationship manager, training, etc.
SymbioSys allows unique compensation and payment rules defined for specific channel,
partner, designation, as well as to individual producer. Compensation rule can be defined
with expression.
In regard to allocation of portfolio on transfers, commission, overriding commission,
personal KPI, and group KPI all can be configured to retain with existing hierarchy or
transfer to new hierarchy with transfer percentage. Orphan portfolio can only be
transferred manually.
Many functions of contract and licensing management as well as recruiting and
onboarding management are in the base package.
Table 7: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Producer
Management
FEATURE
STATUS
USE AMONG EXISTING
CLIENTS
Recruiting administration
Not available


Automated interface to leading job
boards (Monster, etc.)
Not available


Prebuilt workflow and rules for
administration of onboarding
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Electronic signature support for
agents/onboarding
Not available


Contract administration
Delivered as part of base system
●

User-defined producer authority rules
management (lines of business allowed,
Available through configuration by
●●●

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suspension, no new business, etc.)
a nontechnical business user

Automated licensing renewal
Available through configuration by
a nontechnical business user
●●●

Automated background investigation
(ordering and results)
Delivered as part of base system
●●

Administration of awards, honors,
contests and recognition programs
Available through configuration by
a nontechnical business user
●●●

Administration of training requirements
for producers
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Producer examination tracking
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Tracking of errors and omissions
coverage
Delivered as part of base system
●●●

Agent self-service portal (commission
inquiry, contest standings, production
metrics)
Delivered as part of base system
●

Agent dispute tracking and management Delivered as part of base system
●

Lead management
Delivered as part of base system
(Lead tracking is available. Lead
Management is in roadmap and will
be available by March 2014)
●
Source: Vendor RFI
Key: ● = 0–33%; ●● = 34–66%; ●●● = 67–100%

Solution allows for defining and computing of multiple awards, honors, contests, and
recognition programs for all channels for various durations.
Prebuilt integrations are largely accomplished as base offering. Usage as reported by
C2L BIZ Solutions among existing clients is high.
Table 8: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Prebuilt Integration
FEATURE
STATUS
USE AMONG EXISTING
CLIENTS
Prebuilt interface(s) with social networks
Not available

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with
external entities for fee processing
Delivered as part of base system
(through third party receipting
system)
●●●
Real time interface with country's
producer/agent database
Delivered as part of base system ●●●
Prebuilt interface(s) to export and import
agent demographic data, appointment and
termination information using 3rd party
vendors
Not available

Automated updating of system to ensure
compliance with regulations regarding
license, appointment and registration rules
Delivered as part of base system ●●●

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Number of countries interfaced with for
producer management (appointments,
terminations, licensing, onboarding,
general maintenance)
0-5
●●●
Source: Vendor RFI
Key: ●= 0–33%; ●● = 34–66%; ●●● = 67–100%
SymbioSys uses a proprietary business rule engine called SymbioSys Rule engine. The
system has the set of vocabulary based on which the compensation rules can be defined.
SymbioSys has a built-in workflow tool that provides ability to configure workflow, rules
pertaining to process management and for escalation management. The process flow is
defined by using an Excel sheet driven interface. Thanks to its built-in workflow tool,
SymbioSys allows for backdated movements with commission wind back/ forward to old/
new agent.
Table 9: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Business Rules and
Workflow
FEATURE
STATUS
USE AMONG
EXISTING
CLIENTS
Workflow Management (a visual tool set to
design, execute, and monitor workflows—
without changing core code)
Available through programmers (e.g.,
adding/modifying the solution’s code
base)
●●●
Workflow Management graphic design
environment, with automated code
generation
Available through programmers (e.g.,
adding/modifying the solution’s code
base)
●●●
Workflow rules repository that is searchable
and version controlled
Available through configuration by a
nontechnical business user
●●●
Automated workflow alerts (bottlenecks,
past due tasks, etc.)
Available through configuration by a
nontechnical business user
●
Manager-level reports/audit/inquiry
capability by staff person
Delivered as part of base system
●
Manager-level reports/audit/inquiry
capability by work group
Delivered as part of base system
●●●
Business Rules Management (design and
execute, externalized from core code). If an
external package, please indicate vendor in
comments.
Delivered as part of base system
●●●
Business rules repository that is searchable,
version controlled
Delivered as part of base system
●●●
Prebuilt library of compensation rules
components
Delivered as part of base system
●●●
Source: Vendor RFI
Key: ● = 0–33%; ●● = 34–66%; ●●● = 67–100%




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USABILITY, ANALYTICS AND DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
SymbioSys provides some user-friendly usability features for end users as well as
configuration users. For example:

The design of the interface for configuration users (usually nontechnical business
users) allows quick navigation to different parts of the application. At the top of the
screen there are tabs and drop-down menus. Users are able to open multiple menus.
Under each menu there are more tabs that categorize information. There are
hyperlinks to click for detailed information.
 SymbioSys provides an intuitive graphical view of hierarchy.
 Workflow folders displayed as per user privilege.
 Solution provides for a static portal where a producer can enquire about the
commission statements, premium due listing, contest ranking, performance tracking
etc.
 Dashboards are available to get complete view of activity status, pending
activities, etc.
Document management is available through integration with third party document
management system. Business intelligence and analytics function and management
reporting dashboard are available but have not been implemented.
The level of maintenance performed in business areas in reference accounts is high. The
client Celent surveyed reported that users create and maintain 100% of hierarchy
management, commission rates and rules, and special incentive plan; 75% of the total
work effort for “create and change workflow rules” is accomplished by non-IT staff. Based
on this feedback, it appears that SymbioSys can be business-directed if an insurer so
chooses.
Table 10: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Analytics and
Document Management
FEATURE
STATUS
USE AMONG
EXISTING
CLIENTS

Business intelligence and analytics
Delivered as part of base system

Management reporting dashboard
Delivered as part of base system

Management and financial reporting
data store
Not available


End user performed modeling (what-if
analysis) on compensation
components, compensation programs
and hierarchies
Not available


User-defined ad hoc reporting
Not available


Electronic document management
(insurer can customize paperwork for
onboarding, licensing forms, etc.)
Not available


Forms and correspondence library with
basic document management
functionality
Not available


Electronic document management
(insurer can customize commission
statements)
Not available


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Support of ACORD producer forms
Not available

Source: Vendor RFI
Key: ● = 0–33%; ●● = 34–66%; ●●● = 67–100%

TECHNOLOGY
Technology options for SymbioSys are listed in Table 11.
Table 11: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System Options
CODE BASE


Features/functions/screens for everyday
business users
100% Java


Configuration and Development
100% Java

OPERATING SYSTEMS


Preferred Options
Preferred option AND in production: Windows
Preferred option NOT in production: Unix, Linux for z and
other Linux

Additional Options
N/A
INTERFACES


Internal Business User
100% browser-based (HTML)
100% browser-based (HTML with Ajax)
100% browser-based (Other Rich Internet Application): As
part of Web Based interface we are using some Rich
Internet controls for better UI controls

Configuration and Development
100% browser-based (HTML): 100% Web Based UI for
configuration
100% browser-based (Other Rich Internet Application)
Other: For Developers to customer the code, we user
Eclipse as the IDE
DATABASES


Preferred Option
Preferred option AND in production: Microsoft SQL Server
Preferred option NOT in production: Oracle, DB2/UDB

Additional Options
N/A
Source: Vendor RFI
As a part of overall architecture, SymbioSys has mobile framework based on MEAP
technology. Currently C2L BIZ Solutions has developed sales tools for agents on mobile
platform that covers Sales Collateral, Lead tracking, Sales illustration, e-App, etc.
The data model is proprietary. To extend Data Model, insurer’s technical staff can use
standard DB tools. However, this is only required at integration layer. C2L BIZ Solutions
mentioned that at the Integration layer level, they have also created extensive slots to

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cater to most requirements for life, health, and general insurance business, and hence
request for schema change is minimal. Once the data model at the integration layer is
extended and new data vocabulary for rules is created, the entire rule configuration can
be done by the business users using the Configuration UI.
SymbioSys supports multicurrency as well as multilanguage. Multilanguage/multicurrency
can be supported on a single instance.
For the largest deployment, SymbioSys is used by 25,000 users with US$155 million
premium billed annually.
IMPLEMENTATION AND COSTS
A typical implementation of SymbioSys involves a team of six to ten people. A typical split
among C2L BIZ employees and the insurer’s employees is 65:35. The average time from
project initiation to get the first line of insurance in live use is between four and six
months, with subsequent lines also taking four to six months. C2L BIZ typically does not
work with third parties for implementations, but may do so in future.
The main cost in the first year comes from initial installation and customization, which
accounts for 69% of total cost. The remainder is split between software license (24%),
annual maintenance (5%), and training (2%). C2L BIZ offers perpetual license and SaaS
model, and do not have any preferred option. C2L BIZ is willing to get into Risk - Reward
model with clearly defined responsibility and accountability. The license fee can be based
on number of functional components/modules, number of lines of business, or a flat fee.
Client references were life and annuity insurers. Deep domain knowledge, understanding
of insurance in different markets, flexible, comprehensive and futuristic solution,
commitment to outcomes, and “easy to deal with” were identified as specific strengths.
Reference feedback on implementation and service was high across the board.
Figure 2: C2L BIZ Solutions - SymbioSys - Distribution Management System: Software
Implementation and Service Rating

Source: Reference client feedback form

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For a typical single licensed insurance company with eight lines of business, producing
annual premium of US$250 million, the total cost including license, implementation, and
maintenance would be in the range of US $400,000 and $800,000, with license fees
costing around US $100,000 to $300,000. For a typical insurance holding company with
four subcompanies, writing in five countries with annual premium of US$2.5 billion, a
larger fee between US$1.5 million and $3.75 million would be charged in the first year,
with license fees costing between US$500,000 and $750,000. But all above cost is
depending on country and integration complexity. Assuming the first year is focused on
implementation of SymbioSys, the year two cost of maintenance is typically 20% of the
license fee.
SUMMARY
SymbioSys is a new solution developed in 2011 and 2012. In a short period, it already
has a live client and clients in implementation. It is a focused distribution management
solution with strong hierarchy and commissioning as well as performance management
features. Its modern technology, easy to use interface, and capability to configure all
distribution channels and their rules in a single system with configurable workflow make it
a good candidate for investigation by insurers.




















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LEVERAGING CELENT’S EXPERTISE
If you found this report valuable, you might consider engaging with Celent for custom
analysis and research. Our collective experience and the knowledge we gained while
working on this report can help you streamline the creation, refinement, or execution of
your strategies.
SUPPORT FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Typical projects we support related to distribution management include:
Vendor short listing and selection. We perform discovery specific to you and your
business to better understand your unique needs. We then create and administer a
custom RFI to selected vendors to assist you in making rapid and accurate vendor
choices.
Business practice evaluations. We spend time evaluating your business processes.
Based on our knowledge of the market, we identify potential process or technology
constraints and provide clear insights that will help you implement industry best practices.
IT and business strategy creation. We collect perspectives from your executive team,
your front line business and IT staff, and your customers. We then analyze your current
position, institutional capabilities, and technology against your goals. If necessary, we
help you reformulate your technology and business plans to address short-term and long-
term needs.
SUPPORT FOR VENDORS
We provide services that help you refine your product and service offerings.
Examples include:
Product and service strategy evaluation. We help you assess your market position in
terms of functionality, technology, and services. Our strategy workshops will help you
target the right customers and map your offerings to their needs.
Market messaging and collateral review. Based on our extensive experience with your
potential clients, we assess your marketing and sales materials—including your website
and any collateral.

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RELATED CELENT RESEARCH
Property and Casualty Insurance E-Business in Asia
November 2012
Life Insurance E-Business in Asia
September 2012
Deal Trends in Property and Casualty Policy Administration Solutions: 2012 Asia-Pacific
Edition
July 2012
2012 Asia-Pacific Insurance CIO Survey: The Year Ahead
July 2012
North American Insurance Distribution Management Systems
June 2012
Deal Trends in Life, Pensions, and Annuities Policy Administration Solutions: 2012 Asia-
Pacific Edition
May 2012
Asia-Pacific Life/Annuity Illustration Systems 2012
May 2012
Asia-Pacific Policy Administration Systems 2012: Life and Pension ABCD Vendor View
February 2012
Asia-Pacific Policy Administration Systems 2012: Property and Casualty ABCD Vendor
View
January 2012
Celent Model Insurer Asia 2012
January 2012
















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