ATLANTA and MONARCH BEACH, Calif., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Crawford &
Company (NYSE: CRDA; CRDB), the world's largest independent
provider of claims management solutions, has ranked 36th on this
year's InformationWeek 500, a list of the top technology innovators
in the United States.
This marks the third year in a row Crawford has placed on the list, the second
year it has been named in the top 100 and the highest placement for
the Company to date. In addition, the Company was named an industry
finalist in the insurance category for the first time.
The 2011 list of business technology innovators was revealed
last night at a gala awards dinner during the InformationWeek 500
Conference at the St. Regis Monarch Beach, Dana Point, Calif.
"Placing in the InformationWeek 500 for the third consecutive
year validates our commitment to innovation and our promise to
execute on our strategic plan," said Crawford President and Chief
Executive Officer Jeffrey T. Bowman.
"It shows that we are able to transform our vision to real-world
solutions that better serve our clients. We are very pleased to be
recognized once again by InformationWeek."
Crawford outlined the
development and achievements of the Company's global systems
roadmap in its InformationWeek 500 nomination. The roadmap unifies
business intelligence, social networking, business process
management and global data warehouse technologies into a standard
global enterprise portal.
Among the projects successfully executed or underway include a
global, cloud-based Enterprise 2.0 social networking program called
"Crawford Innovates," which allows employees to brainstorm
solutions to challenges. Recent campaigns featured crowdsourcing
employees for ideas for technology and process improvements for
field adjusters that led in part to increased development of
critical mobile tools for them. Crawford also is working on mobile
applications to provide to customers so they can more easily assign
claims to the Company.
"Crawford Innovates delivers ideas that are cultivated,
developed and then delivered to the marketplace," said Brian S. Flynn, Crawford's global chief information officer.
"I am proud of our employees for embracing our innovative programs
with enthusiasm and are to be credited with this award."
Other recent technology investments made by Crawford include various business intelligence
initiatives, including performance analytics with dashboard
reporting and predictive capabilities, and enhancements to key
claims and risk information management systems that serve
clients.
"For 23 years, the InformationWeek 500 has chronicled and
honored the most innovative users of business technology," said
InformationWeek Editor In Chief Rob
Preston. "In this day and age, however, being innovative
isn't enough. Companies and their IT organizations need to innovate
faster than ever before to stay a step or two ahead of their
customers, partners, and competitors. This year's ranking placed
special emphasis on those high-octane business technology
innovators."
InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most
innovative users of information technology with its annual 500
listing, and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments
and administrative practices of America's best-known companies. Top
winners have included: The Vanguard Group, CME Group, Conway,
National Semiconductor, Kimberly-Clark, Hilton Hotels and Unum. The
InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as
it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology,
rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders.
Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found
online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.
About Crawford
Based in Atlanta, Ga., Crawford
& Company (www.crawfordandcompany.com) is the world's largest
independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk
management and insurance industry as well as self-insured entities,
with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70
countries. The Crawford System of Claims Solutions(SM) offers
comprehensive, integrated claims services, business process
outsourcing and consulting services for major product lines
including property and casualty claims management, workers
compensation claims and medical management, and legal settlement
administration. The Company's shares are traded on the NYSE under
the symbols CRDA and CRDB.
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SOURCE Crawford & Company