The edgeConnect technology will replace the existing Allianz Quick Quote on-line facility with a more modern and dynamic user experience, allowing Allianz to provide a wider range of products with broker specific information and branding, with the goal of making their new portal the site of choice for brokers. This development will also facilitate the continued development of Allianz products on the imarket portal.

Within its overall goal of reducing IT complexity and increasing efficiency, edgeConnect will compliment Allianz's existing IT infrastructure to gain a greater level of flexibility in its ability to roll out and customise new products. Using edgeConnect, Allianz will be able to deliver services to the end-user faster and in a more intuitive, customised fashion, improving the overall customer experience and leading to greater volumes of transactions being completed via existing and emerging channels.

In addition the platform allows Allianz to create tailored, white-label presentations for individual broker organisations, further enhancing the user experience and the insurer to form stronger channel relationships.

"Our online presence is absolutely vital to the way in which we are viewed as a business by customers, partners and investors, so it is critical that the online tools we make available today are customer centric and sustainable over the longer term. The stability of Allianz Group coupled with the development of new technologies creates an exciting and robust proposition for our customers and reaffirms our commitment to be a Trusted Partner.," said Chris Hanks, General Manager Commercial Lines, Allianz. "edge IPK has provided us with a powerful solution that integrates with our existing IT development strategy, which is easy to manage alongside our IT infrastructure and will support our flexible platform for both internal and external usage, systems integration in this manner is key to our continual improvement strategy.

The SME insurinsurance lines that are affected by the move include retail, office, contractors, property and flat owners, and commercial combined.

"edgeConnect is a multi-faceted platform that can not only provide insurers with the ability to better serve their various channels, but also acts as a launch pad from which new products and services can very easily be rolled out," commented Mike Williams, CEO, edge IPK. "Allianz is a prime example of an industry leader that wants to remain at the forefront of the market from both a technological and service perspective and we're looking forward to developing our relationship further with them in the future."