5 Things Insurers Should Expect from Their SaaS Provider

In today’s complex investment landscape, insurance companies face mounting pressures to manage growing portfolios, increasing regulatory scrutiny and operational complexity across asset classes. A secure, purpose-built Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform isn’t just a convenience, it’s a mission-critical tool. But not all SaaS providers are created equal.

Whether you're evaluating platforms for the first time or reassessing your current vendor, here are five essential capabilities insurers should demand from their SaaS provider.

1. Direct, Managed Connectivity Across the Entire Ecosystem

Your SaaS provider should offer pre-integrated, actively managed connections to custodians, asset managers, data vendors, general ledger systems, regulatory software and more.

This goes far beyond APIs or SFTP scripts. Look for:

• • Automated ingestion and normalization of transaction, position and pricing data
  • Plug-and-play onboarding of new data sources with minimal IT involvement
  • Ongoing schema maintenance and support for changes in third-party formats

SS&C Singularity, for example, supports hundreds of prebuilt integrations, ensuring that data flows are seamless, accurate and real-time, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual reconciliation.

2. Comprehensive Automation for Every Asset Class, Including Complex & Private Assets

Insurers deal with increasingly diverse portfolios. A modern SaaS platform must handle more than just equities and bonds.

Expect automation for:

• • Trade capture and event processing across derivatives, private equity, bank loans, real estate and alternatives
  • Security data maintenance and corporate actions across jurisdictions and instruments
  • Multi-basis, multi-currency accounting, including GAAP, STAT and Tax treatments

This level of automation ensures faster close cycles, reduced operational risk and greater scalability as new asset classes emerge or expand.

3. Built-In Reconciliation, Exceptions Management & Compliance Tooling

A best-in-class SaaS platform doesn’t treat reconciliation or compliance as add-ons.

Choose a platform with:

• • Native three-way reconciliation (custodian, asset manager, internal records)
  • Automated exception flagging and workflow remediation tools
  • Configurable compliance rules and post-trade monitoring for insurer-specific mandates

These embedded capabilities reduce audit headaches and improve governance by shifting from reactive to proactive oversight. Real-time risk alerts and violation tracking ensure you're never caught off guard.

4. Secure, Real-Time Data Access & Analytics on Demand

SaaS should empower—not restrict—your teams. The best providers deliver secure, 24/7 access to all investment data via desktop and mobile, with:

• • Live dashboards, ad hoc queries and real-time reporting
  • Role-based access controls and detailed audit trails
  • Stress testing, scenario modeling and performance attribution tools

Insurers can make faster decisions during volatile markets or regulatory events, supported by transparent data pipelines and actionable intelligence.

5. Optional Expert Services for Operational and Regulatory Flexibility

Even the best platform can’t solve every problem alone. Look for a SaaS provider that backs its technology with optional outsourcing services delivered by insurance domain specialists.

This includes:

• • Daily investment accounting and reconciliation
  • NAIC statutory reporting and tax analytics
  • Support for impairments, risk-based capital and audit reviews
  • Flexible service tiers, from full outsourcing to targeted support

SS&C’s dedicated teams offer industry-specific expertise that can scale up during critical periods, like quarter-end closes or new regulation rollouts, without adding internal headcount.

Final Thoughts

In an era of surging data volumes, evolving regulation and heightened risk, insurers can’t afford to settle for generic technology solutions. A modern SaaS provider should be more than a software vendor—they should be an operational partner.

Expect more:

• Intelligent automation
• End-to-end data integration
• Insurance-native analytics and controls
• Always-on, secure access
• And a dedicated team ready to help when complexity spikes

If your current system doesn’t check all five boxes, it may be time to explore a purpose-built platform like SS&C Singularity.