IT Support for Insurance Brokers and Advisers
Exodesk provides IT support for insurance brokers and advice firms. We support the agreed devices, Microsoft 365, networks and business systems your team uses to work with client information, policy records and renewal tasks.
Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams scope the service around your staff, offices, software and existing suppliers. The work can include secure access, backup and recovery, joiners and leavers, and coordination with your broker management or advice platform provider.
Tell us about your firm, your offices and the systems you use
What does IT support for insurance brokers cover?
IT support for insurance brokers covers the agreed technology a broking or advice firm runs on: users and devices, Microsoft 365, secure access, networks, backup and recovery, and coordination with the suppliers of your broker management system or advice platform.
We agree support hours, escalation and project work before you commit. Your firm remains responsible for financial advice, policy servicing, money handling and regulatory decisions. Exodesk supports the technology and the controls your firm has approved.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide. Insurance brokers are the main audience for this service, and risk, life and health advice firms share much of the same ground. Our guide for professional services firms covers the wider confidentiality and security picture.
Support for the people and systems in your firm
IT support for insurance brokers starts with a list of the supported users, offices, devices and systems, with ongoing support kept separate from project work.
Users and devices
Laptops, desktops and accounts for advisers, account managers and administrators, with managed updates.
Email and files
Microsoft 365 administration, access controls and secure sharing for client documents.
Supplier liaison
Coordination with your broker management system, advice platform and accounting software suppliers.
Secure sign-in
Individual sign-ins, MFA and managed devices for staff in the office, at home or with clients.
Backup and restore checks
Backup coverage for agreed systems, with restore checks and an agreed continuity test.
Joiners and leavers
Access set up and removed at agreed times, with records preserved and handed over.
We agree the first contact, coverage hours, priority handling, onsite arrangements and escalation when an insurer portal or group platform is unavailable. The boundary between Exodesk, your platform vendor, adviser group, insurers and bank is written down, and we confirm the product and version before taking on support for a named system. Our managed IT services explain the wider support model behind IT support for insurance brokers.
Renewal alerts that match the work
IT support for insurance brokers includes the systems behind the renewal workflow: reliable policy dates, assigned tasks, warning dates before expiry, timely alerts with named escalation and cover when work is overdue or needs intervention, and a weekly summary of pending and overdue work for management.
Lead times come from your book, insurer terms and servicing agreements, not a universal rule. Annual general insurance renewals and life policy reviews are different workflows, and each needs status meanings that everyone uses the same way.
A renewal ends with a final outcome: renewed, replaced, cancelled or not renewed. Awaiting insurer and client deciding are pending statuses, not outcomes, so pending items keep an owner, a next action date and escalation until a final outcome is confirmed. Automation flags the exceptions; an authorised adviser decides the action.
Our IT support for insurance brokers covers the agreed renewal tools and coordination with your platform supplier. New workflow configuration, automation, data cleansing and integration changes are scoped separately unless included in your agreement. Reminders cannot fix missing or incorrect policy data, so the firm remains responsible for the accuracy of its policy records.
Client records when an adviser leaves
A client book can involve contractual rights, commission arrangements, goodwill, information and the client’s own choice of adviser. Where a record is stored affects access, but it does not alone decide ownership, the right to use it or the right to copy it on departure.
Agree who controls and may use client and policy records under the firm’s contracts and privacy obligations. IT support for insurance brokers keeps the records the business needs in approved systems, with authorised access and a documented handover. Have a legal adviser resolve any disputed book, restraint or commission rights.
- Resignation check. Pick a representative adviser and test what an authorised colleague could take over today, then fix the gaps
- Access cutoff. An agreed cutoff time that removes platform, insurer, email and file access while preserving the records the firm needs
- Connected access. Sessions, delegated mailboxes, connected applications, devices and shared links included in the leaver steps
- Data disclosures. A lawful basis for any disclosure under principle 11, and the IPP3A notification duty assessed where a book transfer involves indirect collection
Account removal depends on account authority and supplier action, so a same-day outcome is a service commitment we agree with you rather than an assumption.
Records that can be retained and retrieved
Where the full FAP licence conditions apply to regulated financial advice provided to retail clients, the FMA record keeping guidance requires records to be kept for at least seven years from the latest applicable date: when the record is made, when the related advice is given, when a later record referring to or relying on its information is made, and when the life of the related financial advice product concludes.
Records must be readily available to the financial advice provider, within ten working days or another period agreed by the FMA when requested, and available for FMA inspection at reasonable times. That is not a universal deadline for every insurer, auditor or client enquiry. The compliance lead approves retention rules, holds and disposal; IT support for insurance brokers implements the agreed triggers and checks that migrated or archived records remain usable.
Requirements depend on your firm’s activities and whether it holds a FAP licence or operates under another provider’s licence. Where the firm is a reporting entity and the trigger applies, section 50 of the AML/CFT Act requires identity records to be kept for at least five years after the business relationship ends. FAP status and adviser registration do not alone settle AML/CFT coverage, so confirm your activities and record types with your compliance adviser.
A useful retrieval test identifies the client, the advice, the relevant dates, the supporting material and the authorised recipient. Identity records can be securely linked to a client without being copied into every policy file. A general approach is covered in our guide to a data retention policy.
Protect client information and plan for incidents
IT support for insurance brokers puts reasonable protection of client information into practice. The Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services requires that protection but does not prescribe a software brand, and life and health records can hold sensitive information, so access follows the role rather than giving everyone sight of every file.
- Access. Individual sign-ins, suitable MFA, role-based permissions, supervised cover and authorised reassignment
- Devices and sharing. Managed devices, secure sharing, logging and recovery for the systems in scope
- Backup. Microsoft 365 backed up under our backup as a service, with protection for the BMS, CRM, attachments and integrations confirmed separately
- FMA notification. Where the full FAP conditions apply, notice to the FMA within ten working days of discovering an event that materially affects the information security of critical technology systems
- Privacy breaches. A separate test: a breach causing or likely to cause serious harm is notified as soon as practicable, subject to the exceptions
- Roles. A named incident lead, privacy decision-maker, technical response and supplier contacts agreed in advance
The FMA notice period is not permission to delay containment, and outsourcing IT does not transfer the duties of the licence holder. Corporate clients and insurers also ask about security, and our guide to answering a client security questionnaire covers how to respond.
Broker money, accounting and the BMS
For a business within the Insurance Intermediaries Act 1994 definition of a broker, section 14 requires an insurance broking client account and the deposit of certain premium and claim money into it. Not every advice firm receives premiums or runs the same account arrangement.
IT support for insurance brokers starts by recording the actual flow: who receives the premium, any insurer agency arrangement, who holds the funds and who reconciles them. The business and its finance and compliance leads approve that process, and Exodesk supports the agreed systems and integrations.
The accounting system can stay authoritative for financial postings while the broker management system holds policy and servicing data. Agree ownership by record type, common identifiers, reconciliation rules and how exceptions are handled. Practices with similar finance systems are covered on our accounting IT support page.
The Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 takes effect on 15 November 2027, and the current rules apply until then.
Software exits and migrations
Software migration is project work, scoped and quoted separately from ongoing IT support for insurance brokers. Check usable exports before a change or a supplier problem forces one.
- Sample export. Client and policy identifiers, advice history, notes, documents, dates, audit information where required and the links between records
- Transfer method. Supported exports, APIs, bulk document transfers or vendor services, tested before any outcome is promised
- Parallel checks. Representative cases, reconciliation and a defined period of checking where justified, with cutover, rollback and acceptance agreed
- Retained records. A supported archive, readable export or agreed legacy access, with retrieval and restore tested
- Supplier exit. Exit terms agreed with the supplier, plus protected periodic exports, because a contract cannot secure delivery after insolvency
What affects the cost?
The cost of IT support for insurance brokers depends on users, offices, systems, security, backup and the support coverage required. We separate recurring support from subscriptions, backup, integrations and migration, and confirm inclusions, exclusions and GST treatment before work starts.
- Ongoing support. Users, devices, offices and coverage hours
- Software and licences. Platform subscriptions and Microsoft 365 licences, billed by the supplier or as agreed
- Backup and integrations. Backup for agreed systems and support for existing integrations
- Migration. Software migration, quoted separately with supplier charges shown
We start by mapping your users, systems and suppliers, agreeing the scope in writing, then checking access, backup and a representative client file before any project is planned.
Insurance broker IT support questions
What IT support can Exodesk provide to a broking or advice firm?
We scope support for agreed devices, Microsoft 365, networks, secure access, backup and business systems, with supplier coordination. Your firm remains responsible for advice, policy servicing, money handling and compliance decisions.
Who controls a client book when an adviser leaves?
It depends on the contractual arrangements and permitted use of the information. Record custody alone does not decide the rights. Agree authorised handover, client communication and access removal, and obtain legal advice on disputed rights.
How long should financial advice records be retained?
Where full FAP licence conditions apply, retain adequate records for at least seven years from the latest applicable date: record creation, related advice, a later record referring to or relying on the information, or the conclusion of the related product. AML/CFT and other records have separate rules. Your compliance lead approves the schedule.
When should a small broker consider a broker management system?
Assess policy volume, servicing complexity, money handling, controls and existing tools. A specialist platform can help, but headcount alone does not determine the need. Compare the functions, implementation effort and support required.
Are spreadsheets and email enough for a broking firm?
The test is whether the process reliably captures, protects, retrieves and hands over complete records. Check renewal ownership, access, change history and continuity. Software choice alone does not demonstrate compliance or prevent omissions.
How can we prepare for a software supplier closing down?
Confirm exit arrangements and test usable exports before a crisis. Include attachments and record links, retrieval tools, timing and costs. Consider protected periodic exports or other continuity arrangements, because a contract cannot secure delivery after insolvency.
Which records belong in the BMS and which in accounting software?
Agree the authoritative source for each record type. Policy and servicing data can sit in the BMS, while financial postings sit in accounting. Use common identifiers, controlled integrations and reconciliation rather than conflicting manual updates.
What should we prioritise first?
Identify the largest current risks in client records, renewals, access and recovery. Test whether an authorised colleague can take over a representative client file. Scope improvements from the findings rather than buying a new system automatically.
How can we reduce missed renewals?
Use reliable policy dates, assigned tasks, early warnings and timely escalation for unresolved work. Add a management exception review and absence cover. The firm defines servicing responsibilities and confirms the outcome, and an automated reminder does not itself renew cover.
Can Exodesk provide IT support for insurance brokers outside Christchurch and Dunedin?
Yes. Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide. Confirm remote and onsite coverage, supported systems, hours and supplier responsibilities when the service is scoped.
What should a firm confirm with a software vendor before signing?
Check security, support, backup and recovery responsibilities, integrations and usable data exports. Confirm documents, notes and record relationships are included, with costs, timing and post-exit handling. Test an example export where possible.
Discuss your insurance firm IT support
Tell us how many people work in the firm, which offices and systems you use and who supports them today. We will suggest a scope for IT support for insurance brokers that fits your firm, and the next step. Please leave passwords and client details out of the enquiry.
Talk to us about your firm
Tell us about your firm, your offices and the systems you rely on, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941