Insurance Web services integrator Vinsurance to implement SOAP, WSDL, UDDI and XML Schema standards.

Redondo Beach, CA - January 22, 2002 - Web services integrator Vinsurance unveiled earlier this week its technology-standards. Not surprisingly, the integrator plans to implement the SOAP message transport layer and the W3C's Web Service Description Language (WSDL) standards. "We needed to plant a stake in the ground, in terms of what standards we're going to use." Insurance suppliers and software providers have been asking Vinsurance to make a formal announcement, so that they can feel more comfortable making critical business decisions on applications that also use these standards.

A message transport layer (SOAP) is basically an envelope that carries a message over the Internet and delivers it to the right place, as well as provides information about the sender. The web service description language layer (WSDL) carries the message metadata and implementation, including ability to validate data types against XML Schemas. Vinsurance chose SOAP and WSDL because of its modular and extensible framework -- that is, certain service providers can adopt specific modules of WSDL. Also, SOAP and WSDL's flexibility and worldwide acceptance made it the logical choice.

Vinsurance will manage the adoption of SOAP, WSDL, UDDI and XML Schema by organizing a federation of user-centric insurance portals built upon those global standards. Details about the federation will be announced next month. Vinsurance is expected to address how federated operators and providers can build both patterns and components that are reusable and resalable in the predicted new economy of Web Services.

Vinsurance is currently using the Web Service Description Language (WSDL) specification -- or the letter that fits in the envelope -- developed by standards body W3C. According to Vinsurance, the federation will use this "off-the-shelf" XML standard but recognizes the need to develop industry-wide XML standards focused solely on the insurance industry. Consequently, Vinsurance is reaching out to insurance companies and industry associations from around the world, such as, advisory organizations, software providers and others and asking them to participate in the development of a federation of XML Web services.