Insurance Business · 7 Oct, 08:59 · Business briefing

The build versus buy decision UK insurers are getting wrong

UK insurance firms are increasingly mismanaging their build versus buy technology decisions, often opting for custom internal development over proven commercial solutions.

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The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

UK insurance firms are increasingly mismanaging their build versus buy technology decisions, often opting for custom internal development over proven commercial solutions. This trend leads to inflated costs, delayed product launches, and heightened operational risks. The report highlights a systemic failure to objectively assess market-ready alternatives, resulting in redundant engineering efforts and missed strategic opportunities. As the sector faces intense pressure to modernise, this misalignment threatens competitive agility and profitability, urging leaders to re-evaluate their technology procurement strategies with greater rigour and market awareness.

Employer demand for AI in Insurance skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)
20191x20201.2x20211.7x20222.4x20233.5x20245.1x20257.3x20269.9x
Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This shift demands that you sharpen your ability to evaluate commercial software against internal development capabilities. Professionals in technology strategy and product management must master vendor assessment and integration planning. If you work in insurance or adjacent sectors, focus on understanding the total cost of ownership for external solutions. Develop skills in digital transformation governance to advise leadership on balanced technology portfolios. Smart professionals will upskill in strategic procurement and agile delivery methods, ensuring they can bridge the gap between business requirements and technical execution. Prioritise courses that enhance your decision-making frameworks for technology investments, positioning you as a critical advisor in high-stakes infrastructure debates.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are AI in Insurance, Project Management, Risk Management Strategies and Business And Management — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below
AI in Insurance+29%Project Management+26%Risk Management Strate…+33%Business And Management+34%

This briefing is based on reporting by Insurance Business on 7 Oct, 08:59. Read the original coverage →

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