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The choice of insurance software determines how future-proof you are as an insurer or proxy. Anva has been an established name in the Dutch market for decades and offers a stable and proven package for policy administration and claims processes. Novulo is a modern, composable insurance platform that focuses on flexibility and speed. In this article, we'll put both solutions side by side, so you can determine which solution best suits your organization's strategy and digital maturity.
The insurance market is digitizing at a rapid pace. Customers expect a smooth online experience, while internal processes must remain scalable and efficient. The software your organization runs on is therefore not just a tool, it is the backbone of your business operations.
Both Anva and Novulo support the core processes of insurers, intermediaries and proxies, but the way in which they do so varies considerably. While Anva builds on decades of experience and offers a lot of freedom in design, Novulo opts for a modern approach with composable technology and cloud-native solutions.
Here lies the crux of the difference: ANVA is a software package, built on decades of experience and configuration freedom. Novulo is a modern insurance platform, designed for speed, flexibility, and continuous innovation.
This table shows the main differences:
Anva and Novulo both play an important role in the insurance market, but they have a very different background and development history. Below is a brief summary of both platforms.
Chances are that you Anva knows. This company was founded in 1975 and has been supporting insurers, agents and intermediaries for decades. The package is known for its broad functionality and high level of configuration.
However, this freedom also has its drawbacks: many implementations are uniquely designed, making migration and standardization difficult. In addition, Anva largely runs on legacy technology and the transition to the cloud is still under development. Because Anva 6 has a new technology base, users must migrate their entire environment when moving from version 4/5 to 6.
Novulo is a composable platform, designed with flexibility and speed as a starting point. No custom projects or fixed modules, but an environment where you put together your own processes with thousands of proven components. This ensures consistency, agility and a short time-to-market. The platform is fully cloud-ready and is used by both innovative newcomers and established insurers such as Nh1816 and Markel.
Although both solutions support the same basic processes, they differ in approach and technology. Below you can read what that means in practice for each theme.
Anva: supports the most important core processes, such as policy administration, claims treatment and prolongation. Thanks to the extensive configuration options, organizations can accurately tailor their processes to their specific needs, allowing customization and flexibility. Additional functionalities, such as online closure (AWI) or document formatting (PlanetPress), sometimes require separate modules or external applications, which can make management more complex.
Novulo: brings front, mid and back office processes together on one platform. All functions are available in a modular way, so you can set up both standard processes and specific processes without separate packages or customization. This makes it easier to digitize end-to-end and work consistently.
Anva: offers a lot of freedom in setting up products, screens and labels. Each interior is unique, which can be a disadvantage, because, as an organization, you are quickly dependent on specific employees or consultants when migrating. On the other hand, this also gives you the opportunity to completely design processes in your own way.
Novulo: works according to a composable approach. Insurers, proxies and intermediaries can assemble applications themselves with ready-made components, which are easy to configure without customization. Thanks to this standardized basis, they can remain flexible and expand faster without migrations.
In addition, an active ecosystem of customers, partners and Novulo provides new functionalities and components every day: a real form of community-driven development. This way, the platform continues to innovate and you can move with you, without being dependent on a supplier.
Anva: has links with various systems. Good to know: the technology ranges from older interfaces to more modern integrations. This can lead to inconsistencies and higher management costs, especially when dealing with a complex IT landscape.
Novulo: Novulo is API-first and designed for seamless connections with other systems. Thanks to the open data model and a large library of ready-to-use APIs, you can immediately take integrations “off the shelf” and get them up and running quickly. The open ecosystem of partners and developers also continuously provides new links and components, so you can always expand and innovate.
Anva: Anva's interface can vary considerably from one device to another. Due to the lack of standardized workflows, employees sometimes experience the system as less intuitive, which can lead to longer training times and a greater dependence on documentation or key users.
Novulo: Novulo offers a modern and consistent user interface based on best-practice workflows. Standard processes are immediately available for proxies, intermediaries and insurers, which shortens the learning curve and increases employee adoption.
At the same time, you can create and configure your own workflows entirely by yourself. In addition, you can always test the performance of your application, so that you can make targeted optimizations and continuously improve processes.
Anva: has been working on the further development towards Anva 6 for years, so that many organizations are still running on older versions. At the same time, the package has proven its reliability and continuity in practice for decades. New initiatives, such as the Anva Hub, offer additional opportunities, but the dependence on legacy systems remains high. In addition, it is still unclear when Anva 6 will be fully available, exactly what functionality it offers and at what price.
Novulo: offers a complete insurance solution for insurer, proxy and intermediary. With ready-to-use components, best practices, configurations, and data sets — right off the shelf. You can adapt and expand this basis as you wish, without development processes. In addition, you have the choice: develop it yourself, co-create it or purchase the solution as a SaaS via partners.
Through the ecosystem, you can also work with industry peers on a joint roadmap. This way, you combine a ready-made basis with full control over further development; the ecosystem continuously innovates and determines priorities together with you.
Anva: uses a pricing model per policy, so that costs increase immediately as the portfolio grows. Additional applications or custom settings can also lead to unexpected management and maintenance costs.
Novulo: works with a SaaS model per user, so costs are predictable and do not depend on the size of the portfolio. Because less customization and separate applications are required, the costs remain clear and easy to plan.
Anva: organizations often depend on the specific knowledge of employees or consultants, because each interior is unique. This can be challenging when it comes to further development or resolving incidents. The support is reliable, but strongly linked to the existing setup.
Novulo: offers support through a so-called ecosystem of partners and consultants who work on the same platform. As a result, knowledge and best practice are widely available. In addition, the platform provides proven standards that help organizations go live faster and develop more easily.
Based on the differences discussed, it becomes clear that the two insurance solutions differ significantly. Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses. So it's time to compare the pros and cons.
Anva is a trusted platform that is widely used in the market, but faces technological legacies. Novulo is modern and flexible, but requires an organization that is ready to redesign processes. The most important advantages and disadvantages are summarized below:
Anva benefits
Disadvantages of Anva
Benefits of Novulo
Disadvantages of Novulo
The choice between Anva and Novulo comes down to tradition versus future. Where Anva offers stability and familiarity, Novulo gives organizations control, flexibility and speed in a rapidly changing market. Insurers who want to benefit from more digital flexibility therefore often choose Novulo.
It is therefore not surprising that parties such as Nh 1816 and Du Gardijn recently switched from Anva to Novulo. Curious about what the insurance platform looks like in practice? Book a personalized demo, we'd love to show it to you!
We have listed some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers. Is your question not listed? Then get in touch, we'll be happy to answer it!
Anva is a traditional insurance package with many configuration options, but based on legacy technology. Novulo is a modern composable platform that brings processes together and innovates faster.
Yes, Novulo is already being used by established insurers and offers a future-proof alternative to Anva.
If your organization is facing limits of flexibility, innovation or costs, switching to Novulo can be valuable.
Define your strategy and digital ambitions. If you want stability and familiar structures, Anva is an option. If you want control, flexibility and speed, Novulo is a better fit.
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