INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCIES
Be ready when a carrier, auditor, or examiner says: “Show me.”
Reviewers can’t grade effort—only documented proof. Borealis builds and runs a cyber governance program for independent agencies (10–49 employees).
We keep evidence current in Aurora Command (the compliance portal). Carrier renewals stay on track. Department of Insurance (DOI) exams stay calm. Prevent last-minute diligence gaps that stall a sale.
Answer “show me” in minutes, not weeks.
Confidential • Based on carrier + Department of Insurance questionnaires • Takes ~2 minutes to schedule • No obligation
Built for insurance reality - not generic compliance
- Built around carrier questionnaires and insurance data security expectations
- Works alongside your MSP (managed service provider) - we don’t replace your helpdesk, tools, or ticketing
- Evidence-first: every requirement is mapped to proof, assigned an owner, and exportable on demand
- Built for the moments that matter: renewals, DOI exams, M&A diligence
Remote-friendly kickoff. Low disruption for staff.
Good fit if:
- You regularly receive carrier cyber questionnaires and need answers you can defend
- You have an MSP, but governance ownership is unclear
- You want renewals/exams to feel calm and controlled
Not a fit if:
- You want a provider to replace your MSP/helpdesk or run day-to-day IT operations
- You want “templates only” without operating a living program
Your MSP runs IT. Governance and evidence are a different job.
Security tools reduce risk. Governance is what turns that work into defensible proof. Most agencies don’t struggle because controls are missing. They struggle because ownership, decisions, and evidence aren’t documented consistently enough to stand up to scrutiny.
The Analogy
Operational IT and governance serve different purposes. Your MSP executes controls. Borealis operates the governance layer that makes those controls defensible - ownership, decisions, and evidence you can produce on demand.
The Shift
Carriers and regulators increasingly treat agencies more like regulated service providers. That requires named responsibility, cadence, documented decisions, and an evidence trail.
Why agencies are getting squeezed (and what reviewers now expect)
Regulators set the baseline. Carriers bake it into agreements. Cyber insurance checks the same boxes. The pressure converges on one place: your agency.
Here’s where it hits first:
Carrier renewals
If proof can’t be produced quickly, renewals slow down, conditions increase, and timelines tighten - right when you can’t afford delays.
DOI exams
When someone asks for documentation, you don’t want to build a defensible story under pressure. You want a system that’s been quietly maintained all year.
M&A Diligence
Reduce diligence surprises buyers use to slow or re-price deals. Clean governance reduces uncertainty.
How we got here
What used to be “guidance” is now enforced through contracts, audits, and eligibility rules.
Timeline of Regulatory Escalation: From Guidelines to Mandates
Key Milestones (2017–2024)
- Regulation
- Breach / Enforcement
- Industry Standard
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2017NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law (#668)
NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) adopts the Insurance Data Security Model Law. It establishes a governance and evidence baseline that many states apply to insurance licensees, including agents.
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March 1, 2017NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500 Enacted
The New York Department of Financial Services established cybersecurity requirements for financial services companies. Covered entities include insurance agencies and partnerships operating under licensure.
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April 2020NYDFS Amendment Tightens Governance Expectations
Part 500 was amended to tighten expectations for governance, documentation, and reporting.
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2021Travelers Agent Portal Exposure
Travelers agent-portal exposure becomes a case study for examiners. They look for credential misuse, missing multi-factor authentication, and delayed detection.
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November 1, 2023NYDFS Stricter Amendments Take Effect
Amended regulations went into effect. They reflect a landscape where cyberattacks are “easier to perpetrate” and “more expensive to remediate.”
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2024NYDFS Enforcement Actions Reinforce Documentation Expectations
NYDFS enforcement actions against GEICO and Travelers reinforce the expectation of strong documentation. Regulators penalize weak programs, not only “the breach itself.”
The questions you’ll get asked
The Agency Governance Program
We build a repeatable operating system for governance, and keep it alive month to month. Your program stays current through a defined cadence of reviews, updates, and evidence collection.
Program Spine
- Written Information Security Program (WISP) - tailored to how your agency actually operates
- Governance structure: roles, approvals, documented responsibility
- Policy set written to survive real scrutiny - not templates
Risk System
- Risk assessment (annual, and updated after material changes)
- Risk register with owners, due dates, and status
- Remediation roadmap prioritized for your MSP (no busywork)
Incident & Resilience
- Incident Response Plan with playbooks
- Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCP/DR) expectations, including recovery objectives (RTO/RPO)
- Notification readiness for fast windows (no panic math)
People & Vendors
- Access governance (MFA, joiner/mover/leaver, access reviews)
- Vendor inventory, minimum requirements, and review cadence
- Security awareness completion evidence
Can you produce evidence on demand?
Every control is mapped to proof. Every proof has an owner. Evidence is collected continuously - not assembled in a panic.
Everything is tracked in Aurora Command.
Aurora Command is your system of record for governance—tasks, decisions, and evidence in one place. You don’t hope you can answer the request. You open the dashboard, see what’s due, and export what’s needed—cleanly.
- See what’s due before renewal season
- Assign owners so it doesn’t live in your head
- Export an Exam Binder package built for auditors
SYSTEM OF RECORD
No more spreadsheet chaos.
Borealis is the managed governance service. Aurora Command is the compliance portal that keeps your policies and evidence current. If you prefer to run the program in-house, Aurora Command can also be used self‑serve.
Nationwide Baseline and State Overlays
Aurora Command is built around NAIC-style insurance governance requirements (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). Your core program aligns to the NAIC model-law baseline (often referenced as “668”): WISP (your written program), risk assessment (your documented evaluation), vendor oversight, incident readiness, and evidence. State overlays are added as states adopt them, so you build once, operate once, and export to match the request. Examples include Alaska and South Carolina.