Author Sophie Malone, Chief Commercial Officer, Zinc Systems
For years, insurers have operated around a familiar rhythm: a claim occurs, a policy responds, and the insurer puts things right. It’s a model that has served the industry well for decades. But today, that rhythm is being disrupted. The world insurers operate in has become more volatile, more interconnected and more unforgiving of downtime.
In this environment, the greatest value insurers can offer is not simply to put things right after an incident but to help ensure the incident never becomes a loss in the first place.
This shift is redefining the very nature of insurance. The industry is shifting from a response mindset to a resilience mindset. And at the centre of this shift sits Incident Management Systems(IMS) – platforms that connect detection, response coordination and post-incident learning.
Why resilience is now a board-level issue priority
The UK property and commercial landscape demand for resilience is accelerating. Workers increasingly expect safe, well-managed environments; more than 70% say workplace safety is a key factor in their satisfaction. Commercial tenants now rank resilience among their topconsiderations when choosing space, with over 65% citing it as a priority.
At the same time, rising incident costs are putting real pressure on insurers and insureds alike.Escape of Water (EoW) alone now costs the UK insurance market between £1.8 million and £2.5 million per day, with the average incident at around £9,500 and rising. For large commercial buildings, a single event can easily exceed £1 million.
It is no longer possible to view resilience as a luxury or a specialist add-on. Market expectations, financial demands and regulatory scrutiny have made it fundamental.