Big data isn’t the future. It’s the present. And life re/insurers are making it a priority, using data-driven approaches to improve underwriting results and reduce the number of questions and invasive medical tests required in the application process. All of this was inconceivable just a few years ago. Major factors driving this innovation are: A desire to lead in technology and skills adoption; Steadily increasing computing power; Dedicated business analytics tied to data science algorithms, which are largely new to the industry. These factors are putting the insurance industry at the forefront of sophisticated analytics on a scale that was previously out of reach.