Key takeaways
- I support the environment your agency management system runs in: workstations, network, browsers, printers, logins, backups and the connection to the vendor's cloud. The vendor supports the software itself, and I work the ticket with them.
- Most Applied Epic, AMS360, HawkSoft and EZLynx problems in a small agency are not software bugs; they are browser settings, plugins, slow workstations, printing and single sign-on issues.
- Carrier portals are the other half of an agent's day, and they break in their own ways: pop-up blockers, outdated components and password chaos.
- A hosted agency system still leaves you responsible for backups of everything outside it, especially email and downloaded policy documents.
- Dealing with me directly, as the person who knows your agency and your system, means you stop explaining what Epic is every time you call.
Who supports Applied Epic or AMS360 for a Dallas insurance agency?
I do, in the sense that matters day to day. I am Anthony Omini, owner of Cross River Tech, a small managed IT company in Dallas, and the person you deal with when you call. I support independent insurance agencies whose whole operation runs through an agency management system: Applied Epic, Vertafore AMS360, HawkSoft, EZLynx and similar. I keep the computers, network, browsers, printers, logins and backups that the system depends on working, and when the problem is inside the software itself, I open the ticket with the vendor and stay on the call so your producers do not have to.
It is worth being precise about that boundary, because it is where agencies get let down. Applied and Vertafore support their software. They do not support your Windows updates, your browser, your scanner, your firewall or the laptop your account manager uses from home. A generic IT company supports those things but has never heard of a download-and-apply from a carrier. What an agency needs is someone who does the IT and understands enough about the system to know what "Epic is slow after the update" is likely to mean. That is the gap I fill.
This article covers what supporting an agency management system involves, the problems I see most, the carrier-portal headaches, why the system feels slow, how backups work when the system is hosted, and how staff changes should be handled. The overall picture of how I work with agencies is on the insurance agency IT support page.
What does supporting an agency management system actually involve?
Most agencies today run their system hosted by the vendor or in the vendor's cloud, with a few still on an onsite server. Either way, the system touches almost every piece of technology in the office. Supporting it means supporting all of those pieces:
- Workstations. Enough memory and a solid-state drive, the right browser version, the vendor's required components installed and kept current, and no consumer junk slowing the machine down.
- Logins and single sign-on. Agency systems increasingly tie into Microsoft 365 for sign-in. When that link breaks, nobody can get in, and the fix is on the Microsoft side, which is my side.
- Email integration. Epic and AMS360 attach emails to client records through Outlook. That add-in breaks with Outlook updates more often than anyone would like, and re-seating it is a regular task.
- Printing and scanning. Policy documents, ID cards, proof-of-insurance forms and applications all have to print and scan reliably, into the right folder, in the right format.
- Network and internet. A hosted system is only as fast as the connection to it. Firewall settings, bandwidth and failover all matter.
- Remote access. Producers work from home, from client sites and from their cars. The system has to work securely from a laptop with multi-factor authentication, not from a shared password on a sticky note.
- Backups. Of everything outside the hosted system, covered below.
- Vendor liaison. When the system itself misbehaves, I gather the evidence, open the ticket, and translate between the vendor and your office manager.
None of this requires me to be a Vertafore or Applied employee. It requires knowing your office and the system well enough to tell which of these layers is the problem, quickly.
The problems I fix most often in Dallas agencies
Every agency is different, but the calls are not. Here are the ones that come up again and again, and what is usually behind them:
| What the agent says | What it usually is | What I do |
|---|---|---|
| "Epic is slow since this morning" | Browser update, a new extension, or a workstation that is out of memory with forty tabs open | Check the browser and the machine first, the connection second, and call Applied only if both are clean |
| "AMS360 keeps logging me out" | Single sign-on token or browser cookie settings, often after a Microsoft 365 change | Fix the sign-in link and the browser policy, then confirm on every machine |
| "The Outlook button disappeared" | The email add-in was disabled by an Outlook update or antivirus | Re-enable it, and set it to stay enabled through updates |
| "Documents will not attach" | Scanner saving to the wrong place, file too large, or a permissions problem on the shared folder | Fix the scan profile and folder rights |
| "HawkSoft cannot see the shared data" | Onsite installs depend on a file share; the server or the network path changed | Restore the path, check the server, put monitoring on it |
| "EZLynx rater will not load a carrier" | Pop-up blocker, an old browser component, or the carrier's side | Sort the browser, test from another machine, then confirm whether it is the carrier |
| "It works in the office but not at home" | Home laptop missing a component, or a firewall rule on the home router | Standardize the laptop build and set up secure remote access |
| "Printing takes forever" | Print driver, a printer on Wi-Fi, or a huge PDF renderer setting | Fix the driver, wire the printer, adjust the settings |
The pattern is that the software is rarely at fault. The environment around it is. That is why an agency with a good IT person calls the vendor a fraction as often as one without.
Carrier portals, browsers and the plugin problem
Ask any CSR what wastes their time and they will name a carrier portal. Quoting, endorsements, downloads and claims all happen on dozens of carrier websites, each built differently, some of them quite old. The problems that produces are predictable, and most of them are fixable at the browser level:
- Pop-up blockers. Many portals open documents and quote screens in pop-ups. I set exceptions for your carriers so the browser stops silently eating them.
- Legacy components. A few portals still depend on older browser technology. Where that is the case, I set up the compatibility mode the portal needs on the machines that need it, without weakening the browser for everything else.
- Multiple browsers. Some portals prefer Edge, some Chrome. I keep both current and set which one opens which portal, so agents are not guessing.
- Passwords. Forty portals means forty passwords, and the alternative to a password manager is a spreadsheet called passwords.xlsx. I put a proper password manager in place for the agency, with shared vaults for carrier logins and individual vaults for personal ones.
- Multi-factor prompts. Carriers increasingly require a second factor. I get that set up so codes arrive where the right person can see them, not on a phone that belongs to someone who left.
- Downloads. Carrier downloads into your agency system rely on scheduled jobs and credentials that expire. When a download stops, I find out whether it is the credential, the job or the carrier.
Much of this is done once, saved as a policy, and applied to every workstation automatically, so a new hire's machine behaves like everyone else's on day one.
Why the agency management system feels slow, and what fixes it
"Slow" is the most common complaint about any hosted system, and it has a short list of causes. I check them in this order because it is the order of likelihood:
- The workstation. An agency system is a heavy web application. A machine with too little memory, a spinning hard drive, or a background scan running mid-morning will make any hosted system crawl. Business-class Dell or Lenovo machines with solid-state drives and enough memory fix most "slow" complaints outright. The details are in buying and supporting Dell and Lenovo business computers.
- The browser. Too many extensions, a corrupt profile, or a cache that has not been cleared since the system was installed.
- The internet connection. Not the speed on the bill, but the stability. A connection that drops packets makes a hosted system feel sluggish even when the download number looks fine. I measure it rather than guess.
- The firewall. Some security features inspect encrypted traffic in ways that slow specific applications. I tune those for the agency system and carrier portals.
- Wi-Fi. Desks on Wi-Fi in a busy office share the air with everyone's phones. Wired desks are faster and more consistent.
- The vendor. Sometimes it really is the hosted platform having a bad day. When I have ruled out the first five, I say so, open the ticket with evidence, and tell you honestly that it is on their end.
An agency that has been told "that is just how Epic is" for two years is usually two fixes away from a system that feels new.
Backups when the agency system is hosted
A common and dangerous assumption in agencies: "the system is in the cloud, so everything is backed up." The vendor protects their platform. They do not protect the rest of your business, and a surprising amount of your business lives outside the system:
- Email, which in most agencies is the real record of what was said to a client and when.
- Policy documents, applications and proof-of-insurance forms downloaded to shared folders or desktops.
- Spreadsheets: renewal lists, commission tracking, the marketing list.
- Scanned files waiting to be attached.
- Any onsite server, if you still run one for HawkSoft or an older system.
What I set up for an agency is a backup of the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace mailboxes and files, a backup of any shared folders and servers, offsite copies, and a schedule for actually restoring a file to prove it works. If your system is onsite, its database gets the same treatment, with the vendor's guidance on how to back it up cleanly. The full picture, including what a restore looks like on a bad day, is in better backups for insurance agencies, and the security side is on the cybersecurity and backup page.
Staff changes: onboarding and offboarding in an agency system
People move between agencies constantly, and every move is a security event. A new producer needs a workstation, a Microsoft 365 account, access to the agency system, the carrier portals, the phone system and the shared folders, all with the right permissions and multi-factor authentication switched on. A departing one needs every one of those removed the same day, and their carrier portal logins changed, because a former employee who still has a carrier login is a problem that only shows up later.
I run both as a checklist rather than a scramble:
- Workstation built from the standard image, with the browser policies and agency system components already in place.
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account created, assigned a license, added to the right groups, with multi-factor authentication required before the first sign-in.
- Agency system user created with the vendor, with the right role, not a copy of the owner's admin account.
- Password manager vault access assigned for the carrier logins that person needs.
- Phone extension and mobile app set up.
- On departure: everything above reversed, mailbox preserved and forwarded, shared passwords rotated, laptop wiped and reissued.
Because I already manage the Microsoft 365 side, the agency system sign-in and the phones, this is a single request to me rather than three emails to three vendors. More on the Microsoft side is on the Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace page.
How I work with Applied, Vertafore and the other vendors
When a problem really is inside the software, the fastest resolution comes from giving the vendor a clean, specific report rather than "it is broken again". I gather the error message, which users and machines are affected, what changed recently and what I have already ruled out, then I open the ticket and get on the call. Your office manager stays on the phone with clients instead of on hold with a support line.
I also handle the vendor-driven work that lands on an agency every year: browser requirement changes, new components to roll out before a version update, a change to how the email add-in installs, or a migration from an onsite system to the hosted version. That last one is a project of its own, and it goes far better when the person managing your network and workstations is planning it with the vendor rather than hearing about it afterwards.
If you would like a direct line to the person who supports your agency's computers, network, email and phones and also knows what Epic, AMS360, HawkSoft and EZLynx need to run well, tell me which system you use and how many people are on it. I will come back with a plan and a per-user quote for month-to-month support with no long-term contract. Reach me through the contact page or call (214) 612-7080.
Questions people ask
Do you support Applied Epic or AMS360 directly, or do I still need the vendor?
Both, in different roles. Applied and Vertafore support the software itself. I support everything it depends on: workstations, browsers, sign-in, the Outlook add-in, printing, network and backups, which is where most day-to-day problems actually live. When the fault is inside the software, I open the vendor ticket with a clear report and stay on the call so your office does not have to.
Why is my agency management system so slow?
Usually the workstation or the browser, not the system. Too little memory, an old spinning hard drive, a background scan at 10 AM or a browser full of extensions will make any hosted application crawl. After those come the stability of the internet connection, firewall inspection settings and desks on Wi-Fi. I check them in that order and only blame the vendor once the rest is ruled out.
The agency system is hosted in the cloud. Are backups still needed?
Yes. The vendor protects their platform, not your email, downloaded policy documents, shared folders, spreadsheets or any onsite server you still run. Those are where much of an agency's record actually lives. I back up Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, shared files and servers to an offsite copy and restore a file on a schedule to prove it works.
Can you help with carrier portal problems?
Yes, most of them. Pop-up blockers, legacy browser components, which browser opens which portal, expired download credentials and multi-factor prompts going to the wrong phone are all fixable at the workstation and policy level. I set them up once and apply them to every machine, and I put a password manager in place so forty carrier logins are no longer in a spreadsheet.
Do you support HawkSoft and EZLynx as well as Epic and AMS360?
Yes, in the same way. HawkSoft installs that rely on an onsite server or file share get the server, network and backup support they need. EZLynx and other browser-based systems get the workstation, browser and connection support. The work is similar across systems because the environment they run in is the same, and I already manage that environment for the agency.
Sources and further reading
Market price ranges in this article are my own observation of quotes in the Dallas market, not a published survey. Where I state a rule or a standard, the source is linked above.
