Written by Steve Falla

Contract Enquiry Update

Recently we have been working hard behind the scenes to make contract enquiry/policy valuation services more reliable and not have to depend upon too many machine configurable settings to be able to make a connection with Product Providers and Platforms.

The latest release of JCS includes the following changes for users of contract enquiry/policy valuations:

  • Unipass certificates no longer need to be selected each and every time from MS Windows, as this is handled internally within JCS. You will still need to select the Unipass certificate from External Connections in JCS, and some connections that did not need this to be set in External Connections previously, may need it now, but you will be prompted the first time you use the connection.
  • Machine level settings for SSL/TLS, and which versions need to be enabled are no longer required for JCS. This is now all handled internally within JCS on a per connection basis, customised for each Provider to provide the maximum level of security that is offered.
  • Machine level settings to allow for non standard SSL redirects are no longer required, as this is all handled internally within JCS. An example is connections with Scottish Widows which previously required special configuration.
  • Support for the highest TLS v1.2 level encryption on machines that do not support this within Windows, or have it disabled, as it now handles this internally.
  • The ability in the future to integrate with Platforms and Provider interfaces that we were not able to before. Watch this space.

 

As part of this upgrade process, JCS has also moved Contract Enquiry services with Aviva and Friends Life, from their original messaging platforms to their new combined messaging platform, which is more reliable, has access to a wider range of products, uses industry standard fund codes, and the fund names are now human friendly names rather than internal codes, for example "Aviva Pensions Newton Multi-Asset Growth S2" instead of "NOP AvNewtM-AGro2".

These will all be moved over to the new service automatically when you install the latest version of JCS, but you may need to add your Unipass certificate to the Aviva connection in External Connections.

You should also find that if you have any old Friends Provident pensions or bonds, these can be valued using the new Aviva service as well.

As always, if you encounter any issues, please contact our Technical Support who will assist you.