The year 2018 promises to be full of exciting opportunities for the insurance industry. Or maybe it’s going to be a year of profound threats. The way you will experience the coming months depends a lot on how you feel about change—and how prepared you are for what’s in store.

After decades during which the operating model in the property/casualty business has been surprisingly stable, it feels like we’re suddenly surrounded by new players, new models and new business realities. That feeling is partly an illusion, as the new features and players of today’s market have been in the making for at least a decade. But they’ve reached a level of maturity that means they can no longer be ignored.