Guidewire’s latest cloud platform release—Niseko—draws inspiration from the renowned Japanese ski resort known for precision, progress, and exceptional service. Much like its namesake, the Niseko Release delivers a refined, consistent, and elevated user experience across the entire Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance lifecycle.
Building on the philosophy of Kaizen—continuous improvement—Guidewire has rolled out impactful updates that empower analytics, automate operations, and simplify development while helping insurers unlock real-time business performance insights. Let’s break down the key features and highlights from this game-changing release across all core components of Guidewire’s ecosystem.
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Unlocking Actionable Insights with Advanced Analytics
(A) Policy and Claims Insurance Data Models
Niseko introduces robust data models for PolicyCenter and ClaimCenter. These models simplify access to complex policy and claims data, enabling analytics teams to derive fast, meaningful insights without time-consuming data wrangling. This sets the stage for accurate reporting, forecasting, and decision-making.
(B) Premium and Loss Analysis BI Content
Guidewire Explore now comes with enhanced business intelligence content, featuring interactive datamarts, dashboards, and reports. Teams can now analyze key metrics like:
- Premiums: Written, earned, inforce, and unearned
- Losses: Paid, incurred, reserves, LAE, recoveries
These tools ensure insurers ensure to provide better financial insights, stay competitive by detecting emerging trends and risks and helps in making better maintaining financial positions.
(C) Wildfire Risk Score 3.0 (HazardHub)
The newest version of Wildfire Risk Score leverages the latest data to provide hazard and conditional impact scores for properties, especially in high-risk wildfire zones. Built in 2025, this feature strengthens underwriting by helping assess and write accurate wildfire-related risk exposures.
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Accelerating Development with Modular and AI-Driven Tools
(A) Guidewire Functions (Serverless Business Logic)
Niseko brings Guidewire Functions, providing Functions-as-a-Service approach. Guidewire provides pre-built functions for developers. They can be deployed faster and improve operational efficiency. Developers can now build and manage logic independently, without relying on monolithic architecture. This reduces technical debt and helps automate the routine tasks.
(B) Extension Layer
This new architecture allows developers to “build apart” from the core application, keeping customizations separate. It results in safer upgrades and reduced risks during updates—an ideal solution for teams striving for continuous delivery.
(C) AI-Powered Developer Assistants
Guidewire steps into intelligent automation with AI developer assistants for GOSU and integration tasks. These tools:
- Write and explain code
- Generate documentation
- Build and tests
All from natural language prompts, enabling faster and more consistent development workflows.
(D) Bring-Your-Own Code Repository
Now, teams can manage InsuranceSuite code outside of GWCP Bitbucket, while enjoying automated cloud assurance. This flexibility supports enterprise DevOps pipelines and ensures compliance.
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Enhancing Productivity with Automation and UI Improvements
(A) Autopilot Activity Handling Integration
With this integration, PolicyCenter can auto-assign the activities based on pre-defined business rules. This improves workflow management, ensures less manual work to assign activities to designated underwriters, and accelerates policy processing.
(B) First Report of Injury (FROI) Digital Template
ClaimCenter upgrade – To support Workers’ Compensation insurers and designed to improve claim intake Guidewire introduces a pre-built FROI template. It drastically cuts development time and ensures effective and easier injury reporting workflows.
(C) Multi-Tab Support Across InsuranceSuite
Niseko delivers early access to one of the most requested multi-tab support features across 4 centers PC, BC, CC and CM. Underwriters, CSRs, agents, and claims handlers can now work with multiple tabs (on the same window or separate windows), enhancing multitasking and workflow agility.
(D) Guidewire Salesforce Financial Service Cloud
This PolicyCenter Integration provides CSRs with a complete view of the customers. The customer insights provide leverage to the CSRs in cross selling of products and also servicing the customer accounts providing better customer satisfaction.
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Streamlining Billing, Claims, and Policy Management
(A) BillingCenter Enhancements
New BillingCenter APIs improve visibility and control over authorizations, invoices, agency payments, and instructions. In addition:
- The Billing Insurance Data Model (early access) enables easier and effective reporting and analytics.
- These updates reduce processing time, enhance compliance, and simplify reconciliation.
(B) ClaimCenter Templates & Workflow Tools
- The Vendor Selection Question Set is a new digital template that help claimants to quickly select the vendors based on a predefined set of questions.
- These templates can be integrated into FNOL or follow-up workflows, improving customer experience and reducing processing time.
(C) PolicyCenter API Upgrades
With upgraded APIs, insurers can now:
- Manage contact roles more flexibly
- Delete old policy terms
- Reverse transactions easily
These capabilities enhance data governance and operational efficiency.
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Smarter Platform Capabilities Across Guidewire Cloud
(A) Deployment Journal in Guidewire Home UI
Troubleshoot with ease. The embedded deployment journal gives teams clear visibility into deployment pipelines, showing exactly where failures occur.
(B) Schema Tuner and Packaging Tools (Early Access)
Guidewire’s Schema Tuner helps optimize database performance while the new packaging and distribution tools ensure smoother rollout of business solutions across environments.
(C) AI Developer Assistant for Integration
Accelerate integration projects with an AI-powered assistant trained to follow Guidewire best practices. It writes connectors, unit tests, and documentation—significantly reducing integration timelines.
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Expanding Digital and Marketplace Ecosystem
(A) Jutro for Non-Guidewire Backends
Niseko makes it easier to build digital experiences on non-Guidewire systems using the Jutro design system. This opens the door for insurers to modernize front-end systems without full back-end migration.
(B) Marketplace Enhancements
With 70+ new and updated integrations, the Guidewire Marketplace continues to expand. Highlights include:
- Ivans Data Exchange Accelerator
- One Inc Agent Payments
- Apps from Smart Communications, OpenText, GhostDraft, and more
- New rating and review feature has been added to Marketplace
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Supporting Smooth Upgrades with Training & Resources
- Exclusive Niseko badges can be earned by completing New Features courses through Guidewire Education.
- Access detailed documentation, demos, and upgrade guidance through the Update Hub.
- The next major release OLOS is scheduled for Connections 2025 in Las Vegas.
Final Thoughts
The Guidewire Niseko Release is more than a system upgrade—it’s a strategic leap forward for P&C insurers. It empowers teams to:
- Extract deeper insights from policy, claims, and billing data
- Embrace flexible, serverless, and AI-supported development
- Automate everyday tasks and improve speed to market
- Deliver smarter customer and user experiences
As insurers continue navigating complex risk landscapes and evolving customer demands, Niseko provides the clarity, control, and agility needed to stay ahead.
Learn more about the Niseko release:
➡ Press Release
➡ Guidewire Niseko Blog
➡ Product Release Center
Check for the latest updates on our Guidewire Services, feel free to contact us at info@fecundservices.com!
