Applied Systems: What It Owns and How the Products Fit Together
Applied Systems makes Applied Epic and owns EZLynx, Ivans, Tarmika (whose rating is now built into Epic as Epic Quotes Commercial Lines), Ask Kodiak, Cytora, Planck and Indio. This page separates five things that other write-ups blur: the company, the products, the acquisitions, the integrations Applied has actually announced, and QuoteSweep's own inference. Facts come from Applied's, Ivans' and EZLynx's own pages, read on 9 November 2026. Last verified: 9 November 2026.
QuoteSweep makes a competing commercial quoting product. This profile is based on the vendors' published materials; QuoteSweep has not used these products, and where Applied's pages do not state a fact, the page says "not stated" instead of filling the gap.
Company: who is Applied Systems?
Applied Systems is privately held and, in its own words, was founded in 1983. Its company page names Hellman & Friedman as majority owner, with growth investment from CapitalG, JMI Equity and Stone Point Capital, and gives no amounts or ownership percentages. Applied's July 2024 Planck release adds that Hellman & Friedman has been its majority shareholder since 2014.
The same company page reports 3,000+ team members, 38,000+ agencies connected to 700+ carriers and MGAs, 1.5M+ transactions a day between agencies and carriers, and 339,000+ daily users across seven countries. These are Applied's own figures, not independent measurements.
Products: what does Applied sell, and to whom?
| Product | What the owner says it is | Sold to | Notes (all vendor statements) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Epic | "The world's most widely used insurance agency management system" | Agencies | Applied says it fits established, growth-minded agencies, typically 10 to 500+ staff, and cites "700+ carrier markets connected". Contact sales for pricing |
| EZLynx | "The easiest-to-use, all-in-one agency management system built for startup and growth-focused insurance agencies" | Agencies | Includes the EZLynx Rating Engine; EZLynx's page says it connects to "over 330" carriers and quotes more personal lines products than any other, so that count is a personal lines claim, not a commercial one. Free trial, Buy Now and special-pricing request; no figures |
| Epic Quotes Commercial Lines | Multi-carrier commercial rating "natively embedded in Applied Epic" (10 Sep 2024 release) | Agencies | The release cites more than 35 markets; its FAQ says carrier panels vary by line and over time and direct carrier appointments are required |
| Tarmika | A commercial lines rating solution; Applied's 2022 release names Bridge (agency comparative rater) and Tunnel (embedded tool) | Agencies (Bridge); Bridge and Tunnel together aimed at carriers and agents, per the 2022 release | tarmika.com now redirects to Applied. Applied hosts a Tarmika Carriers List (see below) |
| Ivans | "AI-powered connectivity network linking agencies, carriers, and MGAs" | Carriers, MGAs, agencies | Products listed on its site include Download, Bookroll, Distribution Platform, eServicing, Exchange and Insights |
| Ask Kodiak | "A commercial risk appetite and eligibility platform" | Sold to carriers and MGAs; used by agents | See the Ask Kodiak section below |
| Cytora | "The leading digital risk processing platform for the insurance industry" | Carriers, MGAs, brokers | Applied lists it in its carrier AI and connectivity products |
| Planck | An AI-based data platform for commercial insurance (Applied's release boilerplate) | Insurers | Ivans' site lists a Planck Plus product for carriers and MGAs, with no description on the page read |
| Indio | Application and renewal platform; Applied now calls it the Collaboration Portal, "formerly known as Indio" | Agencies | A module inside Applied Epic per Applied's page |
| Epic Conductor | "A new AI platform built natively into Applied Epic" (29 Sep 2026) | Agencies | Operational automation, financial automation and connected trading |
Applied's navigation also lists Market Appetite, Bookroll, Benchmarks and Commercial Distribution as carrier products without descriptions on the pages read, so they are not profiled here.
Acquisitions: what did Applied buy, and when?
Each row gives the date as stated by Applied, Ivans or, where noted, two agreeing trade reports. Where no source states a date, none is given.
| Brand | Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivans (property/casualty business) | Applied completed its acquisition of the P/C business of IVANS, which became a division of Applied | Reported 1 May 2013 | Insurance Journal (1 May 2013) and Carrier Management (2 May 2013), two agreeing reports; Applied's own pages do not state the date |
| Indio | Applied announced a definitive agreement to acquire Indio Technologies | 4 Dec 2019 | Applied release (mirrored on the Ivans site); completion date not stated |
| EZLynx | Applied announced the completed acquisition; Nomura Securities provided committed financing | 9 Mar 2021 | Applied release |
| Ask Kodiak | Ivans announced it had acquired Ask Kodiak | 10 Aug 2021 | Ivans release; terms not disclosed |
| Tarmika | Applied announced it had acquired Tarmika | 16 Aug 2022 | Applied and Ivans releases; terms not disclosed |
| Planck | Applied announced it had acquired Planck | 23 Jul 2024 | Applied release; terms not disclosed |
| Cytora | Applied announced it had acquired Cytora | 9 Sep 2025 | Applied release; terms not disclosed |
Applied's company page also lists EZLynx, Indio, Ask Kodiak, Planck and Cytora as acquisitions and says it has acquired companies "over the decades". Tarmika does not appear on that page, though Applied's 2022 release and Ivans' site both name it.
Integration: which products does Applied say connect?
This table holds only connections that Applied, Ivans or EZLynx state on pages read on 9 November 2026. Plans announced earlier are marked as plans.
| Connection | What is stated | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indio and Epic | The Collaboration Portal is a module within Applied Epic; policy and form data sync both ways with Epic (Applied's page) | Stated as current |
| Tarmika and Epic | Epic Quotes Commercial Lines brings "Tarmika instant comparative rating capabilities natively into Applied Epic" (release of 10 Sep 2024, general release after an early-access pilot) | Stated as current |
| Tarmika and EZLynx, and Tarmika and the Ivans Distribution Platform | The 16 Aug 2022 release said Tarmika "will be integrated" with Epic, EZLynx and the Ivans Distribution Platform over time | A 2022 plan. EZLynx's 30 Jun 2026 Instant Commercial Quoting release does not mention Tarmika, so the EZLynx link is not confirmed |
| EZLynx and Ivans | Instant Commercial Quoting inside EZLynx is "powered by the Ivans distribution network"; general liability, business owners and workers' compensation, with the lineup "expanding to +20 markets" (30 Jun 2026) | Stated as current |
| Ask Kodiak and Ivans | In 2021 Ivans said it would tightly integrate Ask Kodiak with the Ivans Distribution Platform; an Ivans demo page says a newer integration makes Ask Kodiak "the single source of appetite across all Ivans products" | Stated as current on the Ivans page |
| Cytora and Epic | Cytora digitizes risk data stored in Epic and routes it to participating carriers' quoting services, with Travelers as first anchor carrier; carriers will deliver renewal quotes within Epic, per the 8 Jul 2026 release | Applied does not say whether this is a pilot or generally available |
| Cytora and any AMS | The email-to-quote channel (18 Aug 2026) is powered by Cytora and works "regardless of their agency management system" | Admitted small commercial lines where carrier straight-through-processing APIs are available; pilot or general availability not stated |
| Ivans and Epic | Ivans handles download and data exchange with more than 700 carrier markets (Applied's Epic page) | Applied's claim |
Applied's own pages say API and carrier availability differ by line and over time. They do not publish a share of carriers that can be quoted by API, and neither does this page.
What does Applied offer for commercial quoting and rating, and what does it not state?
How to use this page: before buying or renewing, ask Applied three things: which carriers are live behind Epic Quotes Commercial Lines for your lines and states, whether Tarmika is sold standalone, and whether each 2026 Cytora-powered product is a pilot or generally available.
For commercial quoting, Applied's pages describe four routes. Epic Quotes Commercial Lines rates inside Epic across lines that Applied lists as BOP, workers' compensation, general liability, cyber, commercial auto and E&S, with panels that vary by line. EZLynx Instant Commercial Quoting covers general liability, BOP and workers' compensation inside EZLynx. Tarmika's carrier list shows 29 carriers, including in-progress ones, effective 29 May 2026. The Cytora email-to-quote channel handles admitted small commercial lines where carriers offer straight-through-processing APIs.
Applied's pages do not state: list prices for any brand; the current number or names of carriers behind Epic Quotes Commercial Lines; whether Tarmika is still sold on its own (its 2022 release said Applied would offer it as a standalone application, while Applied's resource library lists both a "Tarmika Quarterly Updates" webinar and one on switching from Tarmika to Epic Quotes Commercial Lines); and whether the Travelers submissionless experience and the email-to-quote channel are pilots or generally available.
What is Ask Kodiak, and who is it for?
Ask Kodiak is a commercial risk appetite and eligibility platform. Ivans' 2021 acquisition release describes it as a cloud-based platform for property and casualty insurers: carriers set up and update product information and appetite, and independent agents and brokers use it to find carriers whose appetite matches a risk. Ivans' product page sits under "For Carriers" and says carriers enter appetite once and it reaches distribution partners in the tools they already use. A separate Ivans page for agents describes the same platform as helping carriers and MGAs market commercial and specialty products.
So Ask Kodiak is sold to carriers and MGAs; agents are its audience. Ivans' page lists more than 10 technology partners, including Applied Epic, EZLynx, Zywave, Vertafore ReferenceConnect, Tarmika and Epic Quotes for Commercial Lines, plus a Risk Appetite API. The page makes no pricing statement. For how appetite data differs from live quoting, see carrier appetite.
What is Tarmika, and who owns it?
Tarmika is a commercial lines rating product owned by Applied Systems. Applied's release of 16 August 2022 says Tarmika was founded in 2018 by former insurance agents and carrier representatives, and Ivans' release of the same day says the same. Applied announced the acquisition that day without disclosing terms, naming Bridge (an agency comparative rater) and Tunnel (an embedded tool).
Since then, Applied has built Tarmika's rating into Epic as Epic Quotes Commercial Lines, and tarmika.com redirects to Applied's Epic commercial quoting page. Applied's Tarmika Carriers List, effective 29 May 2026, names 29 carriers and says the grid includes in-progress carriers and additional products. For alternatives to Tarmika, see Tarmika alternatives, and for a three-way comparison, Tarmika vs Semsee vs QuoteSweep.
What is Ivans?
Ivans describes itself as an "AI-powered connectivity network linking agencies, carriers, and MGAs". Its 2021 release calls it "a division of Applied Systems" and its 2022 release names Applied as its parent company. Insurance Journal and Carrier Management reported in May 2013 that Applied had completed its acquisition of IVANS' property/casualty business, which then operated as IVANS Insurance Solutions, a separate division of Applied. Applied's own pages do not state the date. For what the network does day to day, see Ivans and Ivans download.
Where do Applied Epic and EZLynx fit?
They are Applied's two agency management systems. Applied's Epic page describes established multi-line agencies, typically 10 to 500+ staff; EZLynx describes startup and growth-focused agencies and, on Applied's navigation, a path to Epic as the agency scales. For the head-to-head, see Applied Epic vs EZLynx.
QuoteSweep inference: how to read the pieces together
These two points are QuoteSweep's reading of the dated material above, not statements by Applied.
Sequence. The dated releases place the deals in this order: Indio (application and renewal intake, 2019), Ask Kodiak (appetite, 2021), Tarmika (commercial rating, 2022), Planck and Cytora (AI and data, 2024 and 2025). QuoteSweep inference: the order runs from intake to appetite to rating to AI-based intake. Applied does not describe a single roadmap in these releases.
Fit. Applied sells some tools embedded in its own agency system (Epic Quotes Commercial Lines, the Collaboration Portal) and at least one channel it says works with any agency system (email-to-quote). QuoteSweep inference: an agency's AMS choice therefore matters for some Applied tools and not others, and the way to decide is to check each tool's carrier panel against your own appointments, line by line and state by state.
Who competes with Applied Systems?
On agency management, the main alternatives QuoteSweep compares are Vertafore (AMS360 and QQCatalyst), HawkSoft and Momentum AMP, covered in the six-system AMS comparison and in the head-to-heads HawkSoft vs Applied Epic and AMS360 vs EZLynx. On commercial rating, the alternatives to Tarmika and Epic Quotes include Semsee and QuoteSweep, compared in Tarmika vs Semsee vs QuoteSweep and the best commercial comparative raters.
How much do Applied products cost?
No Applied brand publishes list prices on the pages read. Epic and the commercial quoting pages say to contact sales, EZLynx offers a free trial, a Buy Now option and a special-pricing request without figures, and the Ask Kodiak and Epic Conductor pages make no pricing statement. Third-party estimates exist and are not confirmed by Applied; the Epic vs EZLynx comparison lists them with source and date.
Where QuoteSweep fits
QuoteSweep makes a competing commercial quoting product for independent agents. It is not an AMS, a connectivity network or an appetite publisher, and it does not claim an integration with any Applied product. It does not require an AMS integration to work, so Epic and EZLynx agencies can use it alongside their system; see why your AMS does not matter for AI quoting.
QuoteSweep data: QuoteSweep tracks appetite and product data for more than 540 commercial carriers and has quoting automation built for 25 of them, using AI web agents on carrier portals. Tracking is research; the 25 is the number built for live quoting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Applied Systems?
Applied Systems is privately held. Its company page names Hellman & Friedman as majority owner, with growth investment from CapitalG, JMI Equity and Stone Point Capital, and gives no amounts or percentages. Applied's July 2024 Planck release says Hellman & Friedman has been its majority shareholder since 2014. The company says it was founded in 1983.
Who owns EZLynx?
Applied Systems. Applied announced on 9 March 2021 that it had completed its acquisition of EZLynx, with Nomura Securities providing committed financing. EZLynx is sold alongside Applied Epic as a separate agency management system, and EZLynx's own site carries an Applied Systems copyright notice.
Who owns Tarmika?
Applied Systems announced on 16 August 2022 that it had acquired Tarmika, without disclosing terms. Both Applied's and Ivans' releases say Tarmika was founded in 2018. Applied has since embedded Tarmika's rating in Applied Epic as Epic Quotes Commercial Lines, and tarmika.com now redirects to Applied.
Who owns Ivans?
Applied Systems. Ivans' own 2021 release calls it a division of Applied Systems, and its 2022 release refers to Applied as its parent company. Insurance Journal and Carrier Management reported in May 2013 that Applied had completed its purchase of IVANS' property/casualty business. Applied's own pages do not give that date.
Who owns Ask Kodiak?
Ivans, a division of Applied Systems, announced on 10 August 2021 that it had acquired Ask Kodiak. Applied's company page also lists Ask Kodiak among its acquisitions. Terms were not disclosed. Ask Kodiak is sold to carriers and MGAs, who publish appetite; independent agents and brokers use it to find matching markets.
What companies has Applied Systems acquired?
On the record in Applied's and Ivans' own releases: Indio (agreement announced 4 December 2019), EZLynx (completed 9 March 2021), Ask Kodiak (via Ivans, 10 August 2021), Tarmika (16 August 2022), Planck (23 July 2024) and Cytora (9 September 2025). Two trade reports date the Ivans P/C acquisition to May 2013. Applied also says it has acquired others "over the decades".
What products does Applied Systems sell?
For agencies: Applied Epic, EZLynx, Epic Quotes Commercial Lines, Epic Conductor and the Collaboration Portal (formerly Indio). For carriers, MGAs and distribution: Ivans products such as Download, Bookroll and the Distribution Platform, plus Ask Kodiak, Cytora and Planck. Applied describes each in its own words; no list prices are published on the pages read.
What are the alternatives to Applied Systems?
For agency management, Vertafore (AMS360, QQCatalyst), HawkSoft and Momentum AMP. For commercial rating, Semsee and QuoteSweep, which is a competing product and not an agency management system. The right choice depends on your management system, your carrier appointments and your lines, so compare panels carrier by carrier before switching.
What was checked on this page
Last verified: 9 November 2026. Read from Applied Systems: the company overview, the EZLynx, Tarmika, Planck and Cytora acquisition releases, the Cytora FAQ, the Epic Quotes Commercial Lines release, the Epic Conductor, Travelers and email-to-quote releases, the 2026 press release index, the Epic, commercial quoting and Collaboration Portal pages, and the Tarmika Carriers List. From Ivans: its home page, the Ask Kodiak release and pages for carriers and agents, and the mirror of Applied's Indio release. From EZLynx: its home page and the 30 June 2026 Instant Commercial Quoting release. From Insurance Journal and Carrier Management: the May 2013 reports on the Ivans P/C acquisition.
Not stated or not verified: deal values for any acquisition; the Indio completion date; whether Tarmika is sold standalone today; the current carrier count and names behind Epic Quotes Commercial Lines; pricing for any brand; independent confirmation of Applied's adoption and performance claims; and any hands-on behaviour of the products.
