Aon recently collaborated with Business Insider for an article about redefining the value of intellectual property (IP). According to a recent report, IP—which includes intangible assets like patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights—accounts for 90 percent of the S&P 500's total market value, up from 17 percent in 1975. That makes being able to properly ascertain the value of IP more important than ever.

"As we've transitioned to a global innovation-driven economy, we've witnessed a historic value rotation from tangible assets to intangible assets," said Lewis Lee, CEO for IP solutions at Aon. "Every business today views innovation as critical, and so now the question for companies is how do you optimize conversion of that innovation into an IP asset class that can then be leveraged to make companies more valuable?"

This is the first article in a two-part series. Read the full article in Business Insider.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Aon further explored rethinking access to capital and IP, one of four key identified client needs, in the paper, “Helping Clients Navigate an Increasingly Complex World.”