[2674] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
PR: IBM Working with CERA Bank on Java
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Timothy F Sipples)
Sat Mar 22 12:38:13 1997
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Date: 22 Mar 1997 17:25:36 GMT
From: tsipple@us.ibm.com (Timothy F Sipples)
Reply-To: tsipple@us.ibm.com (Timothy F Sipples)
Reply-to: tsipple@us.ibm.com (Timothy F Sipples)
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IBM Working with CERA Bank to Develop Internet Banking Solutions
Java-Based Mortgage Loan Calculator Applet Unveiled
AUSTIN, TX, February 24, 1997 ... IBM today announced the first project
completed by its newly established Network Computing Projects business unit.
Working side-by-side with CERA Bank, one of the largest banks in Belgium, IBM
has developed a Java**-based mortgage loan calculator applet. This is the
initial Java-based offering of the bank's CERA Online service, which offers
retail banking products to clients via the Internet. CERA Bank is the first
bank in Belgium, and one of the first European banks, to offer its clients
access to critical banking information and services over the Internet.
"CERA Bank's mortgage loan project is an excellent example of how IBM is
working hand-in-hand with its OS/2* Warp customers to co-develop network
computing solutions that provide real business value," said John Soyring,
director of worldwide technical projects for IBM Personal Software Products
and head of the Network Computing Projects business unit. "A team of our top
developers have been working with CERA Bank to find ways to deliver their
banking products via the world of network computing. At the same time we're
protecting their investments in OS/2 Warp, reducing their cost of ownership
and taking advantage of new initiatives such as 100 percent pure Java."
As a result of this project with IBM, CERA Bank has seen the significant
advantages of the network computing model versus the traditional
client/server computing model. Now in addition to delivering services over
the Internet, the bank is investigating the transition to a network computing
model throughout their enterprise. The project also reinforced the bank's
commitment to OS/2 Warp and they plan to grow the number of OS/2 Warp clients
and servers that currently make up 100 percent of their branch offices'
computing environment.
"We strive to provide excellent service to our clients and IBM is helping us
deliver on that promise with truly open solutions that can extend beyond the
walls of our enterprise," said Rudi Peeters, electronic banking officer for
CERA Bank. "We are pleased with this first step and look forward to working
with IBM on additional network computing solutions for our clients and for
our employees."
The Mortgage Loan Calculator
The mortgage loan calculator is a platform-independent, Java-based applet
that will allow CERA Bank's clients to estimate their mortgage loan payments
via the Internet, from anywhere in the world. CERA Bank's clients will be
able to simply download the Java applet from the CERA Bank homepage and enter
different loan variables such as loan amount, time to borrow and type of
payment. Outputs such as principal, interests and various payments can be
displayed in either graphical or tabular format.
After deciding which loan scenario they prefer, clients can simply click on
"apply" and receive information on applying for a loan. To better serve CERA
Bank's multilingual clientele, the mortgage loan calculator applet is
National Language Support (NLS) enabled, offering three languages: Dutch,
French and English, with German to follow shortly. The mortgage loan
calculator applet is available today from the CERA Bank homepage at
http://www.cera.be.
By developing Internet-based banking solutions, CERA Bank is able to maintain
and update applications on their local OS/2 Warp based web server, saving
both the bank and its clients, precious time and money. For example, the bank
can change the look and feel of the applet, add more functionality to the
applet or even change how different formulas are applied to certain
calculations, without having to redistribute or reproduce the software and
deliver it to their customers. This network computing solution allows CERA
Bank to bring new applications and functionality to the market at a rapid
pace, better serving their clients and allowing them to keep pace with new
developments in the banking industry.
IBM and CERA Bank Working Together
Working with IBM, CERA Bank plans to implement further network computing
solutions that build on its investments in OS/2 for both their clients and
employees. The first of these enhancements will be to add a richer set of
functions to the mortgage loan calculator applet, allowing clients to submit
their loans on-line for approval. In March, the CERA Bank development team
will be traveling to IBM in Austin, Texas to attend the second in a series of
world wide Java Customer Summits. The objective of these summits is to
transfer skills and knowledge allowing IBM customers to more rapidly develop
and deploy network computing applications.
About CERA Bank
CERA Bank offers a wide range of banking products and services to
individuals, agriculturists and horticulturists, self-employed professionals,
small and medium-sized companies, large corporations, and medical and social
institutions. Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, the bank has an extensive
network of 950 branches throughout the country. It has approximately 3,000
employees in its branches, and another 1,600 in the Leuven headquarters.
About IBM's Network Computing Projects Business Unit
IBM launched its Network Computing Projects business unit to act as a
catalyst for accelerating the development of mission-critical business
applications based on network computing initiatives, such as Sun
Microsystems** Inc.'s 100 percent pure Java and technologies like Lotus'
Domino*** and IBM's net.data*, MQ Series* and others. The Network Computing
Projects business unit supports IBM's corporate-wide Internet strategy and
provides real Web-enabled business solutions for OS/2 Warp customers.
OS/2 Warp in a Network Computing World
IBM's Personal Software Products Division is the home of the OS/2 Warp family
of products. OS/2 Warp is the ideal operating system solution for today's
network computing world, offering customers a true cross-platform business
solution. The OS/2 Warp family of products deliver on the network computing
promise with Internet/intranet connectivity, integrated Java support,
dependable systems management and ease of use. OS/2 Warp is the foundation
for this broad family of scaleable products, including OS/2 Warp, OS/2 Warp
Connect, OS/2 Warp Server, OS/2 Warp Server SMP and Directory and Security
Server for OS/2, one of the IBM Software Servers. ###
*IBM, OS/2, net.data and MQ Series are trademarks or registered trademarks of
the IBM Corporation.
**Sun Microsystems and Java are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc.
***Lotus and Domino are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation.
All other product and service names may be trademarks and/or service marks of
their respective owners.
For Internet users, IBM offers complete information about the company, its
products, services and technology on the World Wide Web. The IBM homepage is
at http://www.ibm.com. The fastest, easiest way to find any information
about IBM software is to go to the IBM Software homepage at
http://www.software.ibm.com. The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to
receive facsimiles of prior IBM product releases. Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX or
415- 855-4329 and enter "99" at the voice menu./
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