I would encourage you try out the site ( www.glu.com ), and if you are a gamer, register and get a game to check out the experience. Built the Allin Consulting team. They used MOSS 2007 and ASP.NET 2.0 to build this really slick UI. Though public facing...

It's been awhile since I've talked about IFX. I just got some news that I would like to share with you. Brian Jackson who leads banking in our EPG org. is now taking over for Mark Horvath's role at IFX. I am still involved with the standard and looking...

The Developer Conference was pretty good today. The keynote was kicked off ny Brian Jackson and David Platt wrapped up with "Why Software Sucks". He made some pretty good points. There is quite a bit I would agree with. David's messaging aligns really...

by wokka This year the Financial Services Developer Conference has the UX theme. So in spirit of UX, I decided to ditch the canned slides and go with something much simpler... Post-It Notes! Below are some screenshots: I would love to hear feedback from...

I ran across this and found it was very interesting. Sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective. I really like the use of the different symbols. Click on the link below for the hover-over descriptions. http://www.flickr.com/photos/davegray...

Recently an Enterprise Architect for a large bank in Canada asked me what I thought about using BizTalk for to centralize human workflow. His goal is to centralize this functionality as much as possible. This is a great idea but there are many challenges...

I've been meaning to write a compile on this for awhile. Moin, a colleague on my team asked me if there are any good resources for ATM architecture and trends. This triggered the post, so thanks Moin! I worked on a few ATM projects in the past and there...

ABN Amro agreed Monday to be acquired by Barclays of Britain for 67 billion euros (nearly $91 billion), creating one of the world’s largest banks in a carefully constructed deal that reduces, but does not eliminate, the chance of another suitor coming...

You may be wondering why I saying that unstructured data is the Achilles Heel to SOA. Very simply SOA has been so focused about the plumbing and connectors and have completely lost sight of the user. At the end of the day SOA was supposed to make life...

Right now I am in a long line of cars waiting to pass through from Canada to the US. The sign said there are delays... Since I have nothing better to do I think it's a good time to recap the first and my last day at the SAF conference. The conference...

Ifot metrosexuals were not enough Intel has launched a “Metro Notebook” concept. It attempts at create a restyled, ultra-slim and ultra-light laptop that takes into consideration, the young urbanites need for class and style. The sub-0.7 thick, 1 kg sized...

I have two Chalk Talks on: Building next generation business applications for Financial Services This chalk talk will discuss the new Office 2007 architecture. We will relate to the top challenges in the industry such as Workflow Management, Regulatory...

Hello all, I wanted to let everyone know that I will presenting at the Regional Architecture Forum in Vancouver Canada next week. If you are in Vancouver next week give me a shout. I am filling in for my boss Javed Sikander the Director of Industry Architecture...

Yesterday I just released the latest in a series of whitepapers for the OBA Reference Application Pack (RAP) for Loan Origination Systems . This article focuses on the developer aspects and provides guidance into how to build Office Business Applications...

The ACORD Standards Committee (ASC) has approved the formation of the ACORD Messaging Library Working Group (AML WG). This effort will support the ASC decision to pursue the strategic direction on messaging. The ACORD Messaging Library will be ACORD's...

Colin Cole shows us how Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) has extended the OBA RAP for Loan Origination Systems (OR-LOS) Lending Framework. Video: Loan Origination Commercial Extension Big thanks to Colin and his team for their leadership in extending...

I get asked all the time, is this just for consumer mortgage? The answer is, no. The OR-LOS solution provides a robust lending framework that can be used to unite the lending channels and reach into other processes in the bank. As shown below the base...

Did you miss the Financial Services Unwrapped Series IV webcast on Office Business Applications? That's OK if you did, here it is! :) Video: Office Business Applications the Next Business Development Platform

Well it looks like I'll be pond hopping here soon. Starting on May 8th through the 18th we will be having a series of educational events for architects in Europe. I will be passing through the UK, Spain, Ireland and Finland. If you are a Microsoft customer...

The lending message bus (LMB) provides messaging services for the lending processes. This made sense to since there are many touch points in the process. Both internally and externally there are points that need management and consolidation. The LMB follows...

I was happy to see that TD had adopted the IFX standard. It further solidifies the need for industry standards. They have become the first financial institution globally to operate the Interactive Financial eXchange (IFX) specification, an emerging standard...

I use VPCs all the time and just love how portable they are. However, sometimes your VPC files grow to a not so portable size. I recently ran across this issue with the recently released OR-LOS solution. The OR-LOS solution reached a staggering 25gb....

Watch Live and Recorded Webcasts Attend this new, public webcast series that provides an in-depth look at applications built for Windows Vista mobility. Special features include: data synchronization, power management, ink annotation, ink recognition...

I just ran across an article that talks about OBA Reference Application Packs in a negative light. I found this very interesting. In Ephraim Schwartz's Reality Check Blog he says that OBAs are Too Little, Too Lame . I would have to respectfully disagree...

In my discussions when I discuss the OBA RAP for Loan Origination Systems with folks at conferences and other speaking engagements they usually see a slide that shows the extensibility aspects of the lending architecture. After the talk I usually hear...