Bank Sarasin Benelux (Formerly Rabo Rabeco Bank) Creates Value With WebFOCUS-Powered Portal

Bank Sarasin Benelux (formerly Rabo Rabeco Bank) has a team of 175 people dedicated to maximizing the returns of clients' portfolios. The bank offers private clients personally tailored banking service, with experienced account managers to provide a structured and confidential approach to customers' investment needs.

With a clientele around the world, Bank Sarasin Benelux got an early start in Internet banking. "We didn't have much choice," explains IT department manager Jamal Qalam. "Our clients, who are mainly expatriates around the world, want to consult their portfolios from wherever they are." To meet this demand, Bank Sarasin Benelux wanted to avoid the complex client/server stage and move quickly to provide Internet-based portfolio management. Turning to Information Builders' WebFOCUS Business Intelligence solutions, it built one of the most secure systems in the financial world.

Security First

Bank Sarasin Benelux secure Internet Portfolio Management service allows clients to keep track of their investments around the clock, providing access to the world's major stock markets and a means of communicating directly with account managers. Almost 10 percent of the bank's clients currently use the portfolio management system.

To power the system, Bank Sarasin Benelux's IT department runs WebFOCUS on two AS/400 computers in a mirror formation. Like many other investment banks, Bank Sarasin Benelux also runs the Olympic financial application. The Internet support system consists of two RS/6000s, each running DB2 on an AIX platform, and an Internet server. The bank has one of the most secure Internet sites in the financial community, with a double-firewall system running 32-bit SSD security code. It also makes use of an ethical hacking system that attacks the sites regularly and gives regular reports on the results.

Business Intelligence Boosts Performance

The heart of Bank Sarasin Benelux's service is customized personal service by account managers. The more these key advisers know, the better their performance.

Information Builders' WebFOCUS is ideal for providing account managers with the business intelligence they need. It combines unmatched reporting and analytical capabilities with the built-in ability to access information throughout the enterprise. WebFOCUS' high-powered reporting engine can access data resident on virtually any platform or in any file structure. What's more, WebFOCUS can dynamically generate data in a variety of formats, including HTML, XML, Excel, and PDF files.

"This middleware feature was really necessary for the various platforms we have in the bank," explains Qalam. "They include AS/400, UNIX, and NT servers. The system can now convert and display user-generated reports using WebFOCUS."

The power of WebFOCUS results in better and more timely information for account managers. Its multi-dimensional analytic capabilities let them examine data from different points of view, by varying selection criteria. Its reporting capabilities make it easy for all levels of users to access a wealth of information.

"In private banking, we have a major need for reporting, as the query software on the AS/400 is too limited," says Qalam. "In the past, we experimented with our own query programs in COBOL, but, like many companies, found these too cumbersome and costly to maintain.

"Now we can obtain reports that were practically impossible to do before," continues Qalam. "Our internal users, including all of the front-office staff, find this reporting system very easy to use. One of the major advantages is that we can generate a broad range of reports for each client, whether they are accounts, credits, portfolio management, or back office."

Portal Power

Using WebFOCUS as the "glue" between the information on different systems, the bank developed its own account manager portal. The portal gives a consistent look and feel for the many different information sources, with the same appearance as the bank's Internet home page. In addition, it can be personalized by the account managers.

New Value

Bank Sarasin Benelux has found that Internet banking has not only opened a new era of convenience for its clients, it has also improved performance. Now advisers have new levels of financial intelligence, helping them grow the value of their clients' investment portfolios. And Bank Sarasin Benelux can provide exclusive services that make it easier for their clients to respond quickly to market opportunities.