InformationWeek

Chase.com formalized its systems consulting function earlier this year by naming Ameet Patel, a systems architect for the bank's national consumer services group, as its chief technology officer. Patel, who fancies himself a CTO-for-rent, consults with Chase business units on their Web-enablement projects, evaluates the technological viability of new alliances, and helps design and architect internal incubation projects. "When a business opportunity appears on the radar screen, we're notified to start working through the technical aspects," Patel says.

Patel and his staff of six technologists provide business-development people and line-of-business managers with guidelines, tools, and a network architecture in which to anchor their projects, while allowing each project to operate autonomously. That architecture is based on a three-tier design consisting of a database layer, an application server layer, and a Web browser. Major technology platforms include a Cisco network infrastructure, a combination of Compaq servers running Microsoft Windows NT, Sun Solaris Unix servers, and BEA Systems' WebLogic and IBM's Web-Sphere application servers.

On top of that foundation, Chase.com has selected a set of standard E-business tools, including Open Market's Web content-management tools, Macromedia's Aria for Web-traffic analysis, Kana Communications' E-mail marketing and service suite, IBM MQ Series middleware, Siebel Systems' customer-relationship management system, and enCommerce's single-sign-on Web-access software. Chase.com is also evaluating tools for online personalization, wireless services, and E-marketing analysis.

Chase's Web site is managed by 50 software engineers, project managers, and client services staffers under the direction of Chase senior VP Janet Wynn. A priority for Wynn and Patel is integrating the Web site and new Web-based business systems with 300 existing business application systems running the bank. "The sheer complexity of connecting into back-end systems is our biggest challenge," Wynn says.

While each business unit has different back-end systems supporting it--many of them custom developed--the goal is an "all-to-all architecture," meaning all channels offer access to all products for a given customer segment.

For example, Chase's online banking and Brown & Co. retail brokerage sites give customers a full view of their accounts and services with one user ID and password. "It's a continual process as you add more sophisticated applications and a more customer-centric approach," Patel says. "We're pushing the envelope on how each piece comes together in terms of security and reliability."

Return to main story, "Chase.com's Agenda."