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VISION's technological breakthroughs and results
VISION began as a technology company in 1984. From the outset we have led our industry's shift from expensive and restricting mainframe technology to technologies that better suit today's business models.
We were among the first to combine wide area network and client-server technologies to successfully address major business transition challenges for industries as diverse as banking and electricity generation.
For Scottish Hydro-Electric we implemented a large-scale Oracle client-server infrastructure that stretched from the fibre-optic cities of Scotland to the low bandwidth Highlands and Islands. For Dime Bank of New York, we consolidated all their call centres to a new, central business unit.
For Citibank, VISION automated some of its key, high volume Internet and call centre workflow processes using Web technology. For Bank of Ireland, we replaced its nationwide proprietary network of branch systems with a distributed network of UNIX machines that integrated with its central banking administration and transaction mainframes.
Early breakthroughs
Through ground-breaking work in the early l990s, we learned quickly the great promise and practical limitations of object orientation and its role in large-scale distributed systems. For IBM we led the design of their strategic software distribution initiative using its recently-introduced OS/2 and wide area network connectivity platforms.
We adopted workflow and network-based document management technologies as core enterprise components, long before their value as a systems integration technique was recognised by our industry.
We've demonstrated that a 'workflow-centric' approach to business and systems design and delivery creates benefits. Examples of such projects include Intelligent Finance for Halifax, Citibank, Bank of Ireland and Scottish Hydro-Electric.
Through a unique approach to process design and carefully aligned technology, we have consistently been able to improve customer service and reduce delivery costs; often doubling or trebling throughput without any increase in underlying costs, driving significant benefit to the client's bottom line.
Internet's promise
In the US and, later, in Europe, VISION built Internet systems for many of the early adopters of the Internet. We saw first hand the early promise of the Internet and introduced emerging technology standards such as Java, XML and J2EE to our mainstream projects for national and global clients.
For Bank of Ireland, we created a rich Java-based commercial cash management system, which is the de facto standard in its industry. For TheStreet.com, we combined use of XML and an Oracle RDBMS to store content for publishing to TheStreet.com's sites and its syndication partners - a fundamental component of its business strategy.
For a major US music and media group, we built a world-class publishing and promotions system using XML and XSL, along with many other leading technologies. This integrated set of content and promotional tools is used not only on the client's websites, but also by syndication partners to promote artists and track promotional activity.
For Intelligent Finance, the hugely successful UK Internet and telephone bank, VISION used a wide collection of technologies to deliver a full working bank in less than a year. They included:
- NT/IIS at the front-end
- Solaris/Oracle/WebLogic (J2EE) in the mid-tier
- Metro workflow
- OS/390 and CICS at the back-end
- SOAP and XML over MQ for system-to-system messaging.
VISION has grown beyond its technology beginnings, operating in the overlapping domains of business, people, process and technology. But VISION remains true to its technology roots: we're committed to continue to lead the industry in the adoption and exploitation of technology, for the sake of achieving outstanding business results for our clients.
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Copyright © 2007 VISION Consulting. All Rights Reserved.
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