Facilitating Data Management for Financial Services

Banks and security firms are experiencing ever-increasing challenges placed on the industry by such acts as Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm Leach Bliley, Basel II and the US Patriot Act. These companies are constantly defining and assessing operational risk, for example, of capital adequacy, security and privacy. The greatest challenge is the risk that is incurred around internal controls with respect to distributed information and software systems. Historically, the financial services industry has developed one of the most reliable processing capabilities in the industry today, and typically, transaction processing is handled within core processes that are integrated into a single system. However, a quick gap analysis highlights that most financial institutions also use a myriad of software systems that are not part of the core system for specialized activities and important decision support analysis. Executives and line of business managers search to mitigate operational risk by identifying Key Risk Indicators (KRI's) and turn to sophisticated analysis tools to equate the required (SOA 404) Risk Control Self Assessment (RCSA). While firms move to select comprehensive systems for capturing and monitoring risk, the often-faced challenge is that many of the specialized tools provided by niche players are proprietary in nature, and do not adhere to any common standard for integration with other systems. The complexity of integration and visibility is often further compounded with mergers and acquisitions and their conflicting legacy systems, which add a worrisome assortment of new systems to the mix.

Capabilities and Benefits

Stone Bond Technologies offers the most cost-effective, flexible and rapidly implemented integration suite, Enterprise Enabler® (EE). EE's unique features and capabilities address the need for sensible, efficient and effective integration of data flow among databases and applications in the financial services industry. Among the key features that Stone Bond addresses in the financial services arena are:

• Process Automation
• Data Visibility
• Completeness
• Security
• Rapid Deployment

Flexible Access to Niche and Mainframe Systems

Stone Bond's proprietary technology enables real-time or "right-time" connectivity, with flexibility never seen before, to existing mainframe and niche systems. Once EE unlocks critical data from legacy and other core system still resident on mainframes, institutions are able to centrally access and manage information previously handled through email, hardcopy or spreadsheets.

Rapid Implementation and Completeness:

Using Stone Bond's Enterprise Enabler, firms are no longer limited to technologies that impose potentially inappropriate business processes, or require inflexible and complex message brokers or data models. Stone Bond's unique AppComm (application communicator) technology returns the focus back to the business process, which is then enabled by the technology - instead of the technology dictating the process. Systems and data objects are seamlessly integrated in days and weeks rather than months and years.

Impact Analysis and Change Management:

As comprehensive solutions are configured, one of the key challenges is maintaining and managing the constant evolution and flux. Upgrades, migrations, replacements and changes in business process increase complexity and can lower the integrity of data and infrastructure, thus increasing risk if not monitored and managed properly. Stone Bond's patented IIP (Integration Integrity Process) performs impact analysis based upon key logic from business processes and intersystem relationships. Providing instant proactive analysis and alerts improves the quality and system integrity while sizably reducing ongoing support and down time.