Schwab Teams with IBM to Modernize its Existing Systems with Java
SAN FRANCISCO (March 24, 1998) – The existing core business systems of Charles Schwab hold $388 billion (U.S.) in assets for the firm’s 4.9 million customers, more than a quarter of whom conduct their trades online. Whether customers interact with Schwab through the Web, through automated voice systems or through brokers, they tap into the same systems, which process more than two million transactions per hour.
Schwab, the world’s largest discount brokerage firm and provider of on-line brokerage services, is seeing its revenues grow at a rate of 25 percent a year. It has partnered with IBM to develop innovative ways to stay ahead of capacity demands, remain continously available to its customers and reduce time to market for new electronic products. The firm wanted to modernize existing systems and reduce the complexity of the current infrastructure. Most importantly, Schwab had to keep its current corporate and customer data intact without sacrificing current or future systems performance.
High-performance Java** Transactions at Schwab
The answer for Schwab is in the deployment of new technologies, developed in partnership with IBM, such as component-based Java application development and a network of high-performance Java transaction servers. Moving to a Java component-based environment allows Schwab to leverage existing data in future applications, lower administrative costs and increase data flexibility.
Schwab looks to JavaBeans** as components that can be developed quickly with IBM’s VisualAge* for Java tool, deployed in Web and intranet applications and reused throughout the enterprise. The firm relies on IBM’s TXSeries* transactional middleware technology to extend the existing data and systems to e-business. IBM’s Component Broker* technology, within CICS* Transaction Server, allows Schwab to base communication between these components on open industry standards, which is key in a heterogeneous environment.
Component Broker, TXSeries and other IBM middleware offerings, as well as VisualAge tools, will support Enterprise JavaBeans**, enabling Schwab and other customers to write standard components once and deploy them in the server environment that best meets their needs.
“Enterprise JavaBeans is the logical next step for us as we work with IBM to modernize our existing systems,” said James Chong, vice president, Architecture and Planning at Charles Schwab. “Now that IBM has announced its plans to support Enterprise JavaBeans across the range of IBM’s middleware products, we will benefit tremendously as we move into the future.”
Component Broker is IBM’s server software for building and deploying distributed component-based applications. TXSeries is IBM’s middleware offering for highly scalable, secure transaction processing. IBM’s award-winning VisualAge for Java is the first Java development environment for the enterprise.
A demonstration of Schwab’s work with IBM can be viewed at the JavaOne** Worldwide Developer Conference, Booth 619.
Source: IBM