NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 1998 — KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, a leading professional services firm, and Microsoft Corp. today announced they are expanding their enterprise alliance by offering end-to-end solutions for the financial services industry based on the Microsoft® Windows® Distributed interNet Applications for Financial Services (Windows DNAfs) framework. Using its extensive working knowledge of business and technology issues in the financial services industry, KPMG has helped Microsoft define a solution framework to prioritize and address these issues.
Through their alliance, KPMG and Microsoft aim to meet the growing need among financial services companies worldwide for reliable, scalable, easy-to-use and component-based applications to competitively run businesses in this dynamic industry. KPMG and Microsoft are actively engaging with customers within the banking, insurance and securities segments of the financial services industry to build solutions based on Windows DNAfs.
“As financial services industries consolidate, a cost-effective method for integrating information must be adopted by those companies wanting to compete globally within this rapidly changing market,”
said William McGee, managing partner of KPMG’s financial services consulting practice.
“The Windows DNAfs framework provides the flexibility and the interoperability between legacy systems and emerging technologies to enable it to become the standard to which financial services industry companies can build business solutions well into the next millennium. Our investment in helping Microsoft shape this framework will enable KPMG to provide financial services clients today with reliable, robust and cost-effective solutions for improving their business.”
“Windows DNAfs is not a vertical application. Rather, it defines a framework for Plug and Play line-of-business application integration,”
said Bill Hartnett, worldwide financial services industry manager at Microsoft.
“Developers can use this specification as a road map for building solutions to solve business problems. The opportunity to have companies the caliber of KPMG providing input during the development of the Windows DNAfs specification has allowed Microsoft to deliver a more viable framework, which will help customers start to build solutions today. Customers can rely on the expertise KPMG has developed to implement enterprise-class Windows DNAfs-based solutions.”
Windows DNA and Windows DNAfs Defined
Windows Distributed interNet Applications (Windows DNA) is a framework that integrates the personal computer standard, the Internet and legacy infrastructures by enabling computers to interoperate and cooperate equally well across corporate and public networks. Windows DNA provides an interoperability framework based on open protocols and published interfaces that allow customers to extend existing systems with new functionality. This same open model provides extensibility
“hooks,”
so third parties can realize new business opportunities by creating compatible products that extend the architecture. Using the Windows DNA model, customers can build modern, scalable, multitier business applications that can be delivered over any network.
Windows DNAfs is an umbrella framework built using the Windows DNA technology foundation and financial services extensions. It is designed to help bridge the gap between the Windows DNA technology foundation and existing industry data standards. Third parties that build solutions based on the Windows DNAfs architecture will allow financial institutions to build a reusable, reliable, scalable delivery channel infrastructure that marries the best of existing systems with the flexibility of new systems. In addition, Windows DNAfs takes advantage of the distributed services provided by the Windows NT® Server operating system and Microsoft BackOffice® family of integrated server applications. Windows DNAfs also works with powerful, scalable client/server computer systems that allow banks to use traditional delivery channels as well as Internet-oriented solutions, customer analysis tools and load balancing.
More details of the Windows DNAfs framework can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/finserv/default4.htm .
About KPMG
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International, a leading professional services firm. In the United States, KPMG partners and professionals provide a wide range of accounting, tax and consulting services. As one of the foremost providers of information-based value added services, KPMG serves clients with complex needs by capturing, managing, assessing and delivering information to create knowledge that can help maximize shareholder value. KPMG International has more than 6,500 partners and 85,300 professionals in 155 countries. KPMG’s Web site is http://www.us.kpmg.com/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and
personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
