REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 14, 2002 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance Ltd., the leading provider of asset-based lending in the United Kingdom, has chosen Microsoft®
BizTalk (TM) Server 2000 to orchestrate the company’s first Web services application, FirstCheck. FirstCheck is an extensive online credit reference solution that allows Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance clients to check the credit rating and payment performance of potential customers and partners within a secure environment. It enables the clients to receive credit information within minutes and allows them to enter into good financial agreements more quickly and avoid risky ones.
“We see Web services changing the way that Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance does business,” said Martin Walmsley, e-business development manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance. “The FirstCheck solution is our first Web services application, and we couldn’t be more pleased with its performance. BizTalk Server enabled us to create the FirstCheck solution quickly and easily. Now, not only are we able to give our customers real-time credit references, we are also lowering our costs for these credit checks, as well as providing a service that has already begun to increase our customer base. Our initial experience with BizTalk Server has encouraged us to look into using BizTalk Server to orchestrate other Web services applications in the future.”
Before Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance created its FirstCheck solution, it processed all credit reference requests by phone and fax. This made for a sometimes lengthy credit-check process. Now, FirstCheck clients enter a credit check request online, and the request is delivered via XML to BizTalk Server. BizTalk Server sends a search request through Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance’s Microsoft SQL Server (TM) to find the credit information stored in its giant database of client credit information. The results are then returned in XML almost instantaneously to the customer making the request.
Because of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance’s innovative work with BizTalk Server 2000, it was named BizTalk Server Customer of the Month for December. This award is presented to key customers to recognize new and innovative solutions utilizing BizTalk Server.
“Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance’s BizTalk Server solution is incredibly innovative. It is a great example of using BizTalk Server to orchestrate Web services,” said Dave Wascha, product manager of BizTalk Server 2000 at Microsoft. “With the help of BizTalk Server, it has automated the process of receiving credit-check requests and sending back credit information, which has allowed it to decrease the amount of time spent on credit checks and helps ensure accurate and timely information for its clients.”
Using XML, SOAP and other core Internet transports and protocols, BizTalk Server 2000 unites enterprise application integration, B2B and business process management technology in a single product to allow companies to easily orchestrate Web services and rapidly build dynamic business processes that span applications, platforms and businesses.
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