Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PFCU), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, provides market-leading financial services to over 400,000 Army and Air Force personnel, Department of Defense employees and contractors, and their families on a worldwide basis. For this highly mobile membership, the credit union continually develops new programs to offer more service options and convenience.
One well-received program is NetTeller, a Web-based home banking site that lets members securely access their account information, apply for loans, and manage their accounts via the Internet. PFCU knew that online banking services were crucial for member retention, so the development of NetTeller became a top priority.
To develop the online solution, PFCU turned to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Financial Technologies, a mainframe outsourcing specialist that leases mainframe application services to its clients. Because the new front-end application would be accessing legacy information from PFCU’s IBM S/390 Mainframe using TN3270, Financial Technologies searched for a vendor with mainframe access experience.
Earlier version had stability problems
Financial Technologies first launched NetTeller in 1997, but the solution did not perform as well as expected. Basically a green screen translator, there was no way to manipulate the look and feel. The online application could handle only about 100 users, and was not reliable enough for the growing number of members requiring access to their accounts. Another solution was needed quickly – and from a vendor with stronger mainframe access expertise. As a Microsoft Windows shop, it was important for the credit union to have a Microsoft® solution. Since PFCU was already using Attachmate® EXTRA!® host emulation products, Financial Technologies brought in Attachmate Consulting Services to replace the unstable software and resolve the NetTeller reliability issues.
Teaming with Attachmate Consulting Services
Consultants recommended Attachmate mainframe integration products, because it could leverage their investment in existing legacy systems and applications. According to Laurie Horstmann, E-Commerce Manager at Financial Technologies, “Attachmate provided a cost effective solution that took advantage of existing mainframe application flow and screens. We are re-using business logic on our legacy system, so there are many benefits.”
Attachmate consultants had two weeks to design a prototype to show a list of accounts with monthly balance. Attachmate spent the next six weeks creating the actual modules. Today, Attachmate’s role has evolved into helping Financial Technologies create new applications and handle maintenance.
Security measures critical for confidentiality
Security is essential in banking, especially when providing sensitive data over the Internet. “Member security was our number one concern in the design,” said Ms. Horstmann. Financial Technologies developers handled the security firewall configuration with Attachmate mainframe integration products providing the authentication method. For access, members are authenticated and validated at the mainframe level. They can access the PFCU home banking site using a standard browser with SSL encryption.
Convenient access from the Internet
PFCU members can access their accounts for information on balances and history, apply for a loan, download information in Quicken® or Money format, or access line-of-credit information. NetTeller handles 250 concurrent users without performance issues, which is crucial as more members use the service. Financial Technologies predicts that scaling up for more concurrent sessions shouldn’t be a problem.
“The credit union is very happy with NetTeller, and so are members,” said Ms. Horstmann. “This is a great solution, especially for organizations with legacy applications. There are many benefits, like low cost and high availability. Plus it’s timely and cost-effective. We’ve already seen paperwork minimized and are realizing a cost-savings. I’d say the Internet solution has absolutely, positively impacted the business.”
She also praised the consultants. “Attachmate is very responsive and does an excellent job of consulting… it’s a talented group of people. They come up with good, well-thought out ideas. We’ve built a very trustful relationship, and truly see them as an extension of our development shop. We are in good hands with them; if a problem occurs with the software, we know Attachmate puts it on top of the list. It’s a good working relationship and I see that continuing.”
Next step: wireless access
Keeping ahead of the game is part of the strategy at PFCU. When Ms. Horstmann saw the possibilities for wireless access, she again called Attachmate. “I asked if they could extend NetTeller’s applications to a mobile phone,” she explained. Indeed they could. The navigation uses TN3270, using a Web server running Attachmate technology to access the mainframe. “We’ll be ready when the members need wireless access,” Ms. Horstmann said.
For nearly sixty years, PFCU has provided financial products and services that offer value and convenience. By extending NetTeller to meet future needs, that tradition continues. “Our partnership with Attachmate has given Pentagon Federal a solution that has proven to be very efficient and scalable. It allows us to offer Internet Banking, embraced overwhelmingly by our members,” said Jon Klugman, Vice President of E-Commerce for PFCU.