Concurrent Computer Corp, whose European base is in Maidenhead, Berkshire, has released what it calls the first fully integrated banking system for the 1990s at the Computers in Banking Exhibition at the Barbican in London this week. The Globus system, which runs under real-time Unix and whose software was developed by a company formed from ex-employees of Citibank, is intended to respond to what Concurrent has pinpointed as new, and as yet unfulfilled, requirements in banking and the capital markets, chief of which is the need for information to be delivered in real-time. Concurrent also claims that the easy customisation of Globus will be another major attraction. Real-time dealing support is supplied on the Information Display System through a series of windows, the idea being that the rows of terminals currently required by financial dealers will be replaced by a single workstation installed at each desk. A multi-function workstation option enables Globus applications to be combined with word processing, telex, video display, spreadsheet and other services on one terminal, which, according to Concurrent will make data easier to assimilate. Transaction modules for Globus include foreign exchange, money market, funds transfer, commercial loans and securities packages, each of which provide real-time access and the ability to update information on-line, while a multi-lingual facility allows the screen text and help prompts to be received in a language selected by the user. Globus supports X25 and all the major networking protocols, and customers who have access to a particular system can connect their terminals to Globus through the public telephone network. The hardware for Globus is being produced at the Concurrent factory in Cork, while the software, now licensed by Concurrent, comes from its Slough plant. Already installed at various pilot sites, the Globus system, which is available now at a typical system cost of UKP750,000, is claimed to have reduced costs – mainly through staff reductions – at these sites by around 25%.
