The following samples show how the Branch Transformation Toolkit supports
some of the channels that a financial institution can use to deliver applications.
- Bank teller
- A typical configuration for bank tellers is a grouping of client workstations
with physically attached financial devices and each one having an HTML browser
or a Java(TM) client
desktop. The client side of the teller application can be a Java applet
downloaded on demand from an HTTP server. The client side, which mainly deals
with presentation and the management of local financial devices, has access
to the server side in the application presentation layer through the HTTP
or SSL protocol. The server side provides a common set of services to the
teller client workstations and provides access to the business processes provided
by the application logic layer. Note that application can be deployed in a
server physically located in the branch or in a regional or central data center
without any changes to the coding of the application.
- Internet banking
- Internet banking users access financial services through a Web (HTML)
browser running on a device connected to the Internet. The user interface
design is normally based on HTML and other browser-supported technologies
such as JSPs and XML. The HTTP protocol connects the client side to the server
side, which is in the application presentation layer. The server side of the
application processes requests from the Web browsers and invokes a business
process in the application logic layer to access the data from enterprise
servers. The server side also generates the views that the client displays.
The application is usually located at a central site behind a firewall.
In
most cases, the client views are HTML pages (as for Web browsers); however,
an HTTP protocol can use other technologies and presentation options such
as XML messages if the client device supports them.
- Kiosks and ATMs
- Toolkit applications can also appear in kiosks or ATMs that run Internet
technologies such as a Web browser and Java. The solutions are similar and equally
successful. The client is usually a Java application or applet that manages
both the presentation logic and the support for the financial devices present
in the terminal. For example, a kiosk might have a magnetic stripe reader
(MSR), chip card reader, receipt printer, passbook printer, bar code reader,
or touch screen display.
The kiosk or ATM terminals may be connected to
the toolkit server using the HTTP or SSL protocols. They may also be located
inside branches and connect and handle like branch workstations. Terminals
can also connected directly to the server through public or private
data lines.