[nzlug] Linux-friendly banks in NZ?

[Mark Foster]

>> Btw it is possible to open "inquire-only" online access with banks,
>> which is basically read-only. You can download statements but not
>> initiate any transaction. The bank remains liable for
>> Internet-originating damage to the account balance (as you didn't
>> authorize them to take instructions over the Internet).
>> 
> Multi-level of security access is an interesting concept. I'm still not sure 
> that it would appeal to the MS-using majority, so I can't see it appealing to 
> the bank.
>
> I don't think that people realise how *monolithic* a bank's IT is and what 
> energy it takes to make a small change, let alone a *large* change for a 
> *small* number of people. The inertia is enormous. From the bank's point of 
> view if 90% of customers are satisfied, the other 10% can go hang.

Have to concur strongly with Cliff here, and at the same time agree with 
Volkers other message ( 
http://www.linux.net.nz/pipermail/nzlug/2008-May/012704.html )

- If it isn't offered as a core business item then it'll unlikely be added 
as a service to provide to the customer
- Individually customized solutions don't scale unless the customer pays 
through the nose for it - which is why the custom (MS only) package option 
is expensive for David to consider.
- In any large business IT infrastructure, adding new functionality is a 
centrally managed, well considered step (usually).  Lots of hoops to jump 
through and in the end, if it's not something likely to either bring in 
more profit or grossly improve the satisfaction of the majority of the 
customer base, it won't be worth the time.

In terms of getting non-MS support of of companies, vendors etc, i've seen 
the most success when choosing the vendor-neutral option causes little or 
no disruption to business-as-usual.  Even if we (as the open minded Linux 
friendly people we are) consider the move to say, a standard data format 
(CSV perhaps), as being pretty painless and simple, if the outfit has an 
internal process driven around some other standard, which would be painful 
to move away from, then their answer will be no (or at least, not in a 
hurry) until they can practically and economically change their backend. 
Assuming they do infact bother.

In real times no large organisation is going to change the way they do 
business for emotive reasons.  They'll wait until a routine upgrade point 
(say the end of the lifecycle of a system) and then look at their 
alternatives.

(And again, if the change only happens to help a small percentage of their 
customer base, how likely is it to happen?)

Mark.