Client-server among candidates for most overhyped system.

New technologies are often heralded as if they are going to change life as we know it. But sometimes a computer system proves to be more complex, more expensive, and less awesome than it originally appeared.

This fall, for example, Norwest Corp. pulled out of a seven-year project with Banc One Corp. and Electronic Data Systems Corp. that is to integrate all aspects of retail bank operations into a single system.

Norwest cited the "disappointing" time frame for rolling out a key part of the software. In the 1980s, there were high hopes for home banking, although today it is done by relatively few customers.

And artificial-intelligence-based lending systems often require a lot more natural intelligence behind them than many were led to believe.

With this in mind, we asked bankers: What is the most overhyped new technology?

JONATHAN PALMER Chief technology executive Barnett Banks Inc. Jacksonville, Fla.

Two come to mind. One is imaging technology and the other is client-server computing. In both areas, the expectations are extremely high. But we haven't yet found a way to take advantage of imaging. The technology itself has to improve. While our hopes have certainly not been dashed, our early expectations have not been met.

And many people have touted client-server as the way to eliminate costly mainframes. We're learning that that promise is going to be a long time coming true. We are also learning that managing a client-server environment is complex, perhaps more so than managing a mainframe environment.

With client-server, as with imaging, the technology is not really there. The tools continue to be developed. We are probably several years away from managing client-server effectively.

CHARLES G. KLAPHEKE 3d Senior vice president, automation First Union Corp. Charlotte, N.C.

In the rush to embrace client-server systems and local area networks, some have stumbled by understimating the systems' inherent challenges. The potential of client-server hasn't necessarily been overhyped, but the cost to make them work well is sometimes underplayed.

Client-server systems have tremendous promise because they can bring a world of intelligence to the desktop.

But even though the workstation is relatively cheap, the technology requires more infrastructure support than you might expect. For example, disaster recovery and file backup are more difficult on client-servers than in a centralized environment.

The expertise needed to manage these challenges will only develop from years of experience with the technology.

STEPHEN J. TRAFTON Chairman and chief executive Glendale Federal Bank Glendale, Calif.

ATMs. Large commercial banks continue to stress the use of ATMs, touting their ease of use and expediency, but in doing so they are driving their customers out of the bank offices.

ATMs supplant the face-to-face interactions between banking personnel and the customers that are so essential for understanding the customers' needs. We provide ATMs only as a convenience for our customers, not as a convenience for the bank.

We encourage our customers to come into the banking office give us the opportunity to expose them to the full range of products and services we can provide to satisfy their financial needs.

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