NationsBank Corp. has agreed to use Sybase Inc. software for client/server systems throughout its operation.
The announcement is part of the Charlotte, N.C., bank's move to expand its use of client/server applications, in which personal computers and file servers share information processing tasks. A Sybase server will sit at the core of NationsBank's bankwide client/server system.
The Sybase applications are intended to help bank employees using PCs to access data on separate pieces of hardware more effectively.
NationsBank, like many large financial institutions, has been leaning more heavily on distributed systems as part of a corporate initiative to improve its operational efficiency.
The new system relies largely on managing and mining information from the bank's legacy mainframes, stressing close integration with existing systems.
"To accommodate new business requirements, we wanted a relational data base management system that is highly flexible, open, and scalable," said Tony Flora, senior vice president of technology services at NationsBank.
"With Sybase, users throughout our organization will gain an improved ability to access and manipulate critical data at their desktops. This in turn increases their ability to support our customers' needs more effectively."
The bankwide license with Emeryville, Calif.-based Sybase will enable NationsBank to consolidate its maintenance bills and technology investments.
The Sybase software will help NationsBank to more effectively support its multifaceted technological infrastructure, Sybase officials said.
NationsBank runs six mainframes out of two regional data centers. A wide area network connects more than 480 Novell file servers to the more than 14,000 Windows-based personal computers at the bank.
The bank will use a wide range of Sybase products, including OmniSQL Gateway, Net Gateway, and Open Serve. Terms of the software deal were not disclosed.
