Software solutions

главная > about company > software solutions

InterBank RS — a powerful modern front-office for the large-scale banks

OVERVIEW OF THE SOLUTION

R-Style Softlab offers InterBank RS, essentially new product allowing to build scalable solutions with high performance which will ideally fit to the individual needs of large-scale banks. This is a powerful platform for the front-office solutions designed for both customers and employees of the banks.

Internet-banking module for the corporate customers is the basic application of the solution. Yet functionally wise and technologically wise InterBank RS is much more flexible, for it allows building corporate finance management and cash-management solutions, Bank2Bank systems and so on.

One of the key advantages of InterBank RS as compared to the majority or offered solutions is an option to base all front-office applications at the same platform. This will allow optimizing the maintenance costs (single technology), ease and fasten integration with back-office systems (for example, once having integrated the corporate banking front-office with a loan back-office you can use same technique for the retail solution).

Any modern Internet browser – that is what a user (either customer or Bank’s employee) will need to start operating the system. This feature allows a Bank to open new branches (sale points, cash-offices, etc) in the most proactive manner (just to install an operating system at the user workstations), and to gain a noticeable expense saving from the third-party software licensing (freeware OS and browsers are supported). And from the customer point of view it means no installation, easy configuring and comfortable operation.

PLATFORM FEATURES

High performance and scalability

InterBank RS runs on industrial database (Oracle Database and others) and application servers supporting J2EE (Oracle Internet Application Server, IBM WebSphere, JBoss etc), which means high scalability, fault tolerance and robust operation in 24 х 7 х 365 mode. And a Bank could provide its services to the hundreds of thousand customers at the federal level by applying cluster technology.

Centralized architecture

InterBank RS is a centralised software package, and thus one instance could transparently interact with multiple banking systems (indeed from different vendors) installed in remote branches. This feature allows customers to manage remotely their accounts opened in different branches or banks of the same mother company operating in different time zones thanks to the Single Sign-on technology a customer access all his accounts from the same window.

Centralisation means single information space containing all data about customers, accounts and documents. The customers thus benefit from the opportunity to view all their cashflows from the same window while the Bank benefits from the single unified management approach to the distance servicing. This will improve service operativity and quality and decrease system operation costs.

System access rights management is flexible: all users (including system administrators as well) could access data only of their allowed branches. For example if the branch structure is hierarchical the users could access either the data of their own branch only or their own and all underlying.

Cash management solutions fully adopt the centralisation advantages of InterBank RS, which means that one can manage cash flows of the group and holding companies holding their accounts in different branches of the Bank situated in remote districts. And at the same time all cash flows, limits and etc are stored in the single InterBank RS database regardless of the geographical situation of daughter companies.

Document forms and processing logic builder

The set of payment and consulting documents, used by the system is expandable. A special built-in tool allows to create new and customize existing forms easily through user-friendly interface. It means that these tasks could be effectively solved by the business or IT analytics without any development.

Document management is composed of three parts: document content management, document form management and document processing workflow management.

Document forms builder allows:

To create new documents and list, and to customize existing ones;
To manage field content of the forms. The fields could be plain (“string”, “date”, “amount”), or complex (a cross-reference to the list or another document).
To create validation rules for different actions on the documents (saving, importing, etc.). Validation algorithms and user notification message (in any existing system language) in case of check errors;
To manage complete design of a form or a list: fields and their placing, drop-down list controls, etc.

Workflow builder allows to configure the set and order of processing steps for each kind of documents. A step is understood as, for example, document signature, import into the core banking system, approval, printing and so on. In fact a step is any action on the document – either manual or automatic.

Workflow builder allows to configure:

The set of processing steps for each kind of documents. Bank experts could add new steps or remove existing;
The order of steps and dependencies between those. The steps could be executed serially (next step follows the successful execution of the previous) or in parallel (independently);
Applying conditions for the steps (depending on the document details, user role, branch). For example, the system could be configured in a way that three approvals are needed for a document above certain amount.

Cross-platformity

Both server and client parts of InterBank RS could operate on different platforms. InterBank RS application web interface is compatible with all popular browsers, including freeware. It runs on MS Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and others with a fully functional encryption system.

Flexible access rights management system

User access rights management is based on the role mechanism. A user role fully describes and governs his access to the menu, system objects and actions.

Roles could be assigned per the customer companies or bank departments. One user could have several different roles. For example he can act as General Manager of Company A and Chief Accountant of Company B.

Banking experts have unlimited possibilities for role configuring. Each system object could have different access rules for its parameters (e.g. the fields could be hidden, read-only or writable). All actions with the object (create, delete, processing step execution) are also configured.

Standard version of the system has pre-defined set of user roles. Banking experts could either use standard solution or implement the Bank user access rights policy.

Multi-language

User applications of InterBank RS have multi-language interface and unlimited number of languages could be used in the system simultaneously. And existing forms are not duplicated for each language but remain as is simply displayed in different languages.

This approach still allow to create own forms for any region where the Bank branches are situated. This allows not only to offer banking services in the native language of each region, but also to take into account regional clearing system specifics within single centralised system.

A user can select application language and switch it dynamically while operating the system. Language set is unlimited and could be expanded within customization and system operation. Translation is made by the user interface tools, without any developments.

This mechanism is best suitable for the International banks.

User interface builder

The system has built-in user interface editor which allows to construct screen forms, menu items and whole pages without any HTML-coding.

This tool is used to design the whole web-interface. It allows to create new documents and change their appearance (edit panels, print forms), menu items, logos and other elements; modify web page layout, color schemes, item styles and so on.

These tasks are easily solved during the implementation or operation of the system.

Visual screen form editor has very usable interface with typical tools like copy and paste, element and image libraries and etc.

Creating document editor form

Security

InterBank RS includes all necessary and state of the art encryption tools for the remote work with financial documents. Different encryption systems are supported by means of connecting encryption plug-ins.

Depending on the encryption tool used the system allows storing secured keys of the electronic digital signature (EDS) at the different devices, including USB-tokens, which provide the maximum security.

The Bank can choose encryption systems with automated initial installation of encryption libraries on user PC — at the first login into the system (for example Agava-S encryption library). A user will not need administrator rights to install the library.

Encryption control blocks (ECB) are configured for each kind of the documents. A ECB is a set of document fields which require EDS. Different ECBs could be used for the same document – for the different user roles and processing steps. As a result each employee shall “sign off” only those fields which are in his responsibility.

ECB technology also makes easy and transparent all conflicts of the docflow. A set of signed fields (right in the same appearance as a user has seen it while signing) could be exported into a file for further validation by the third-party software.

Encrypted authorisation of InterBank RS users could be effected by a certificate from any data encryption system (DES), and not only from those with two-factor authorisation by SSL or TLS.

InterBank RS also provides own authorisation mechanism based on the EDS for the DESs which do not support “built-in authorisation” (effected by the web-server tools). It will require only a secured connection via SSL channel with server autorisation and could operate with any DES allowing signature.

Integration with Core banking and other back-office systems

The Gate, a special module, is responsible for the data exchange between InterBank RS and back-office systems (core banking system first of all).

Its architecture is universal and provides two types of data exchange – synchronous and asynchronous. Integration could be made by means of:

API, provided by the data source;
Message queue (MOM — Message Oriented Middleware solutions);
Integration bus (ESB — Enterprise Service Bus);
Web services;
File exchange (XML- or other text format);
Direct access to the source database (if other options are unavailable or not effective).

Integration mechanisms are used not only for the document exchange between the Gate and data source but also for the replication of the reference information. Integration choice depends on the core banking system architecture and Bank’s IT infrastructure parameters (geographical spread, telecom channels quality and fail-safety, data volumes and so on).

FUNCTIONALITY OF THE INTERNET-BANKING MODULE

Internet-Banking module is composed of two web applications: “Bank customer automated workplace” (Customer AWP) and “Bank employee automated workplace” (Employee AWP). Main functionality of those is described below.

Bank customer automated workplace

Customer AWP application is installed at the Bank’s web server. Standard system provides basic Internet-banking functionality typically demanded by the corporate customers.

Main functional blocks of the Customer AWP

Functional block	Description
Account statements Account consult	A user could generate the statements and consult on the balances of his available accounts. The same user can access both accounts of different corporate customers and accounts of different branches of the Bank.
Complete set of the document forms exchanged between the customer and the Bank	All RUB and non-RUB payment and reference forms comply fully with Russian regulations and most widely adopted business practices. Those could be easily customized by the Bank’s IT department during the implementation and operation in order to comply with the Bank’s regulations.
Exchanging data with external solutions	Allows exporting statements and importing documents from the most popular accounting systems (“1C-Enterprise” and others).
Service and personalisation tools	Customers can consult on the effective exchange rates of the Bank, use directories, configure automated numbering rules, set up import and export parameters and so on.
Document templates	Templates are created per each document kind — personal, available for the author only; templates available for any employee of a corporate customer; common templates of the Bank available for any user.
Security – EDS	Any document could be signed by the EDS. The system allows flexible configuring of the number of EDS per document, order and conditions for signing, document fields to be protected, and so on. All validations are executed automatically as were pre-configured at the workflow steps.
Thin client, compatible with any browser	User interface of the system is realized in the thin client architecture. To start working a user needs only an Internet browser. No additional software (except encryption modules) is to be installed. Encryption modules are installed via browser and do not require any additional actions from the user.

Web interface of the Bank customer automated workplace

Bank employee automated workplace

Employee AWP is an application installed at the Bank’s intranet which is typically unavailable over the Internet. It provides system administration and customer document management functionality.

Main functional blocks of the Employee AWP

Functional block	Description
Customer / user / account / branch management	Adding new users and granting access rights; assigning and activating user certificates; creating customers (import from the core banking system); replicating accounts; managing contracts.
Customer document management	The Bank’s administrators and operations officers could view the documents sent by the customers, perform manual operations if needed, verify successful export into the core system, exchange mails with the customers.
Directory management	Managing common banking directories and dictionaries used to fill-in the forms.
Bank template library management	The system allows creating common form templates of any kind which then available for the customers. A template could be available either for any customer or for the customers of a certain branch.