Alok, here it is:
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Tuesday, December 16, 1997
Java wins over another convert
By KIRSTY NEEDHAM
Major Australian insurance company GIO Australia has emerged as Sun
Microsystem's next big Java convert in time for the unveiling of a fish-bowl shopfront on Berry Street in North Sydney - a Java Design Centre to provide prototype and mentoring services to clients.
Mark Bauhaus, the director of Internet/Java consulting practice for Sun Professional Services, said that while "people like the sizzle around Java", now they needed to see results and applications under way using the "write once, run anywhere" 800-day-old programming language.
The design centres, being set up around the world, were targeting large enterprises and medium-sized businesses requiring applications for emerging electronic commerce models to more traditional IT solutions.
The finance sector had emerged as an area of strong growth for Java deployment worldwide. The paper-based insurance industry was a non-traditional "surprise customer", Bauhaus said.
David Lane, the regional general manager of professional services for Sun Microsystems Australia, said this was mirrored here, although the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority remained the single largest client.
The Berry Street Java Design Centre now has about 10 clients across government, manufacturing and finance industries, he said.
GIO's chief information officer, John Hassett, said the company had chosen to use Java to extend the reach of its "fairly modern" six-year-old general insurance package, Cogen, so that it could be accessed by the insurance company's country agents and mobile staff.
"GIO has 175 local area networks scattered around Australia. Offline country agents process low volumes of transactions and did not justify a dedicated link into our network," he said.
However, lowered telecommunications costs since deregulation now made the provision of a service cost-effective, he said.
The Java deployment will allow country agents in the first quarter of 1998 to use an ISDN dial-in to a company Intranet, with a Web server as an interface. Java was chosen because it was cross-platform and allowed a simpler interface, he said.
"It is also anticipated that this concept of extended applications architecture will subsequently be adapted for other GIO core business application," Hassett said.
Further down the track, Java could be implemented to allow automated telephone claims facilities.
"Ultimately it will be able to support someone dialling in from home over the Internet and entering details," he predicted.
Because the availability of Java expertise in Australia was "not clear", Hassett said GIO had opted for a relationship with Sun through the design centre, which would enable cross-training of in-house staff and access to Sun expertise across the design centre's international network.
Bauhaus said the network of centres was handling 60 projects worldwide.
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Enjoy,
Gordon Shen |
