I am not certain what the software infrastructure is. From the article below its clear that Schwab also believes its strategic to their business. Because of Schwabs' legacy systems (mainframes), they will spend more money in creating and supporting an integrated environment but can obtain the same performance. They will not be as flexible because dealing with mainframes are hard from both an integration point of view and a management point of view. These mission-critical systems need to be fault-resistant and continue processing if one component (hardware or software) fails. The newer multi-tier processing environment makes this easier and cheaper to accomplish. I would say that ETrade has the advantage of designing and building their system with todays growth in mind. They have flexibility in size (network growth) and flexibility in adding new trading applications faster.
SCHWAB CHOOSES SUN AND AMDAHL FOR BROKERAGE OPERATIONS
Sun Microsystems and Amdahl Corporation today announced that they have been chosen by Charles Schwab and Co., Inc. to
supply, integrate, and maintain systems that will support operations of the entire Schwab branch organization and call center
network.
Over the next several years, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) will provide 5,000 workstations and 100 server
systems and Amdahl will serve as systems integrator and prime contractor for service and support.
The new systems are a key component of a seven-year strategic technology project that will move Schwab's retail brokerage
operations from a centralized computing model to a flexible, client-server architecture that features a branch network of highly
intelligent, multitasking desktop workstations for Schwab brokers.
According to Sheri Anderson, senior vice president of architecture and technology development at Schwab, "We believe we
can enhance service to our customers through the intelligent deployment of technology. Mainframes will continue to serve as
one tier of our information systems architecture, while client-server will represent another tier -- each one suited for a particular
purpose. With the addition of Sun technology, we can parcel out applications to the appropriate platforms giving us increased
flexibility as our business expands."
Schwab is the largest discount brokerage in the United States, with double-digit growth in assets and revenues and a wide
range of retail and institutional customers. In 1989, the company embarked on a systems architecture project to move from a
single mainframe topology and an SNA network to a client-server architecture based around TCP/IP.
Schwab feels that the client-server computing architecture and adherence to open systems standards will allow the company
to take advantage of the individual strengths of desktop, server, and mainframe technologies. In addition, Schwab believes that
this computing infrastructure will put significantly more information in the hands of its customer service organization, so it can
use technology to serve customers better. This new system is the communications backbone for years to come and the
architectural basis for adding new applications easily and quickly.
As prime contractor for systems support, Amdahl will work with SunService, Access Graphics, and Henkels & McCoy to
provide integration, installation, and systems maintenance services. According to Betsy Snow, senior vice president of
distributed implementation and customer support at Schwab, the hardware, software, and service partnerships formed between
Sun and Amdahl last year were important to the selection of Amdahl as Schwab's systems integrator and maintenance
provider. "Sun's expertise in supporting UNIX, Solaris, and client-server architecture was complemented by Amdahl's
experience in systems integration, large enterprise computing, and program management," Snow said.
Last September, Amdahl and Sun entered into a comprehensive set of agreements covering operating systems software,
servers, and customer service. Under the agreements, Amdahl is porting elements of its UTS operating system to Sun's
Solaris system, an effort that will enhance security, availability, and performance of large-scale servers, important for
mission-critical, commercial computing environments. Amdahl will also market Sun's SPARCcenter 2000 and SPARCserver
1000 systems, and the two companies have agreed to jointly make a broad range of services and support available to their
common customers.
The deployment phase of the Schwab project is now under way with equipment installed at Schwab offices in Phoenix, Denver,
and San Francisco.
In addition to providing a wide array of information systems services, Amdahl Corporation is a major supplier of mainframe
computers, UNIX system software and midrange servers, data storage subsystems, and applications development and
production software for use in both open systems and IBM-compatible computing environments. The company is based in
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation is the number one supplier of UNIX-based computers to the financial services
market. According to Computer Intelligence/InfoCorp, Sun leads the worldwide market for all UNIX systems in securities and
banking/credit industries with 40.3 and 24.2 percent respective market share. SMCC, the world's leading supplier of open
network computing solutions, is an operating company of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Built on Sun's legacy of "The Network is the
Computer," SMCC's SPARC/Solaris workstation and server family leads the UNIX market. The company has its headquarters
in Mountain View, Calif.
Note: Sun, the Sun logo, Solaris, "The Network is the Computer," Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, SunService, and
Sun Microsystems are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Amdahl and UTS are registered
trademarks of Amdahl Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Ltd. All SPARC trademarks, including
the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCserver and
SPARCcenter are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an
architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their
respective owners.
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