KeyCorp is using the webMethods Integration Platform to connect a disparate variety of packaged and custom enterprise applications, mainframe systems and servers running on multiple platforms under an initiative to streamline business processes and increase efficiency across the group.
Mike Dunn, vice president of enterprise architecture, KeyCorp, says the aim of the integration strategy is to reduce the high volume of custom development, to lower maintenance costs, to simplify the IT environment and to speed the time to market of its services and offerings.
He says: "We identified enterprise integration as one of the essential technologies that could give the company greater competitive advantage."
He points to a switch from custom developed code to XML for integrating with Reuters' news feeds, which are posted to the Internet banking site Key.com, as an early success for the project.
The webMethods platform has also been used to integrate enterprise resource planning applications for corporate customers, and is currently being applied to meld portal applications with mainframe and legacy databases, to automate the process for dealing with loan origination requests.
KeyCorp has additionally contracted to use the webMethods Workflow product to insert human steps in automated business processes that require special handling.