Portrait Software (formerly known as AIT Group), has launched the latest version of Portrait Foundation, its Application Platform Suite designed to help build intelligent, customer-facing applications rapidly; Portrait Foundation is optimised for Customer-Critical Processes and is based on Microsoft .NET.
The first OEM customer for Portrait Foundation is Fiserv Inc., the leading provider of Information Management Solutions for the financial industry. Aperio, from Fiserv CBS Worldwide, is a leading front-office, retail banking system, powered by Portrait. Fiserv CBS have used Portrait to build Aperio, the next-generation sales and service platform for retail banks worldwide.
John Macaluso, CTO of Fiserv CBS Worldwide, said, "We chose Portrait Foundation as the development tool and run-time environment for our new Aperio application. We went through product training and delivered our first three Aperio product version releases ahead of schedule, and we have recently won our first major Aperio victory in the US. Fantastic results in a very short period of time."
Aperio is one of a growing cluster of what Portrait Software calls Living Apps. These are process-centric, composite applications that can be built rapidly and integrate easily with legacy systems to drive a real-time, customer-centric enterprise. Living Apps built with blue-chip partners are needed principally in the financial services, public services and contact centre markets, where business process flexibility and adaptability is crucial for competitive advantage. For example in the Public Sector, Portrait Software and our partners have delivered Portrait Response and Resolve, a contact-handling application for one of Europe's largest Emergency Services organisations.
According to Mark Quirk, Head of Technology for Microsoft's Developer and Platform Group, "Process Management, service-orientation and customer interaction are three hotspots in enterprise IT today – particularly within Financial Services and Public Services. Our customers in these sectors are all looking to squeeze more from their IT systems with fewer resources. This has led to a generational shift in the way applications are developed, delivered and managed where speed to market and agility is key. We're excited that Portrait's Application Platform suite together with .NET tools such as BizTalk Server and Sharepoint Portal Server can help our ISVs bring to market a new wave of process-centric business applications."