Sun, M&I Data Announce 300th Bank in Production Using Data Warehouse Solution on Sun Platform
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Sun Microsystems, Inc. and M&I Data Services today announced that Independent Bank Corp. (IBC), a Michigan-based bank with more than $1 billion in assets, is the 300th bank using the M&I Information Desktop which leverages the scalable network computing architecture of Sun's SPARC systems and Solaris operating environment.

IBC chose M&I's Information Desktop on the Sun platform as a basis for an enterprise-wide data warehousing product to turn disparate financial and customer data into information IBC managers can act upon to improve performance and target new customers. The announcement is testimony to the continued momentum third-party data warehousing solutions on Sun are enjoying in the financial services marketplace.

"Implementing the Information Desktop increases our access to accurate data that can help manage the needs of our customers," said Marcia Bratsburg, vice president operations and technology for IBC. "We now can deliver comprehensive, timely information in a useful format to the right decision-makers in our organization."

Sun was chosen as the data warehouse deployment platform for reasons which center on the best interests of M&I Data Services customers. "Sun's Solaris operating environment provides the power, reliability, and economic price performance that are vital to driving the business solutions available through the Information Desktop," said Tom Mroczkowski, manager of enterprise architecture at M&I Data Services.

However, the key benefit of the Sun platform for M&I is its scalability. "The M&I data warehouse architecture is founded on a flexible implementation model. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We needed to provide our customers with the ability to grow the depth and breadth of the data warehouse as their business needs evolve. The Sun architecture provides industry-leading scalability and flexibility. These characteristics are critical to tailoring a solution which yields significant value to institutions which range in size from community banks to those with a nationwide presence. "

IBC is in full-scale production with Information Desktop and is utilizing over 8,000 fields of data that are updated daily and provide an unlimited ability to view operations and product analyses. And, this turnkey solution allows IBC to identify and respond to customer opportunities far more quickly than in the past.

The M&I Data Warehouse obtains data from legacy systems and filters it through a data dictionary harnessing the throughput and power of the Sun architecture. Then IBC executives extract, store and access relevant data from Microsoft Windows(TM) desktop systems.

Rick Roy, vice president of the relationship solutions division at M&I Data Services, said: "As the decision support market evolves, financial services institutions are realizing that M&I and Sun offer the best set of products, performance and support at a reasonable cost."

"The M&I Information Desktop running on Sun can grow as a company's need for data grows," said Rob Hall, vice president of worldwide financial services marketing at Sun. "This scalable solution provides immediate access to essential data for IBC's analytical processing activities."

With more than $9 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the Worldwide Web at http://www.sun.com M&I Data Services offers advanced software and processing services to financial institutions worldwide. The company is a division of Marshall & Isley Corporation, a $20.6 billion holding company. Both are headquartered in Milwaukee.