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ING Direct buys Informatica 'single view' software
A new bank but one that still values integrated systems

By Tony Hallett

Published: Thursday 27 January 2005

ING Direct is using data integration software from Informatica to tie together various types of other technology at its operations in the UK.

The fast-growing online bank has acquired around 750,000 customers in the UK in a short space of time and has few of the legacy issues facing other financial institutions.

Vincent Chatard, IT director at ING Direct UK, told silicon.com that the PowerCenter software had already been implemented and proved valuable at the Dutch bank's operations in Canada and France.

"We share our experiences and re-use successful technology," he said.

However, rapid growth means other problems, not least gathering all the new customer information held in a data warehouse and passing it through a business intelligence engine so that the marketing department can exploit it.

"We want to spend our marketing money more wisely," Chatard added.

A value for the deal has not been disclosed though it is likely that a rollout across operations will mean a reduction for the buyer. Chatard said the bank demands a return on its investment in three years at the most, with this deal paying for itself in around two years.

ING Direct's platform is also made up of software from Oracle with Cognos and SAS used for business intelligence.

Informatica counts the financial sector as one of its strongest verticals and said in a statement that its software helps achieve the holy grail of a 'single view of the customer'.