A project to create a single banking platform has been put
on hold following problems installing Microsoft Windows
XP.
In one of the UK's largest XP implementations, HBOS Group, which
includes Halifax Bank of Scotland, Intelligent Finance, Birmingham
Midshires and Clerical Medical, aims to install Windows XP on
70,000 desktops and 5,000 laptops.
The XP project began last year and is part of a bigger programme to
create a common banking platform, estimated to be costing more than
£100m.
In an internal e-mail to HBOS staff dated 17 March, Martin Ewart,
head of group technology at HBOS, said, "The key issue is the
robustness of the tools used to upgrade the softwareÉ We have a
serious technical issue with our software deployment. This includes
IBM's Tivoli product, which is being addressed at the highest level
in Global IBM."
Tivoli is used to manage PC infrastructure and deploy software.
The internal e-mail continued, "We are supporting the 850 PCs we
have already implemented using manual updates, but these are not
appropriate for large-scale, customer-facing business
operations."
An HBOS spokesman said it was good project management to
temporarily halt the project. "Until we resolve the issues it would
not be wise to put XP on another 10,000 desktops," he said.
"We are looking at the IBM Tivoli [product], but it is not just the
fault of the software. We are pulling together lots of different
software products that were not designed to work together."
IBM declined to comment.