Cape Town-based Fidentia has harnessed the rich functionality of Macromedia`s Flex, supplied by local Macromedia distributor and Web enablement specialist, Dax Data, to build a new billing gateway and a trust administration system. The project will see the financial services company standardise its client-facing front-end systems on the presentation and application framework.
According to Andre de la Harpe, General Manager of Fidentia`s Administration division, the new billing system receives payment instructions from the company`s source systems, collates them and then interfaces with the various banks to collect money from or pay money to investment clients.
"We used Flex to write the front-end and presentation layer of the gateway," he says. "Now, we are able to easily view all payment instructions received, their status in terms of submission and payment and whether they have been rejected or accepted by the bank in question.
"The system also caters for online bank reconciliation, functionality which allows us to compare bank statements with accounts the gateway believes should have been paid and identify unmatched items and match them correctly."
A major portion of Fidentia`s business is the administration of high and low value trusts and here, once again, the company has deployed Flex as the browser front-end for its online Trust Administration System.
Fidentia currently has around 60 000 trusts on its books and the new system allows the company to do all the data capture and updating of beneficiaries` and care givers` accounts online.
"Most of the trusts under our administration are drawn from pension funds payouts and we have created an external Web site where the funds can keep an eye on the status of the trusts in our care. Using our Living Hands service, funds are now able to view detailed administration reports, trust registers and individual trusts details and payment status on withdrawal requests - in other words, receive all their required management reporting online from the comfort of their offices," says De la Harpe.
Flex, he adds, is the ideal environment for the creation of functionally rich and easy-to-use front-ends which need to be deployed via the Internet and browser technology. "It gives us the ability to create a Microsoft `look-alike` presentation layer in the browser which adds greatly to the user experience, and ultimately to our ability to service our customers.
"The type of administration we do at Fidentia requires considerable data validation and Flex allows us the option to do this at the presentation layer without accessing the back-end systems, reducing traffic flow over the Internet and minimising capturing errors while at the same time providing the user with a direct feedback experience.
Adds Jeremy Matthews, MD of Dax Data: "The main difference between Flex and traditional HTML applications is that Flex applications move processing best suited to run on the client-to the-client, such as field validation, data formatting, sorting, filtering, behaviours and effects.
"Flex enables developers to deliver applications that provide users with immediate response, smooth transitions between states and displays, to ensure continuous workflow without interruptions."
Developers, says Matthews, can create highly effective data visualisation and data interactivity using dynamic, animated and interactive charts and graphs, as well as an extremely capable data grid.
"A comprehensive set of component styles empowers developers to quickly make a broad range of look and feel adjustments, while easy skinning allows infinite control over the look and feel of the application.
"In addition, runtime shared libraries and fast application start-up time translate into dramatically faster application downloads and performance."
Another important benefit of Flex, according to De la Harpe, is its similarity to Java, which meant the learning curve for the Fidentia developers was short. "They took to it like ducks to water," he says. "While we had a few teething problems, strong support from Dax Data ensured that these were easily overcome. We will continue to standardise on Flex as we roll-out new front-end applications."
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