Cheltenham and Gloucester

---

Document Archiving System for Cheltenham and Gloucester

Summary

The company has been using document imaging technology since the 1980s to capture, store and retrieve the large volume of documents used to support its mortgage business. After an extensive supplier evaluation, C&G chose Fujitsu to design and implement the new document imaging system. As well as providing a central repository capable of recording and storing all interactions with C&G's customers, the system's modular design means that capacity can be easily expanded.

Challenge

Cheltenham and Gloucester (C&G), part of the Lloyds TSB Group, is a leading provider of mortgage and investment products and is the UK's third largest mortgage lender. The company has been using document imaging technology since the 1980s to capture, store and retrieve the large volume of documents used to support its mortgage business. However, during 1999 it became apparent that the document management system installed in 1988 was reaching the end of its useful life. Data could only be viewed from a dedicated terminal and, because everything was stored on optical disks, access and retrieval was slow. In addition the system was not designed to cope with the increasing number of customers making contact via the telephone, email and Internet.

Solution

After an extensive supplier evaluation, C&G chose Fujitsu to design and implement the new document imaging system, using a customised version of the Meridio retrievalclient developed by Kainos. As well as providing a central repository capable of recording and storing all interactions with C&G's customers, the system's modular design means that capacity can be easily expanded. To provide the required performance, reliability and scalability, Fujitsu devised a unique technical architecture integrating high-end mainframe technology, including IBM Enterprise Storage Servers and Magstar Robotic Tape Storage systems, with Intel NT servers. Having migrated all of C&G's legacy data, the system now holds some 41 million pages on file, or 3.5 Terabytes of data, and around 25,000 new pages of information are added every day. Even so, the system's design means that full backup can now be completed overnight. The searching, retrieval and display of the documents is achieved through a bespoke application developed using the Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) technology. The application uses a standard browser to present the user with tailored screens dependent on the type of documents being viewed. As there is no specialist software installed on the user PC, not only is the system easy to use and support, but it also allows the business to deploy to any member of staff in any location. "In other words, it is not just an end in itself, but a flexible starting point with the potential to be used in many different ways across the Lloyds TSB Group. Indeed, Fujitsu has recently implemented a version of the system in Lloyds TSB's General Insurance division and has also been working with us to integrate Meridio with a workflow application so that we can reengineer the way that we process information and improve operational efficiency even further. The ultimate goal is to foster a culture of self-service across a whole range of potential users in order to reap the cost and efficiency benefits that entails, and Fujitsu has given us a solid platform on which to do that."

Benefits

C&G's new document management system is already delivering a range of significant business benefits:

• Users can now access customer data wherever and whenever it is needed, significantly improving operational flexibility in the deployment of resources.
• Complete data on each customer is now available through a single interface, so that staff can handle enquiries immediately, without the need to refer on or call customers back, improving the level of service and reducing operational costs.
• The increased speed and efficiency of the system will halve the cost of information storage.
• It can process ten times C&G's current scanning volume and up to sixty times the retrieval load.
• The new system can be fully backed up in 10 hours (well under the target of 24 hours) and can continue to do this regardless of the amount of data stored.
• All updates and maintenance of the system can be handled from one central location, saving support time and ensuring a common user platform.
• The use of Internet browser technology provides complete scalability, proven security, no client rollouts or maintenance and the flexibility to accommodate new user groups with minimal formal system training.

"The advantage of Meridio is its native use of magnetic tape rather than optical storage. Information captured using the system becomes just like any other data stream, so it can be stored and recovered quickly and at very little cost," explains Dave Purser.

Implementation

Because of its innovative design, which integrated IBM mainframe systems with Windows NT servers for the first time ever, the new system was pre-assembled and tested at Fujitsu's Manchester facility to assess its performance and scalability. This was a funded three-month programme conducted against C&G's comprehensive set of strict acceptance criteria and build standards.

To accurately test and evaluate the system's performance two Terabytes of legacy data were loaded and document access statistically matched to real life usage. After delivery to C&G in Gloucester, the existing system data of approximately 36 million images was converted and moved to the new system in under 60 days, compared with 2 years for the previous conversion in 1988.

Expertise

The depth and breadth of the knowledge and skills available from Fujitsu Services and its partnership-based approach were an essential part of the project's success. Stuart Aitken comments, "The knowledge that Fujitsu Services has in-house is vast, but perhaps more importantly we have never dealt with anyone in Fujitsu Services who will walk away from a problem, even when the project is finished." "We have a very good relationship with people in Fujitsu Services," adds Alison Quilter. "Everyone from project managers to consultants has been there to support our needs and we have trust and confidence in the close partnership that we have developed with Fujitsu Services."

Expertise

Fujitsu was chosen to implement the system based on its experience in the design and implementation of high performance document management solutions and understanding of C&G's business. Fujitsu's expertise in the integration of complex, business critical systems was also crucial to the project being delivered in a timely manner and with minimal risk.

"C&G has a long standing relationship with Fujitsu," comments Dave Purser, "so we would not have used them if we hadn't been impressed with their skills and the way that they work. In fact, working with Fujitsu is like having an extended project team. They will always take the time to understand our organisation, our IT infrastructure and our business aims so that they can deliver highly tailored, end-to-end solutions."