Techies, what's with the RBS computer?

[Deleted User]

Makes me very glad that hospitals have downtime/paper systems in place for most stuff

kittiej

Thanks for the replies everyone. Some really interesting posts

cookie_monster

Can they not do a system restore? :rotfl: or maybe ctrl alt delate :beer:


Can I get paid for my IT knowledge Mr RBS? That will be £150k please.

robmar0se

Many years ago I was responsible for a bank's current account systems. The heart of any bank's system is its table of accounts (eg Ledger) system. If this fails, nothing can proceed. Since that part of a bank's systems is relatively simple, it probably is either an erroneous/rogue transaction on the systems that feed the ledgers, or less likely a system fail on the feeding systems.

Although the bank I worked for spent $ millions in testing the new accounting system (1970's), there was an unexpected set of circumstances that caused the system to fail. For 3 days we had to find the cause, identify the transaction sequence that created the problem before we could fix it. Trying to find that sequence & logic error was like trying to find a needle in the haystack. Our problem was compounded by the fact that the guys who developed the system had moved on, hence there was a rapid learning curve as in depth expertise had to be brought back.

Once fixed, we had 3 days of systems to run through.

Systems are even more complex these days, and although the NW/RBS problems are front page news, I also recall bank's in the US having not dissimilar issues from time to time.

John_Gray

It probably hasn't escaped people's notice that RBS (and thus Nat West and any other brand names) has enthusiastically been making large numbers of their IT staff redundant over the last 10-15 years. This was based on the principle that "we haven't had any major problems, so why do we need all these IT staff?" - so the notorious Mr F Goodwin got rid of large numbers of them. All jolly fine - until they actually got a major problem. Systems "Change Control" is done to death but (as r0bmarose says above) banking systems are so complex and interwoven, and just plain 'old', that testing a major change is extraordinarily difficult (think 'rebooting the internet'). No doubt "lessons will be learned" such that "it will never happen again"...

exprog

Yes, that's right.

Every programmer I met who had worked at any bank said the software being used by banks was such rubbish that it was a miracle it ever worked.

Seems that the permanent staff who knew how to force the system to work have been got rid of and the whole thing outsourced to India.

This is entirely the fault of management.

Figment

ChiefGrasscutter

exprog wrote: »

This is entirely the fault of management.

...and the customers who want cheaper, cheaper, cheaper, cheaper everything everywhere, but are not prepared to face up to the consequences of their choices.

You the public want UK based programmers/call centres whatever - fine, start paying an annual adminstration fee on your bank account to pay for it.

You the public want BT to rip out its old cables and put in new ones - fine start paying increased broadband/phone charges then.

You the public want UK based clothing manufacturers - fine start paying a geat deal more for a T-shirt then.

You the public want consumer durables made/designed in the UK - fine start paying some seriously large prices for a washing machine.


But of course no one does want to pay for it do they. Worse, while complaining that X organisation won't do it it properely they themselves are bodging up the repairs on their own house is in exactly the same manner as the organisations that they rant against.

tocsin

Hey, Mr/Ms ChiefGrasscutter!

That post sounds like a raw nerve has been hit - you aren't a banking IT manager are you? :rotfl:

My vote goes to exprog...

S0litaire

Figment wrote: »

Could be worse...





lol ^_^