Northern Trust Case Study from Gartner Catalyst 2012 Featuring Layer 7 Mobile Access Gateway: Beyond the Wireless Tether: An “Occasionally-Connected” Architecture
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The document discusses Northern Trust's approach to developing a mobile architecture that supports an 'occasionally connected' model, allowing relationship managers to work effectively without relying on continuous internet access. Key considerations include a focus on user needs, security measures for sensitive client data, and choices in application architecture favoring web or hybrid apps over native ones due to cost and efficiency. The paper also covers infrastructure decisions and emphasizes the importance of staying client-focused while establishing robust security protocols.
Northern Trust Case Study from Gartner Catalyst 2012 Featuring Layer 7 Mobile Access Gateway: Beyond the Wireless Tether: An “Occasionally-Connected” Architecture
- 1. NORTHERN TRUST Beyond the Wireless Tether An “Occasionally Connected” Architecture A Gartner Catalyst Case Study 2012.08.20 Christopher Price Vice President The Northern Trust Company © 2012 Northern Trust Corporation northerntrust.com
- 2. About me… Christopher Price Vice President, The Northern Trust Company [email protected] Architecture and Innovation Team member IT Standards and Guidance Evaluation of New Technologies R&D for High Value Projects At Northern Trust for 7 years, experience with: Enterprise Architecture Software Design and Development 2 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 3. Agenda Background on Northern Trust Determining the Requirements Application Architecture Infrastructure Security 3 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 4. Northern Trust Overview Founded in 1889, Northern Trust Corporation is a global leader in asset servicing, asset management, wealth management, and banking for personal and institutional clients. Assets under custody US$4.6 trillion Assets under management US$704 billion Banking Assets US$94 billion *As of 30 June 2012 4 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 5. Northern Trust’s Global Presence Chicago (Corporate HQ) Abu Dhabi Guernsey London Toronto Amsterdam Jersey Luxembourg New York Dublin Limerick Stockholm Bangalore Beijing Hong Kong Melbourne A network of offices Singapore in 18 States and Tokyo Washington D.C. 5 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 6. Agenda Background on Northern Trust Determining the Requirements Application Architecture Infrastructure Security 6 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 7. Determining the Requirements Focus on what matters to clients, not on technology. Relationship managers want latest mobile technology but need: All data necessary to conduct meeting Minimal distractions Ability to work anywhere the client is located Having “zero bars” shouldn’t hinder the conversation! 7 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 8. Business Requirements Need to avoid this situation…. WELCOME - Today’s Agenda 9am – 9:05am Attempt to connect to available Wi-Fi with incorrect settings 9:05am – 9:15am Give up and struggle with slow 3G connection 9:15am – 9:20am Locate presentation materials with assistance from help desk 9:20am – 9:30am Diagnose problems with projector and screen 9:30am – 10am Finally… Discuss client’s financial goals 8 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 9. Technology Requirements The two primary technology requirements... Disconnected mode Maximize time with client No connections to establish. No interruptions caused by poor reception, network outage, etc. Quick Highly responsive user interface by minimizing server requests. Not relying on slow connections to transfer large documents during meetings. Reach Client meeting location not bounded by reach of antennas. Want to accompany the client on their yacht? – No problem. Security Highly sensitive client data being stored. Mobile device more susceptible to loss and theft. Primarily using untrusted networks. 9 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 10. Agenda Background on Northern Trust Determining the Requirements Application Architecture Infrastructure Security 10 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 11. Architectural Choices “Got the requirements, let’s build a mobile app!” ...not so fast. Need to establish formal guidance for building mobile solutions at Northern Trust with help from vendors, consultants and peers. The result: Northern Trust Mobile Strategy and Reference Architecture Strategy contains guidance for management: • Definition of mobile apps, devices and content • Governance recommendations • Usage Policies • Risks • Etc. Architecture contains developer guidance: • Style of app: web, native, or hybrid • Security • Device support • Service development • Etc. 11 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 12. Architectural Choices First major decision…web, native or hybrid*? Web/Hybrid Native * Defined as a thin native wrapper around a primarily HTML/JS view. Hybrid apps fall within a spectrum between web and native depending upon how many native features are utilized. 12 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 13. Architectural Choices Decision: Native Application Architecture 1) Secure offline operation Secure local storage “Why not HTML5 local storage?” Size restrictions (app is a storage hog!) Reliability – browser cache easily erased Security concerns 2) Superior presentation Better appearance Greater app awareness 3) Performance Fewer round-trips to server Quicker rendering 13 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 14. Architectural Choices BUT: Typically don’t recommend native at Northern Trust Web or hybrid apps are preferred because: Cheaper to build with in-house web expertise Majority of effort is reusable Can be indistinguishable from native with HTML5/JavaScript Quicker to deliver new features 14 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 15. Architectural Choices Gartner, 2012 15 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 16. Agenda Background on Northern Trust Determining the Requirements Application Architecture Infrastructure Security 16 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 17. Infrastructure 1. User places documents in folder on internal portal 2. Synchronization initiated by user from iOS app while online 3. Middleware sends updates back and forth between mobile app and source systems. 17 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 18. Infrastructure Decision: iOS Platform Only Internal application. Control of device choice Users more familiar with Apple products. Less training. Fewer platform specific updates. 2012 Market share Apple Android Microsoft Other http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1980115 18 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 19. Infrastructure Decision: Vended service gateway Layer 7 is edge security for external services Integration with authentication providers Speaks multiple security protocols Custom solution added no value http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-17Q04QM&ct=111019&st=sg 19 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 20. Infrastructure Decision: ReST over SOAP Lightweight - important for mobile Heavier SOAP difficult to handle on mobile client. Mobile clients have APIs for handling basic URL calls Poor web service support in iOS/Android unlike in Java or .NET 20 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 21. Infrastructure Decision: Custom Middleware Purpose – Extract data from source systems, feed to mobile client apps Why Custom? Anticipated consolidation within market for mobile middleware (MEAP) Cloud based solution not acceptable for use case Custom source system integration 21 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 22. Agenda Background on Northern Trust Determining the Requirements Application Architecture Infrastructure Security 22 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 23. Security Decision: Plan for the worst with numerous security layers Over the wire OAuth 2.0 Popular standard for cloud APIs Open to federation in future with 3rd parties Easy to use with ReST services Two-factor Access token required due to sensitivity of data RSA SecurID Software Token + iOS SDK chosen for limited user involvement Better user experience, but still as secure as physical token 23 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 24. Security On device Mobile Device Management (MDM) Passcode requirement Remote data wipe Local Authentication Support offline identification of users Future SSO with all Northern Trust applications Local Encryption Secure whether online or off Strongest available algorithms Double security – iOS platform and custom 24 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 25. Summary Listen to your clients Define your Strategy Design for Resilience Go Web by default Buy a Gateway Caution: Middleware Security: Plan for a worst case 25 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012
- 26. Questions? Thank you for attending! 26 “Beyond the Wireless Tether” - Gartner Catalyst 2012