Case Study: MidAmerica Bank

The U.S. banking industry has been on the forefront of Information Lifecycle Management. It is a regulated industry in which the delivery of information about customers' finances is a key component of value. The ability of a bank to handle information well affects customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and costs.

MidAmerica Bank is a bank with more than 75 branches and 500 ATMs throughout the upper Midwestern United States. The bank started as a savings and loan but has since transformed itself into a public company with more than $9.5 billion in assets. To comply with data retention regulations and achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, MidAmerica has begun to deploy ILM processes and technology. ILM helps the bank manage its information more efficiently.

The value of information held by the bank is based on how old the data is, as well as the frequency with which it needs to be accessed. Certain information is more valuable than other information, either because regulations demand it or because customers do. Certain types of information, especially statements and check images, start out having high value, which changes over time.

A good example of ILM in action is the handling of check images. MidAmerica has defined a lifecycle for checks that is different from that of other types of information. According to First Vice President and Data Center Manager Paul Stonchus, the check information is created in the form of a TIFF image. At that time, attributes are assigned to the information that set the context for later decisions. For the first 45 days, the ability to access the check is available online from the bank's web site. During this time, access averages three to five times one reason why it must remain highly available.

After 45 days, the check is no longer available online, which coincides with the release to the customer of his statement. The check image is retained, but for legal and regulatory purposes. Customer access in no longer necessary, and the check is moved to an EMC Centera CAS system. The CAS system ensures that the image does not change. It is essentially archived but can be retrieved quickly if needed. Regulations require that it be kept for seven years after that, at which time it is deleted.

MidAmerica defines the information based on metadata. It then sets a policy for certain classes of information based on the value of the information over time. The bank tracks changes in the state of the information by monitoring certain attributes, such as time and content. Finally, actions are taken when state changes occur. ILM allows the bank to deliver what customers want, regulators demand, and the business requires.