The great Natwest/RBS banking cock-up

[klr]

Four days now, and customers in Natwest, RBS and other banks in the RBS group are still having problems accessing their accounts/have their balances up-to-date.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/22 ... ourth_day/

As I always say: "To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer. To screw up on an industrial scale requires outsourcing to India plus cloud computing."

Discuss.

[Strontium Dog]

Yay for nationalisation.

[jaydot]

that'll larn 'em.

[Pappa]

Oh.... how I laughed. If the system I work on went down for a day because of me I'd probably be sacked. I know not to do anything stupid enough to let it happen. How does a bank with such resources make such a massive technical fuckup.

[Clinton Huxley]

To really screw things up you need a programmer

[klr]

To really screw things up you need a programmer

I think in this case it's not having programmers close at hand is part of the problem.

[Clinton Huxley]

To really screw things up you need a programmer

I think in this case it's not having programmers close at hand is part of the problem.

That is what programmers always say. I presume that what has happened here is that some of the deliberate bugs that the original programmers of these antiquated banking systems implemented in the 70s as part of their job-continuation schemes have come to fruition.

[klr]

To really screw things up you need a programmer

I think in this case it's not having programmers close at hand is part of the problem.

That is what programmers always say. I presume that what has happened here is that some of the deliberate bugs that the original programmers of these antiquated banking systems implemented in the 70s as part of their job-continuation schemes have come to fruition.

All jokes aside, I think what's happened is that there are now too many layers and moving parts in the whole system, about a zillion people responsible, and much passing of bucks. Worse still, it's likely that the people who really care about getting this fixed probably know jack shit about the technology, and vice-versa.

[Clinton Huxley]

Oh, stop being so bloody serious!

This is why I keep all my money under my bed.

[klr]

Oh, stop being so bloody serious!

This is why I keep all my money under my bed.

I'd expect nothing less from the gentry.

[Clinton Huxley]

No, but really, maybe the banks should have invested 0.0001% of the money they put into mad pyramid schemes or into lending to people who patently could never pay it back into.....ooh, I' don't know, keeping their backbone IT systems up to date. Still. What do I know? The banks are run by the brightest of the best, people who fully deserve their enormous bonuses, people whom the economy can't do without. Whoever was asleep for the last 40 years whilst these basic systems atrophied clearly wasnt given a large enough bonus.

[Audley Strange]

They're blaming BT for the problem.

[klr]

No, but really, maybe the banks should have invested 0.0001% of the money they put into mad pyramid schemes or into lending to people who patently could never pay it back into.....ooh, I' don't know, keeping their backbone IT systems up to date. Still. What do I know? The banks are run by the brightest of the best, people who fully deserve their enormous bonuses, people whom the economy can't do without. Whoever was asleep for the last 40 years whilst these basic systems atrophied clearly wasnt given a large enough bonus.

I think the main systems were fine, and probably would still be fine, for the most part. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Banks and similar organisations would traditionally have been very conservative about their core IT systems, and with good reason. They might have COBOL routines that were written decades ago, and have been little tinkered with since. But even they become vulnerable when the infrastructure around them gets completely turned upside down.

There is much to recommend in outsourcing and cloud computing, but you've got to be realistic, and carefully weigh up the pros and cons.

Where I work, major IT-related decisions are not based on any sort of reality that I can see. They are driven by politics, fashion, personal vanity, greed and a good deal of stupidity.

They're blaming BT for the problem.

Interesting. I wonder if BT really have fucked up big time, and if so, who if anyone will face the music.

[Clinton Huxley]

No one ever faces the music. Or, if they do, it will be some lowly minions. The people in charge will simply be given more money.

[klr]

No one ever faces the music. Or, if they do, it will be some lowly minions. The people in charge will simply be given more money.

That's the great thing about this from a management/ consultant/ cloud provider perspective. Responsibility and accountability just falls into the numerous cracks that exist between the various organisations involved. I've seen it happen myself.