35 Years of Lasernet: Lasernet Meets Banking

For 35 years, Lasernet has been formatting, printing, delivering and archiving data for ERP and banking solutions. In the first instalment of the 35 Years of Lasernet series, we explored the solutions’ humble beginnings as a hardware unit called ‘LaserBox.’ In this, the second instalment, we spoke to Mike Rogers, Executive VP and Head of Private Sector, to explore how Lasernet impacts the banking sector. 

Mike’s first introduction to Lasernet was in the early 2000s when he joined EFS Technology (EFS) as an Account Manager. During his time there he helped to drive Lasernet’s commercial success, reaching the position of General Manager before moving into core banking and then finally over to Formpipe. These experiences laid the groundwork for Mike to spearhead the acquisition of EFS four years ago and to continue to take Lasernet on its ambitious journey.

With over two decades at the company under his belt, Mike has seen the Lasernet solution change significantly. When he first started at EFS, some clients were still using the LaserBox hardware unit that was unveiled in 1989. However, things were already changing as server based solutions began to take over. 

Speaking about how much Lasernet has changed since he first encountered it, he said, “I’ve been doing this for 24 years now, and I’ve seen the whole journey. It’s grown from what we now see as really old technology through to where we’ve got it running in the cloud today.” He also discussed why Lasernet is a crucial piece of the banking services puzzle, Mike said, “Generating a document for a customer may sound simple but getting it to look a certain way can be complex, and that’s where we specialise. Lasernet is capable of far more than most people realise.”

Naturally, Mike is a big fan of Lasernet. His admiration comes across in the way he speaks about the solution. “I’ve used Lasernet for years, so I can install and configure it with my eyes closed. I made sure I knew what it did before I sold it to customers, and I think that’s the most important lesson I’ve learned.” Living and breathing the solution for nearly a quarter of a century, Lasernet is a big part of Mike’s professional life. “I think if you cut me in half, it’d say Lasernet,” he joked.

Temenos: Our Long-Time Banking Partner

Lasernet’s trajectory changed decisively 17 years ago when Mike had a lightbulb moment which led to the partnership between Formpipe and Temenos, a world-leading SaaS cloud banking provider. At the time, EFS had around 20 employees, and Temenos had 50 offices around the world and employed thousands of people. However, this didn’t stop the two companies from coming together to form a mutually beneficial partnership.

Explaining how the partnership came about all those years ago, Mike said, “I sent an email to sales @ Temenos saying that one of our customers used their software and suggested that more of their customers could benefit from our solution, and I got a response.” The collaboration between Formpipe and Temenos was a natural fit. Formpipe’s customer communication management capabilities align with Temenos’ innovative banking software. Together, the companies provide banks with a comprehensive solution that meets their needs for a flexible and scalable banking platform.

Mike explained that the company was one of the first partners to be onboarded into what is now called the Temenos Exchange. “Joining the Exchange was essential at the time, and it’s still essential today. Being part of a curated, verified and integrated ecosystem, all working together, helps us all to grow and innovate faster”. Composed of leading providers for a range of services, including cards, digital identity, payments, origination, RegTech, personal finance management and sustainability services, the Temenos Exchange has opened the door to new partnerships and opportunities for everyone involved and Formpipe is no exception.

Formpipe and Temenos: Solving Banking Challenges

Our Lasernet solution solves several challenges for Temenos users. Primarily, it provides a user-friendly way to take ‘raw’ data from the Temenos core and create perfectly formatted and branded transactional, service or on-demand communications for a bank’s customers. All the bank has to do is to create a digital template, then drag and drop the Temenos Transact data where they want it, and that is it - there’s no need for any programming, consultants, or delay. 

Just as importantly, Lasernet can then take these communications and manage their distribution using the bank’s or the customer’s preferences. It can automatically sort, batch, schedule or send data and documents immediately to multiple broadcast channels, including digital archive, email, third-party API endpoints, local printers, operations department, external print fulfilment houses and mobile messaging. When it comes to customer communication management, Lasernet provides an unbeatable end-to-end service for banks of any size.

Finally, Lasernet’s customer-centric digital archive works in harmony with Temenos’s platform to provide fast and secure access to information around the clock, helping to facilitate on-boarding, product applications, UI enrichment, customer queries / support, account history, auditing as well as providing transparency to account holders.

Eager to learn more about how Formpipe and Temenos work together to solve banking challenges? In this video, Formpipe’s very own banking experts, Ben Saxton and Tom Hurrion, talk you through how our connection with Temenos Digital steps up the loan origination process.

From Strength to Strength

It’s been 17 years since Mike sent that game-changing email and our partnership with Temenos is stronger than ever. As a trusted Temenos Exchange Partner, our software is currently being used throughout the back offices and branch networks of over 120+ international banking organisations and financial institutions, quietly generating and storing hundreds of thousands of digital documents every single day. We’re also pleased to have won several Temenos Community Forum awards, including:

• Complementary Solution Partner in 2011, 2014 and 2015
• Marketplace Provider of the Year in 2017
• Exchange Solution Provider of the Year in 2021 and 2023

Beyond winning awards, we also value establishing partnerships with others in the banking community. Temenos Community Forum (TCF) is always a calendar highlight for the Formpipe team - we wouldn’t miss it for the world. This year’s TCF event in Dublin was just as fantastic as we hoped it’d be. Not only did the team meet dozens of accomplished people in the banking space, but the experience reiterated the importance of being laser-focused on our customers. This is a core principle we’ve consistently upheld in our mission to build valuable relationships between data and people.

Our Growth Story Continues

Whilst Temenos continues to be one of our largest and most enduring partners in the core banking space, we’ve also partnered with other platforms serving different tiers and verticals, including both Thought Machine and Mambu.

The increase in competition in this space has led to a greater emphasis on interoperability and orchestration, allowing newer entrants to rely on their partners to fill in any service gaps and in turn provide end-to-end solutions comprising of the best technology currently in the market.

In this regard, we are proud to already be providing our services to so many other banking partners. Our unrivalled connectivity has allowed us to comfortably bridge the gap between incumbent systems as well as technology and platform providers, to ensure banks have access to communication services that can grow and scale with them, whether they are undertaking a core migration or a gradual transformation.

The benefits of working as part of a wider ecosystem has given rise to many more opportunities for new business, as well as rapid innovation, as partner services are rolled into our own, and vice versa, to provide new, value-rich solutions.

What’s on the Horizon for Lasernet?

Since Mike joined the company back in the early 2000s, Lasernet has changed beyond recognition. But technology never stands still, not even for a moment. Over time, Lasernet will continue to adapt to meet the needs of our banking clients across the world, with the cloud playing a major role. “There’s no doubt that our SaaS services are the future, and a lot of people are starting to realise it. Banks that are now running in the cloud are choosing us because they know we are the best at what we do”, Mike said.

Feeling positive about Lasernet’s trajectory, he highlighted Formpipe’s recent acquisition of Dictymatec, a leading Lasernet sales and implementation specialist. About the acquisition, Mike said, “Our fully integrated solutions have led to a growing demand for our software in Europe. Now is the perfect time to scale up our operations across France, Spain and Italy and Dictymatec gives us a highly skilled, multilingual team to better serve new customers in these areas.”

Throughout its 35-year history, Lasernet has adapted to changing technological leaps and customer demands, and we can assure you that this won’t change any time soon. The future is bright for Lasernet, and our banking team is feeling a palpable sense of excitement about what lies ahead. Stay tuned for the next instalment of 35 Years of Lasernet, where we’ll interview more of the people instrumental in Lasernet’s continuing success.

Formpipe provides the leading document composition, delivery and storage solution for core banking platforms. Find out what we do to enhance customer journeys, create deeper engagements and provide greater transparency in banking.