Banks tend to be the last conservative bastions of 'big iron' - mainframe computing that demands heavy investment and highly specialised skills.
Talk to many management information systems (MIS) managers about open systems and client-server and you are likely to be greeted with a blank stare.
If pressed, these managers will defend mainframe installations on security and performance grounds, and also may mention the problems of porting hundreds of thousands of customer accounts between older mainframe systems and the new breed of network servers.
Chekiang First Bank is bucking tradition with the recent announcement of a retail banking systems overhaul - moving from mainframes towards what it believes is a more economical, network-centric environment based on open standards.
Chekiang Bank's electronic data processing department general manager CK Lim hopes the $100 million project will result in significant long-term operational cost savings while giving the bank more flexibility in future purchases.
According to Mr Lim, IT maintenance savings were expected to cut Chekiang's total ownership cost 30 per cent over five years.