Open source is at the heart of what we do every day. It is a key component for how we continue to aggressively simplify and modernize so that we can deliver the industry-leading products and services our customers need to build a brighter financial future.
When I joined Discover® Financial Services (Discover) three years ago, we launched a game-changing technology transformation effort.
We call that transformation Project Runway and today’s announcement marks the next two steps in our ongoing transformation journey.
First, I am excited to share the launch of the site you are on now, the Discover Technology Experience.
Second, I am equally excited to announce that Discover is joining the open-source Linux Foundation as a Silver member and the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS) as a Gold member.
Both endeavors highlight how far Discover has come in its digital transformation and how strongly we believe in open and transparent collaboration as a key driver of innovation.
Open and transparent collaboration solves complex problems, faster and better
Over the last several years, we have seen the power of open-source software and collaboration transform the tech landscape. As technology becomes more complex, we strongly believe that the best way to continue to evolve is by collaborating with differently skilled technologists across different industries. We believe this is the kind of collaboration that will enable Discover to continue innovating and leading in in the highly complex financial services industry.
Our commitment to innovation and digital transformation is underscored by our strong focus on reliability, security, and compliance. For this reason, our choice to partner with the Linux Foundation and FINOS was based in part on the fact that they both operate under an open governance model, with missions that align with our own. The Linux Foundation has a proven track record of helping open-source communities thrive in delivering secure, innovative technology. FINOS is the leader in developing open-source software and standards to solve shared challenges and drive innovation within the financial services industry.
Of course, it is not enough for us to merely consume open source in our products. Our engineers have unique skills and knowledge that they look forward to contributing:
- Evolving core engineering functions and improving the developer experience for teams inside and outside of Discover.
- Continuing to evolve and shape the definition of “open-source readiness” as the FINOS community addresses the evolving open-source technology supply chain.
- Engaging and convening around standards-based activities grounded on use cases that will help improve technology and development.
Sharing our people, processes, and tools
As part of our commitment to continue building our craft and sharing it with the world, Discover has also launched the Discover Technology Experience. This public-facing digital platform highlights many of the key people, processes, and tools involved in achieving our Project Runway objectives.
When we launched our Project Runway mission, we activated five workstreams to fuel our transformation journey: a highly skilled engineering workforce, extreme automation, a single agile way of working, technology optimization, and employee experience.
While continuous improvement within these workstreams will fuel further growth for Discover, launching the Discover Technology Experience and joining the open-source communities are boosters that will help us to even further differentiate how we deliver for our customers and for the technologists who choose to grow their careers with a leading digital organization.
As you explore the Discover Technology Experience, you will:
- Meet the engineers who are solving the complex problems of our highly regulated and complex industry
- Learn about our extreme automation tools and processes
- Understand the single agile way of working and the results we have achieved to date
- Learn how we are optimizing technology to deliver even greater results
Conclusion
How we work at Discover is guided by our Core Values. These core beliefs are about how we do business. Doing the Right Thing, Innovation, Collaboration, Openness and Respect are five of those Values and they are fully aligned to open-source and fundamental to participating and thriving in the open-source landscape and community through the Linux Foundation and FINOS.
I am very proud of many things: the progress we have made, the impact that progress will have for years to come, our shared passion for technology and applying technology to make our customers lives easier, and for building internal and external knowledge-sharing communities so we can continue to get better every day. It is our legacy, and I am very committed to doing whatever it takes to support you in this transformational journey!
