Sprint Paranet at ABN AMRO North America, Inc.

	I became a Technical Analyst with Paranet in November, 1996.
	Purchased in August 1997 by Sprint, the newly-renamed Sprint Paranet is a consulting company that specializes in systems, network, and business analysis, design, and re-engineering. Their aim is to develop a partnership with the client so they can make them the best in their field. They are not vendor-tied, so they can theoretically recommend the best solution for the client without being forced (contractually) to say "Sun" or "HP" or "Intel" or any specific vendor. I left Sprint Paranet in 1998.
	My client was ABN AMRO North America, Inc., an international retail and trading bank. Coming from my stint at SBC, I was already familiar with a lot of the general practices of their organization, so they were really happy at not having to explain production versus development work and that information technology takes a back seat to making money and so on. I was a webmaster, did systems and network administration and planning for both hardware and software, and was doing project coordination for Internet-based web sites that they developed for their customers. As part of my projects, I wrote six (and completed five) technical manuals for them as well:

• ABN AMRO North America Internet Web Style Guide — Detailed information on the styles used for the Internet web sites for ABN AMRO's North American subsidiaries. This includes specific pixel widths and positioning, specific html hexadecimal codes and Pantone^® Color Management System numbers for colors, and specific phrases and typography. (AITSC-Doc-Internet-SG-1.0)
  
  
• ABN AMRO North America Web Security Guide — Detailed information suitable for giving business users for the various types of security available (from no security through SSL and encryption strength, both for intranet and Internet web sites). Written for the non-technical audience, this book allowed the business user, or customer, to make a cost-benefit analysis for the security of their web site in an informed manner. (This book was never completed or released.) (AITSC-Doc-Web-XG-0.9)
  
  
• ABN AMRO North America Web Client User's Guide — Some configuration and operation instructions on how to use Netscape Navigator, which was the (proposed) standard web browser for the Bank. It included specific URLs and detailed explanation of the various options (later, preferences) the user could control. (AITSC-Doc-Web-UG-1.1)
  
  
• ABN AMRO North America Web Server Installation & Configuration Guide — The detailed procedures for installing a new web server, from unpoacking the hardware to installing the packages, and configuring the Intel and Windows NT based web server, including both standard components (like the web server itself) and optional components (like Perl and a news server). (AITSC-Doc-Web-ICG-1.2)
  
  
• ABN AMRO North America Web Server Troubleshooting Guide — Some tips and techniques for troubleshooting web-related problems, including both the client and the server, both hardware and software. Intended for the Help Desk personnel when web browsers were rolled out to all North American employees. (AITSC-Doc-Web-TG-1.1)
  
  
• ABN AMRO North America Web Style Guide — Detailed information on the styles used on the primary intranet web site. (The styles for the intranet server in question are virtually identical to those on this site. This should not be surprising, as that intranet web site was developed wholly by the same person who designed this web site.) (AITSC-Doc-Web-SG-1.1)
  
  

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