Banner is an administrative software application developed specifically for higher education institutions by Sungard. Data is stored in a powerful database called ORACLE. It would be difficult for a non-technical user to directly add or retrieve data from the actual database. The Banner software acts as an interface to the ORACLE database, making the job of adding or retrieving data much easier. Banner provides the features and processing capabilities needed for student information (admissions, registration, etc.). Banner has a variety of tools that let you search by name and automatically retrieve associated information. Banner also has sophisticated security measures to make sure that only authorized individuals have access to specific data.