GLASTONBURY, Conn. — Open Solutions Inc. co-founder Cliff Waggoner died last Friday after a long battle with cancer. Waggoner was 66.

Waggoner co-founded Open Solutions, a popular data processing firm in the credit union space, in a basement in 1992 with the idea of bringing relationship based technology to the financial services industry. He had more than 30 years of information system and design experience that covered a wide range of technology and application development areas. His career included 10 years in the U.S. Navy; 17 years with EDS as a technology architect and in system development; and five years as a principal with Linc Systems in the areas of systems consulting and development. His design expertise became the foundation for the Open Solutions data model.

"We are all deeply saddened by the loss of Cliff Waggoner, a true pioneer and inspiration for our company and the industry," said Louis Hernandez Jr., chairman and CEO of Open Solutions. "Cliff was a private, humble, yet accomplished man who was admired by all those who knew him. He was a true visionary who dreamed of using technology to create more personalized interactive relationships for the financial services industry through the use of innovative systems and open architecture."