Binzin Dombin

Moving Communications to the Cloud Improves Nigerian Bank’s Operations and Cuts Costs Microsoft Services Consulting Customer: Union Bank of Nigeria Website: www.unionbankng.com Customer Size: 6,000 employees Country or Region: Nigeria Industry: Banking Customer Profile Union Bank of Nigeria provides services for personal and business customers. It operates in Nigeria and in the UK and about 30% of the 6,000 users of its communication systems are mobile workers. Software and Services ■ Microsoft Office 365 ■ Microsoft SharePoint ■ Microsoft Lync ■ Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services ■ Microsoft Consulting Services Delivery Team ■ Engagement Manager – Edozie Ihekweazu ■ Project Manager – Ibilola Fabunmi ■ Service Delivery Executive – Charles Faweya ■ Consultant – Mohamed Marzouk ■ Account Executive - Binzin Dombin “Office 365 offers secure access, high availability and larger mailboxes with a reduced maintenance cost.” Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications, Union Bank of Nigeria Union Bank of Nigeria upgraded its Microsoft communications to Office 365, a cloud-based product that provides frequent updates. The move supports the bank’s strategy of introducing modern banking services and increasing the efficiency of its staff, many of whom are mobile workers who use mobile telephones and tablets for communications. The bank was the first to adopt Office 365 in Nigeria, indicating its commitment to the future. Business Needs With about 6,000 staff, about 30% of them mobile, Union Bank’s operations are highly dependent on reliable communications. Microsoft systems had worked well for both internal and external communications for about six years. Exchange 2007 was used typically for internal communications and extensively for the mail alerts and the automated transaction alerts which are essential for banking security. The bank also used Office Communication Server 2007 and the collaboration product SharePoint 2007 for internal communications. However, there were occasional losses of service and some limitations with the existing messaging platform. The hosting by an external service provider did not give the bank sufficient insight, monitoring or control, and there were long delays before services were restored after outages. Maintenance was also expensive, although the bank had no trouble finding suitable IT staff. The bank decided in March 2012 that it needed to update its communications to support its aim of providing the most modern banking services. In particular, the bank wanted to boost the productivity of its staff and to reduce its IT administration and maintenance costs. desktop computers that were not Windows 7-ready. It wanted to stick with Microsoft products and began talks with the company to evaluate possible upgrades. The bank’s renewal of its Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft offered it the chance to make the change and to move to more robust and more advanced products. Before the migration, Microsoft carried out tests for potential problems. Then, after the Bank arranged for internet service providers to increase bandwidth temporarily, Microsoft started migrating users, in batches of 200–300 overnight, leaving a day or two between batches to allow the system to stabilize. Data and emails already on client systems were archived and those on the server were backed up to storage. An option was to continue with an onpremise system, which would have required a substantial investment in infrastructure, including space for equipment, cooling systems, power and hardware. The bank compared that with the alternative of moving its communications to Microsoft’s cloud service Office 365. Solution Cost was an important consideration, but the bank would receive a US$135,000 Microsoft business discount if it chose Office 365. Microsoft was also able to show how the bank would make future savings for a total net investment of just US$190,000. However, the potential licensing was complex, with Microsoft offering the bank simulations of options, including a hybrid approach with some on-premise deployment. Security considerations also meant that Union Bank was cautious about a move to the cloud. However, Microsoft in the UK was able to provide assurance through documentation. It was also able to point to other banks, which were equally insistent on security for their operations that had moved to Office 365 and the cloud with no risk to their security. Union Bank therefore decided to move to Office 365, with the SharePoint Online, Exchange Online and Lync Online products. The installation required additional hardware for Exchange 2013, including the Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) to be used for single sign-on access to services. The bank also had to replace “We had a few problems of corruption during the migration of batches, but our team responded swiftly to resolve those,” says Microsoft Service Delivery Executive Charles Faweya. He adds: “The logistics and the coordination were quite tricky.” The bank recalls problems with the readiness of the infrastructure, and that more resources than expected were needed. The migration was completed at the end of March 2014. Benefits The first Nigerian deployment of Office 365 gave Union Bank an up-to-date and secure messaging system that is the basis for advanced banking services. The project gave the bank a technical lead in its market and improved its image. The bank has better communications to increase staff productivity, with reduced administration and maintenance costs. It switched to Office 365 with minimal downtime and now suffers few outages. • Fit for the future Office 365 gives Union Bank one of the most advanced communications systems in Nigeria and the ability to introduce more sophisticated products and services for its clients. Security is high, with Microsoft introducing system improvements to the cloud service as soon as they become available. Union Bank is steadily exploiting the new system. “Exchange is extensively used This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published June 2014 while SharePoint and Lync are moderately used,” says Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications. • Image boost The use of an advanced communications system is evidence that Union Bank is committed to providing modern banking services for its customers and expected to be an attraction for customers. • Greater efficiency The use of Office 365 means better and more reliable links between staff, many of whom are mobile, and better authorizations of customer transactions. “Office 365 offers secure access, high availability and larger mailboxes with a reduced maintenance cost,” says EkezieEkaidem. Microsoft’s annual Premier Support program is providing training for IT administration staff. • Little loss of service “They could not really afford to have any downtime at all,” says Faweya. “We had to work very closely with the Microsoft migration team — the “Migration Factory”, we call them — in India.” The previous level of service outages has fallen, says Faweya: “There have been no consistent outages as before.” Microsoft Services Microsoft Services is a global team of professionals who are dedicated to helping customers maximize the value of their investment in Microsoft software. Microsoft Services touches customers more than 715 million times a year, helping them plan, deploy, support and optimize our technologies. They also work closely with Microsoft Partners by sharing their technological expertise and product knowledge on a regular basis. For more information about Microsoft Services, go to: www.microsoft.com/services