As part of the Bank re-engineering and optimizing its processes and organization structure, the Information & Transformation Division has realigned to serve the future growth of the Bank with optimal utilization of resources. During 2013, the division took fundamental steps in laying down best practice governance through the alignment to the ITIL ‘Information Technology Infrastructure Library’ governance model, introducing a proper Change and Demand management that worked actively with other bank departments to prioritize the IT projects and make the best use of the available resources to serve the Bank’s strategic objectives. The division also invested in its human capital through extensive training to all staff on the ITIL governance model.
Along with the maturity of the ITIL governance, the Information & Transformation Division pioneered the role of establishing an Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO), guided by the best practice project management methodologies. This office works actively with the rest of departments to manage cross functional projects and ensure proper controls are in place to deliver projects on time within scope and budget to deliver maximum value for our shareholders.
The Transformation Department also pioneered the role of process re-engineering, with the Bank moving actively toward engaging the younger generation through alternative channels like e-banking and mobile banking. A cross functional team was formed to improve processes across the Bank with the aim to simplify transactions and make the banking experience for valued customers the Best in Gulf. 300+ processes are being evaluated, analyzed and adapted in a continuous improvement model that will leverage the Bank’s extensive years of experience in the market along with new technologies deployed in the past couple of years.
The Transformation Department successfully led several projects that made a direct impact on customer experience in the branches. Today with instant issuance, customers can open an account and receive their ATM card during the same transaction, allowing the customer to start banking from day one with no delays. We also introduced automation to further our loan application processes, cutting down the turnaround time to competitive timings, compared to our peers in the industry.
A Mobile Banking solution was introduced during the year which is highly convenient, user friendly and provides a suite of comprehensive and value added services. Now, our customers can perform fund transfers, utility bill payments, mobile top-up and inquire with a host of other banking services at their fingertips. Additional services like loan
payments, money transfers, online savings account opening requests, demand draft requests etc will soon be available on the mobile platform to transform the way our customers bank with us.
To position our Islamic banking window ‘Maisarah’ as one of the leaders in the market, the Information
Technology division (IT) implemented the Islamic Core Banking platform providing Islamic Banking solutions and investment tools to address business needs. Recently the Bank implemented the Fixed Deposit Islamic product to meet customer needs and ‘Diminishing Musharakah’ product was implemented to meet the corporate customer’s need. Maisarah customers can use their Islamic ATM card on any ATM worldwide through OmanNET and VISA gateways. Islamic ATM cards are also accepted on Point of Sale devices.
The Bank has further expanded its ATM/CDM network. It continues to meet the highest possible technological standards and provide an impressive average of 99% + uptime on terminals. BankDhofar continues to spend
on uptime initiatives and has completed four such initiatives this year. The Bank’s terminals are now able to service customers without paper journals, as a centralized storing and
retrieval system for electronic journals has been implemented. ATM cash holding capacity has further been enhanced to ensure availability of sufficient cash during
long holidays. Emphasis is given on custodian training so that terminals are kept in optimal working condition. The Bank has evaluated and selected unified
monitoring tools for monitoring and handling incidents across ATMs and CDMs. This year we certified our ATMs with Master Card for acquiring transactions.
In the merchant acquiring business, the Bank introduced a new Point of Sale (POS) device last year. Our POS devices facilitate greater speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness as well as adhering to the highest international security standards and are Oman Switch certified. In 2013, the Bank has introduced dial-up POS devices to extend its coverage in Oman where mobile data coverage is not available. BankDhofar’s POS devices were enabled to accept AMEX and Diner cards this year.
To enhance customer experience at branches and provide speedy services, the Digital Signage and Queue management system was implemented at select branches. Customers can also view the latest promotions and products on the LCD screens at these branches. This service will be extended to more branches in the coming year.
The Business Process Management (BPM) platform was further enhanced for retail and corporate processes and additional functionalities like RAROC (Risk Adjusted Return on Capital) was developed for effective Risk Management. The platform is continually leveraged to automate new processes supporting major re- engineering initiatives and driving efficiencies.
The Bank has invested in implementing Microsoft identity management software which is a self-service password reset solution to enable staff across the Bank to securely reset their passwords without helpdesk support. This helps the Bank to reduce the costs associated with resetting passwords, lowering user downtime and frees up valuable helpdesk resources.
Information Technology Division has implemented virtualization at its Disaster Recovery (DR) site to maximize uptime of the systems, consolidate the number of servers, the cost of power, cooling and administration; thus resulting in cost saving. Virtual machines are added to increase 50% spare capacity available on Virtual Infrastructure to cater to future requirements.
The Bank has completed the setup of a Disaster Recovery site for Islamic Banking to ensure business continuity for Islamic banking operations. Various channels/systems (CDM, AML & Datamart) were newly added to the DR approved list this year and business owners of each of these systems were able to test these systems successfully during the DR drill.
The Bank has implemented wireless network in identified locations to provide mobility and facilitate staff in accessing resources without being wired. Apart from the above, the Bank has invested in upgrading both hardware and software infrastructure such as databases, desktops and several applications including core banking. This brought enriched features for improved performance, security, manageability, productivity and greater stability.