Microsoft SAM: large-scale minimization in Trust bank

Thanks to implementation of process of management of licenses, the Trust National bank completely got rid of the risks connected with use of the unlicensed software and now can competently plan the IT budget.

Since January 1, 2008 became effective the new law in the field of intellectual property (Part 4 of the Civil code of the Russian Federation) which integrated all regulations in the field of intellectual property and formalized requirements to its turnover. The board of Trust National bank realized need of optimization of control over licensing of the software used in bank and decided to ask for the help the certified partner of Microsoft corporation — Softline company. As a result of implementation of technology of management of licenses as an asset of the enterprise (SAM — Software Asset Management) to bank managed to minimize the legal risks connected with use of unlicensed software and also to optimize business process management.

The Trust national bank conducts the history since 1995. Today the bank renders a full range of retail banking services, services in the field of financing of small and medium business, corporate, settlement and cash services. NB "Trust" is among thirty largest financial institutions of Russia (according to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation) and has one of the most large-scale regional networks among the Russian banks: NB "Trust" is provided in 60 regions and more than in 170 cities of the Russian Federation. In total the bank has 200 sales points. In 2009 the RA Expert agency assigned to NB "Trust" score at the level "A", the confirmatory high level of solvency.

Situation

In an IT infrastukture of bank the broad spectrum of the software is used, beginning from standard user applications, finishing with specialized banking software products. The extensive regional network and a large number of salaried employees were the reasons that management of the used software caused considerable difficulties as uniform procedures and rules of use did not exist in specialists of IT department of bank. A possibility of emergence at workstations of the software uncontrollable from IT specialists, could result in unpredictable risks and losses.

"The regional network of our Bank extends, the number of employees grows — Alexey Katrich, the managing director of the "Information Technologies and Operating Activities" block of JSC NB Trust emphasized. — We realized complexity of the developing situation. After its discussion with the partner, the main objectives of the project were formulated, of which carrying out inventory of the used software in the company became first-priority."

"Very valuable in work with Trust bank was the fact that his heads understood need of implementation of process — Vladimir Razuvaev, the director of legal support, the Head of Department of management of licenses of Softline company noted. — Therefore literally in ten minutes we came to complete mutual understanding and got to work. This project became for Softline company the most large-scale in the field of implementation of processes of management of software licenses in the organization for today".

Specialists of Softline made the SAM technology implementation project directed to optimization of asset management of the software of Trust bank and, first of all, to establishing management of licenses as a valuable company asset.

Solution

Specialists of Softline company attentively studied the situation which developed in the field of use of the "legal" software in Bank and developed the individual program of implementation of technology of management of licenses.

In 2006 the international standard ISO/IEC 19770-1 was published: SAM Processes regulating requirements to management of licenses. Microsoft developed recommendations about assessment of level of compliance to this standard and transition to higher level. In total levels four: initial – basic, the second – standardized, the third – rationalized and the fourth – dynamic.

Softline company, using these recommendations, estimated the level of development of management of licenses at NB "Trust" as standardized. Implementation of SAM technology at this stage provides carrying out inventory of the available software. On the basis of results of inventory the second stage of implementation was carried out: legal audit of the documents confirming legality of software which is a know-how of Softline company. At this stage the list of the available software and licenses purchased on it is formed and comparison is carried out them. Based on legal audit in Trust bank considerable "relicensing", i.e. the number of the available licenses was revealed exceeded the number of copies of the software. Thus, at once there was obvious a possibility of economy of means when purchasing of the licensed software.

Then specialists of Softline developed practical recommendations and techniques which allow to automate completely processes of acquisition, storage and utilization of the software. For the staff of IT department of bank and the manager on accounting of licenses two-day training was provided. At observance of these recommendations the level of development of asset management of software of bank can be increased to dynamic when processes of continuous improvement in the field of SAM for support of flexible managed environment work. It will mean that are excluded legal and business risks, performance increases, expenses on acquisition of software are optimized, decrease training costs of personnel and operation of software and many other things that allows to get competitive advantage of the company from use of SAM in the amount.

"The IT infrastructure functioning without failures promotes efficiency, interest in it of employees and favorable working climate — Dmitry Kogan, the director of support of information systems of JSC NB Trust says. — New employees easily join in workflow as their training in IT processes happens in the company quickly, on already fulfilled scheme".

Advantages and perspectives

Implementation of SAM technology allowed to bring IT infrastructure of Trust bank to desirable level for short term. The project was implemented by efforts of ten specialists of Softline company within only 8.5 months. As a result of implementation the following results are achieved:

• The clear picture of use of the software in the company was received. Thanks to it the probability of the legal and reputational risks connected with use of the unlicensed software as much as possible decreased;
• The optimal scheme of licensing was developed. It considerably reduced finance and labor costs in the field of purchases;
• Thanks to regular inventory of software on the developed scheme, go up-to-date data about necessary and "excess" software into the disposal of the management; the analysis of these data allows to make competently the IT budget and to receive real economy that is especially important at the developed difficult financial and economic situation.

"Use of technology of management of licenses gave us many advantages: data on are not present risks in which results use of the non-licensed software, the correct software management" — Alexey Katrich notes.

"With SAM technology we had an opportunity to competently plan the IT budget and to cut down expenses on it — Alexander Aushev, the director of the department of control of vendor relations of information systems, JSC NB Trust told. — Thanks to process automation of management of software inclusion of new bank departments in the available infrastructure takes place very quickly and without serious consequences".

• Source of www.ibusiness.ru