Interview with the director of the department of information technologies of SDM-bank Oleg Ilyukhin

Director of the department of information technologies of SDM-bank Oleg Ilyukhin

TAdviser: Oleg Vladimirovich, whether exists at the IT strategy SDM-bank? If yes, that what term it is expected and what its key directions?

Oleg Ilyukhin: Already for a long time we plan projects and the current activity in the field of IT for a year. However the price and effects of the made decisions are not limited one year, it is necessary to look much further therefore two years ago we employed Croc company which helped us to formulate the main theses of development of the IT sphere which we in the form of strategy approved on Board of Directors. Now we have a long-term IT policy according to which we also try to act.

TAdviser: And how planning of IT projects in your bank is performed?

Oleg Ilyukhin: The SDM-bank has a Committee on technologies and automation on which the interested heads take out the tasks. Further it is discussed on committee, and there is a list for a year in which tasks are placed in preference order. The plan with the list of projects for the next year and the budget is result. For 2014, for example, at us the list from 30 key projects according to which we work.

TAdviser: What main technology directions in which development of IT in SDM-bank moves?

Oleg Ilyukhin: First of all, we move towards centralization of all computing powers. We have a multifilial bank, but everything is controlled from head office. Thus, we reduce risks on personnel and risks of information security. Also we are going to move towards virtualization of computing resources as it is profitable both grindings of sight of direct costs of bank, and housekeeping overheads.

As for cloud services, we go to them not really willingly so far, but many pass to them, and, probably, to us at some point we will also join them. However now, by our calculations in relation to our bank, cloud services would be more expensive, and, besides, they, in my opinion, are less safe, than traditionally placed in the current infrastructure of bank.

For example, a cloud service on check of clients by the different parameters required by regulators. There are companies which offer such service with the fixed cost of check of one client. Our calculations showed that to check all customer base would manage too expensive and it is more profitable to do it by own efforts in the territory.

TAdviser: How IT infrastructure of your bank is arranged? How centralized it is now?

Oleg Ilyukhin: We have three computing platforms, two of which are located in the building of our head office – two main and reserve. A year ago we stopped building remote DPC which is approximately in 20 km from the main office. It performs functions reserve, and begins to work in case of possible causing significant damage to head office.

Centralization of infrastructure already is sufficient for us: both core banking systems –Diasoft for legal entities and CFT for individuals at us are centralized, as well as the RBS system. Now we go to decrease in qualification requirements to IT personnel in branches: they are responsible only for user support on places and service of ATMs and terminals now.

For the analysis of activity of clients in different cuts we use the corporate data warehouse based on SAP BW. Analysis results are used by client committee of SDM-bank for formation of different offers for clients and adoption of different solutions on work with them.

TAdviser: Tell, please, about the key projects implemented in bank 2013.

Oleg Ilyukhin: In 2013 we stopped implementing EDMS based on the solution of EOS Group for SharePoint that allowed to reduce costs for office-work significantly. We involve clients on the client bank in electronic document management also more and more actively: we implemented document flow on processing of salary sheets (the bank guarantees transfer of money on cards of employees within 2 hours), on factoring, filling of the credit request, the order of the check-book, the credit calculator and another.

Also in 2013 we passed to direct calculations with Visa, having become the basic member of this system. For 2014 we plan the similar project on MasterCard.

Last year we also started mobile banking. Earlier we also had mobile version of the website, but then we refused it. A year later after implementation mobile application of bank totals about 1-1.5 thousand active users.

In addition, we began last year and finished at the beginning of this year the first stage of the project on system implementation of accounting of credit requests of clients based on Diasoft Flextera software that belongs to automation of activity of the credit front office.

Regarding security we automated control procedure of vulnerabilities – for compliance to standards of Visa and MasterCard payment systems, and the Central Bank and also successfully underwent audit of PCI DSS. From infrastructure projects as I mentioned earlier - it is construction of remote reserve DPC. Probably, it is possible to call it the most difficult project of last year.

TAdviser: And what plans of SDM-bank for IT projects for 2014?

Oleg Ilyukhin: This year we plan completion of the data warehouse for automation of work with clients. On projects of security, in turn, according to requirements of the Central Bank we strengthen separation of our networks, breaking them into segments untied among themselves which are not crossed neither on functional loading, nor on network traffic. Also we automate monitoring of incidents in information security field now.

In terms of infrastructure this year we are going to pass to a new mail system: now we use the solution CommuniGate, and we want to implement the standard solution Microsoft Exchange with a possibility of remote access.

Besides, this year we adjust services of interaction with state agencies: we want in our client bank and mobile bank and also to put an opportunity to use state services into operation of operators: pay taxes, penalties of traffic police and other.

For legal entities we also until the end of the year are going to start bank client on tablets, at first on iPad, and afterwards and on Android OS. Now we test it. Also we systematically implement new services in our network of self-service terminals.

One more project, is implementation of services of e-commerce – an opportunity to pay off with cards of bank on the different websites with SMS confirmation. It is a step towards security too. we are also going to implement issue of Visa and MasterCard proximity cards.

TAdviser: Some banks conduct own software development. Whether there is in your bank a similar practice and if yes, that what own solutions you use?

Oleg Ilyukhin: We consciously limit ourselves from similar, however to some extent own development is present as there are cases when business wants to receive result, and vendors cannot support such speed. We have a small amount of the systems developed by our employees. However at us in the state couple of people and, one may say, in time, free from fundamental obligations, are engaged in such things literally. Globally we are guided by standard solutions.

TAdviser: Tell, please, what represents IT department of bank? How he is suited?

Oleg Ilyukhin: Number of staff in IT service is about 35 employees at head office and on 1-2 employees in each of branches. We significantly do not increase several years the staff of IT as we find reserves in optimization of own work. We service departments in Moscow by forces of our office or far off, or with departure. Regions are serviced by forces of local IT specialists.

The department of IT consists of infrastructure division of the division which is responsible for all bank software, two divisions on development of services bank client and processing and also there is a service of quality which monitors accomplishment of all internal procedures.

TAdviser: Whether you use IT outsourcing services? If yes, that what processes are transferred to outsourcing, and what effect of it you can note?

Oleg Ilyukhin: We prefer to execute the current activity connected with IT by own efforts except for project – we involve third-party contractors to implementation of the new systems. Once we tried to use outsourcing of call center, but came to what thus cannot be provided required quality. Also we tried to autsorsit support of one of banking systems, however terms of reaction were longer, than time of reaction of the employees therefore we came to a conclusion that it is better to increase this competence at itself.

In addition, to us suggested to autsorsit office printing once. We counted cost efficiency of such outsourcing and came to a conclusion that in our case it is still more profitable to perform support by own efforts.

TAdviser: Oleg Vladimirovich, thanks.