VTB announced plans to completely abandon imported commercial DBMS and switch to PostgreSQL

As part of the bank-wide task of transferring key information systems to imported non-volatile technologies, VTB is working to replace the database management systems (DBMS) of foreign vendors with freely distributed PostgreSQL. This was reported to TAdviser in the bank on April 19, 2022. The final transfer of existing systems to PostgreSQL is planned for the end of 2024, and all new implementations already use this DBMS. The goal of the transition is to eliminate the bank's dependence on foreign software suppliers, maintain the necessary level of information security and fault tolerance, reducing the cost of IT infrastructure.

By the end of 2022, VTB plans to decommission 30% of the DBMS of foreign vendors.  At the same time, all current projects and services created already use the target database management system, and outdated business systems using commercial DBMS are replaced with new ones. 

By the end of 2022, VTB plans to decommission 30% of the DBMS of foreign vendors "(photo - RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov)"

In 2021, the bank created its own competence center for the development and support of the DBMS infrastructure service on the basis of freely distributed PostgreSQL. The solution you create allows you to work in cluster mode, ensuring not only fault tolerance and the necessary read and write performance for modern applications, but also meeting all current information security requirements. The center's employees help the bank's product teams implement this solution in their systems and projects, as well as provide support for the DBMS in test and productive environments.

In the future, information systems developed by VTB based on open software are planned to be registered in the Unified Register of Russian Software, which will ensure their availability for other participants in the Russian technological and banking markets.

In accordance with its strategy for technological transformation, a few years ago VTB began to develop and test options for replacing foreign equipment and software with Russian analogues and non-commercial products. Measures for the transition to a freely distributed DBMS are carried out at the bank as part of the implementation of directives of the Government of the Russian Federation. For the bank, this will ensure a positive economic effect  and accelerate adaptation to the new technological reality, "said VTB Deputy President-Chairman of the Board Vadim Kulik.

See also

Import substitution of information technologies in banks