DAB Bank AG
German bank brand uses Hyland's Alfresco platform to meet future challenges fully prepared and with continued flexibility.
The challenge
Based in Munich, DAB Bank AG is Germany’s first discount broker. As a direct customer service bank, it offers a comprehensive range of services focusing on investment growth and safety using securities. Its products provide solutions for savers, investors and traders. In business banking, DAB Bank is a partner for investment firms, fund managers and financial consultants, as well as banks and savings and loan institutions.
To prepare for future challenges, DAB planned to introduce Hyland's Alfresco platform as a new foundation technology for the enterprise. The goal was to use a single, centralized platform to map complex processes. All process-related documents are managed with a powerful Alfresco platform content management system.
The first project deployed in the new environment consisted of a B2B customer process: Telephone trade transactions with brokers and other business partners. Of particular importance for a financial institution is to store all documents per regulatory requirements, along with audit-proof compliance.
In the past, the process involved using paper copies. All documents were printed and filed in folders. Even though DAB Bank had an electronic archive system available (IBM FileNet Image Services), it was unable to use it for this process, because of architectural limitations.
The new system had to meet several challenging requirements:
- Efficient implementation of new applications and processes
- Agility to change existing processes
- Stability, scalability, performance, cluster capability and ease of administration
- Flexibility in system maintenance (execution of changes, testing, deployment)
- Low operating costs while considering all costs for licensing, support and ongoing maintenance
- Capability to be integrated into the existing system environment
- Capability for further architectural development
- Control and monitoring via a single, centralized process engine
Prior to selecting Alfresco platform, the stakeholders at DAB placed particular emphasis on setting a permanent course for the future. Additionally, project organization was also expected to ensure a long-term, efficient cooperation between individual departments and IT, and to provide a model for future projects.
Based on our experience so far, we can strongly recommend Alfresco platform, especially its open architecture and its support of common standards.
— Karl Brandner, IT Architect, DAB Bank AG
The solution
To select the appropriate document management system or enterprise content management system, DAB worked with an experienced enterprise information management consultant and Hyland partner. Initially, the companies investigated a number of possible solutions to optimize their current content solution — IBM FileNet Image Services, IBM FileNet P8 Content Manager, Alfresco Content Services and Microsoft SharePoint.
Alfresco platform emerged rather quickly as the best solution due to its integration capabilities and especially its CMIS default interface. The Alfresco platform, integrated via CMIS, proved to be a perfect match for the standard DAB technology infrastructure (Linux, Tomcat, Java). Its modular architecture ensures excellent scalability and is easy to install. Another benefit for DAB was the ease with which all required features could be configured. As for implementing the B2B process, the open-source approach was a bonus.
After choosing Alfresco platform as their ECM solution, DAB worked on the planning, implementation, configuration and customization of the platform. The technical integration of Alfresco platform into the SOA platform was facilitated by the CMIS interface and required very little effort. DAB’s industry-specific requirements were essentially covered by Alfresco platform’s standard functionality, which meant minimal customization.
DAB customized Alfresco platform to meet company-specific security requirements and assisted in the setup of rights for the site creation. The user interface was tailored to DAB Bank’s requirements and included a specific search form.
DAB’s ECM experts were able to make rapid progress on the project. Since there was not a legacy system, nor the need for migrating any documents, DAB was able to move more quickly. Alfresco platform's modern design and easy-to-use configuration capabilities allowed the bank to deploy the new document management system in just two months.
Results
- Smooth technical integration using a CMIS interface
- Few customization tasks
- Substitution of current processes based on hard copies with fully digitized B2B trading processes
- Archiving and managing 50 to 100 new documents daily
- Simplified search in documents stored audit-proof
- More transparency and control over closed and active processes
- Connecting 10 people in a B2B trading process
DAB banks on advantages of Alfresco platform
DAB has successfully been using Alfresco platform in full production for a number of years. The workflow for a selected process in the security commission trade is now being controlled via Alfresco Process Services. Searches for current or closed transactions are conducted using the customized search form in Alfresco platform — searches can be conducted for documents using either metadata or full text.
This search functionality provides DAB with significant advantages. The bank can manage the process for all documents, thus eliminating their original paper-based workflow. Staff members save time by being able to search stored documents quickly and thoroughly. This increases transparency and control of all closed and active processes.