Saraswat Bank Centralises Database With Oracle Database 10g

The Saraswat Co-Op. Bank Limited (Saraswat Bank) is an established player in the cooperative bank segment in India. The bank provides financial assistance, temporary accommodation and medical services to the needy families.

Started in 1918, the bank has expanded its reach across five states. In its attempt to extend core-banking facilities to its customers and to remain ahead in this competitive banking segment, the bank has deployed Oracle Database, Oracle Real Application Cluster and Oracle Developer Suite.

Centralising the database

The expanding base of branches and customers was making it difficult for the bank to incorporate the data across different branches. Hence, the bank was desperate to centralise the database to streamline the core banking operations. As Yusuf Lanewala, director, Saraswat Infotech, informs, “In order to ensure a secure environment and 24/7 operation of the core banking, it was imperative for us to think beyond our legacy system. We were thinking of a robust system, which could provide us tools for managing and monitoring the voluminous data.”

The bank wanted to enhance its customer service to speed up response time. It was on the lookout for a solution, which could integrate multiple channels into an integrated business management platform.

Oracle’s experience leads the way

The bank sifted the solutions of various vendors, but decided to go with Oracle due to its experience in the banking field and the flexibility of its solution. The bank has taken a corporate license on the basis of CPUs but has distributed limited licenses to its branches spread across the states. The implementation was concluded within a month, with no third-party involvement. “The whole process of implementation was a smooth one. The Oracle people and our internal IT team implemented the solutions and there was no involvement of any third party. There were crores of rupees involved in the centralisation process,” Lanewala points out.

The bank has deployed Oracle Database 10g, Oracle Application Cluster and Oracle Developer Suite to strengthen the core banking operations.

Robust performance with enhanced services

With the deployment of Oracle Database 10g, the bank has been able to scale its resources and extend better services to its customers. The clustering technology has enabled the bank to extend a more secure environment to its customers. Consolidating disparate systems into a single and centralised platform has also helped reduced costs. To automate the back office operations, it has redeployed some of its employees from back office to debt collection and other marketing activities. Regular data analysis has minimised the overdrafts and enabled stringent risk management.

“The growth of our bank could be contributed to both natural and technological advancements. Savings and improvements came mainly from consolidating the bank’s technology infrastructure, resulting in headcount avoidance, increased availability and lower maintenance cost,” Lanewala reflects.

The bank is now planning to deploy a document management solution to further streamline the banking process.