DBS will now be able to empower its workforce to work collaboratively from anywhere, across PCs, tablets and smartphones
DBS Bank, a leading financial services group in Asia, with over 280 branches across 18 markets, is taking steps to transform its workforce for the digital age. It is the first Singapore bank to adopt cloud-based productivity technology, Office 365, in the workplace, enabling its employees to change the way they work, as well as make a leap forward in terms of mobility, efficiency and productivity.
With the digital revolution redefining not just the banking industry but all others, DBS’ decision for early adoption of cloud comes at the most appropriate time. With the increasing threat posed by fitechs, the bank believes it must empower its people with a set of productivity tools that enable them to be more nimble and responsive to customer needs. It piloted Microsoft Office 365 among about 1,000 staff at its Singapore headquarters, this Monday. The bank is targeting for its entire workforce to make a shift to cloud over the course of the year, when all 22,000 employees across 18 markets will be equipped with Office 365.
Equipped with Office 365, DBS is now able to empower its workforce to work collaboratively from anywhere, across PCs, tablets and smartphones. Across the organisation, meetings can now be conducted through Skype for Business, cutting down on travelling time. Enterprise social network, Yammer, provides a platform for employees to form closer communities and to collaborate across departments and locations. In addition, to encourage knowledge sharing across DBS’ network of employees, every individual will receive an increment of file storage capacity to 1TB per user on OneDrive.
David Gledhill, Head of Technology and Operations, DBS, said “In the last few years, we have made good headway in creating a ‘fintech-like’ workforce that is focused on making the customer experience simpler and more seamless. Inculcating a digital mindset in our people aside, it is also important to give them work tools that break down silos, enhance collaboration, foster greater efficiency and facilitate working on the go. By leading the industry in adopting cloud technologies, our people can in turn deliver more customer value.”
Michael Araneta, Associate Vice President for IDC Financial Insights Asia/Pacific, said in this regard, “Asia/Pacific super-regional institutions, like DBS, will set the pace. At least 80 pecent of these FSIs will run on a hybrid cloud architecture by 2018. These large players will clear the way for their peers and will set best practices in the location, control, ownership, and management of data in the cloud”.
Over the last five years as well, DBS has made significant investments in strategic technology initiatives to weave banking into the everyday life of its customers. In April this year, DBS also launched India’s first mobile-only bank.
In recent years, DBS has also been encouraging its employees to embrace a digital mindset through greater experimentation and experiential learning. In 2015, more than 2,000 employees gained exposure to digital culture, agile methodology and other digital working concepts. Beyond this, DBS employees also get to work with research and analytics experts from A*Star and the Singapore Management University to develop innovative products and services.
