Client Overview
As one of Europe’s largest banks, this client has 4,200 employees with more than 310 branches in eight countries, managing assets greater than €7 billion.
Business Challenge
Like all banks doing business in Germany, this client must comply with the legal standards laid down by BaFin. The bank belongs to regional associations that audit them regularly to check for compliance with BaFin standards. They are also audited internally, and may be audited by BaFin directly with very little advance notice. If a bank doesn't comply with the legal standards, a range of punitive actions can be taken. In the worst case, a bank can be dissolved.
Critical applications in IBM Notes have been difficult to audit due to the lack of change management and audit history. Past Notes application auditing has been manual and lacking in accountability. The client wanted the ability to automatically produce an audit history for the auditors “at the push of a button.”
The Teamstudio Solution
First, Teamstudio met with the individual banks, the associations, and the service providers to better understand their reporting requirements. A plan was developed that would enable the client to collect all of the information required for the audit. With that understanding, Teamstudio CIAO!® was implemented in their environment. Additionally, Teamstudio provided training on how to use the tool for application auditing purposes.
After a detailed discussion with Teamstudio, the client learned how CIAO! could provide the source code control they needed in order to prevent unauthorized access to application designs and to make their development and production environments secure.
Results
All of the uncertainty in auditing has been removed. The developers can now deliver the results required for the audit at the press of a button. The results are 100% reliable and in a format the auditors are familiar with. Surprise visits from auditors are no longer a problem. With the uncertainty around compliance no longer an issue, developers can get on with their work without worrying about having to document their changes by hand.
Through the use of CIAO! within their IBM Notes development environment, developers have also benefited from the “compare versions” feature, and, when needed, the rollback feature. The ability to ensure they are using the correct version of elements and templates has provided clarity and added efficiency to their work.