The Strategic Role of Information Systems and Supporting IT Infrastructure in CIMB Bank Berhad on the future direction to implementation of cloud computing in your organisation.
The main purpose of this report is to add detail to the findings and recommendations of cloud computing which was being analysed in all aspects. We hope that our recommendations will be helpful as you consider the implementation of cloud computing to your organisation which would be cost savings whereby no additional infrastructure will be used and cloud computing also helps to save the environment by contributing to green computing.
We look forward to discussing this report with you.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
TJ Consultant
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“Cloud computing is a new way of delivering computing resources, not a new technology.” [1]
The CIMB Bank Cloud Computing Strategic Direction Paper describes the whole of MSF Sales Force policy position on cloud computing. The strategy will states that the MSF Sales Division can choose a cloud-based service if it show clearly and deliberately value for money, fitness for purpose and are adequately secure; provides guidance for MSF Sales Force on what cloud computing is; and some of the issues and benefits of cloud computing that MSF Sales Force need to be aware of.
Our investigation focused on three areas such as IT infrastructure and related problems, business processes and Environmental issues. Result of our analysis has lead to several recommendations.
The paper recognises that the public cloud is still undergoing a gradual change, particularly in areas such as security and privacy. These issues need to be adequately resolved before critical MSF Sales Division can be transitioned to the cloud. As a result, the paper outlines three streams of work:
Stream One – provides the sales division with guidance and documentation.
Stream Two – encourages sales division to adopt public cloud services for public facing “unclassified” government services and to undertake proof of concept studies to fully understand the risks of the cloud environment.
Stream Three – encourages a strategic approach to cloud. This work is dependent upon greater clarity around projects commissioned under the Data Centre Strategy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page
1. Introduction 6
2. IT infrastructure and ecosystem 8
2.1 Data management & storage 8
2.2 Consultant and System Integration 8
2.2 Network & Telecommunication 8
2.4 Software Application 8
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2.5 Operating System Platform 8
2.6 Computer/Hardware 8
2.7 Intranet Platform 8
2.8 Issues and Challenges 9
3. Cloud Computing and its business benefits and costs 10
3.1 10
3.2 10
3.3 10
3.4 10
3.5 10
3.6 11
3.7 11
3.8 11
4. Recommendations of Cloud Computing Adoption 13
4.1 Market demand for CIMB / MSF services 14
4.2 CIIMB / MSF Business Strategy 14
4.3 CIMB / MSF Information Technology (IT) strategy, infrastructure & cost 14
4.4 Information Technology Assessment 14
4.5 Competitor firm services 14
4.6 Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments 14
4.7 14
4.8 14
4.9 14
5. Conclusions 14
5.1 Summary of key findings 14
5.2 Recommendations 14
5.3 Limitation of studies 15
LIST OF REFERENCES 16
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 – Journal 18
Appendix 2 – Cost and Benefits 20
Appendix 3 – 21
Appendix 4 – 22
Appendix 5 – 23
1. INTRODUCTION
CIMB Group is the leading Asean Universal banking franchise, offering full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, assets management, wealth management, insurance and Takaful and private banking. However, we are writing report based on one of CIMB Bank sales division known as Mobile Sales Force.
Mobile Sales Force or more known as MSF is the largest sales channel in CIMB Bank. Comprising more than 2,000 staffs, promoting and distributing CIMB Bank key products such as mortgage loan for private and corporate, personal loan for government sector, hire purchase and credit cards.
MSF was established backed in 2006 with the vision to be the best-in-class sales organization with a passion for exceeding expectation.
Prior approval and consent from MSF head of department had been obtained in conducting this research.
CIMB Group Profile
CIMB Group is ASEAN’s leading universal banking franchise. We offer a full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management, wealth management, insurance and takaful, and private banking.
With over 37,000 employees, CIMB Group reaches 81% of the ASEAN population, representing 89% of the region’s gross domestic product. Our retail network of over 1,000 branches is the widest in the region.
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, CIMB Group’s main markets are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia. Our presence in 13 countries covers ASEAN and major global financial centres, as well as countries in which our customers have significant business and investment dealings.
In addition, we extend our reach and range of products and services through strategic partnerships. Our partners include the Principal Financial Group, Aviva plc, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Standard Bank plc, Daishin Securities and the Kanoo Group, among others.
CIMB Group
As the leading ASEAN universal banking franchise, CIMB Group offers a full range of financial products and services covering consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management, wealth management, insurance and takaful, and private banking. We operate our businesses on a dual banking leverage model, giving customers a choice of both conventional and Islamic financial solutions.
Our main markets in which we offer full universal banking facilities are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. We also have a presence in other countries where our customers have significant business and investment dealings.
CIMB Bank
Our Consumer Banking business offers a full range of conventional and Islamic financial products and services to meet the borrowing and financing, wealth management and transaction needs of our individual customers and businesses. Our spectrum of banking services include credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and financing, commercial banking services for Small Medium Enterprises and mid-sized corporate customers, insurance and takaful, investment and wealth management services.
We have an extensive retail network across the region in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia that serves over 11 million customers.
(http://www.cimb.com/index.php?ch=g2_au&pg=g2_au_content&tpt=cimb_group&cat=profile)
The rest of this report is as follows :
Section 2 : IT Infrastructure and Ecosystem. Explained the IT infrastructure and Ecosystem of the organisation.
Section 3 : Cloud computing and its business benefits. Provided cloud computing and its benefits and costs.
Section 4 : Recommendation of cloud computing adoption/adaption. Recommended a suitable cloud that MSF could adopt.
Section 5: Conclusions. Summarises the key points from the analysis and provided recommendation
2. IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOSYSTEM
CIMB IT infrastructure today consist of seven major components that must be coordinated to provide the division with a coherent IT infrastructure and the major vendors within each category
INTERNET PLATFORMS
Microsoft, Unix, IBM, Java
DATA MANAGEMENT & STORAGE
IBM, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase
COMPUTER HARDWAREPLATFORMS
Dell, HP
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
CONSULTANT & SYSTEM INTEGRATOR
IBM, EDS,
Accenture
ECOSYSTEM
OPERATING SYSTEM PLATFORMS
Microsoft Window
NETWORKING TELECOM-MUNICATION
Microsoft Window Server, Linux
ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE PLATFORMS
Oracle, Microsoft
CIMB CORPORATE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE:
Issues and Challenges
Securing Information System – CIMB MSF are faced with challenges of data and information security. We need to have a more specific users security procedures guidelines. At the moment, CIMB MSF rely on CIMB Group rules for business conduct and Code of Ethics BNM GP7. As MSF is a firm providing financial services, MSF must comply with the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, better known as the Gramm-Leach Billey Act (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 337) However, in Malaysia all financial institutions is govern by central bank or more known as Bank Negara Malaysia.
Malicious Software – Malware (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 328) will be another hurdle for implementation of cloud computing as there is no IT department within MSF. All IT issues and problems will have to be refer to CIMB Group IT. This will cause time delaying as the problem cannot be solve in-house and need to wait for IT department action. MSF will have no control as to when CIMB Group IT will react to the reported problem.
Absent of Transaction Processing Systems – MSF did not have TPS a systems that keep track of the elementary activities of the organisation such as sales for all products such as personal and enterprise mortgages, personal loans and credit cards, customers information like age, annual income, employee, and credit decisions like common rejection reason and best customer profile. (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 75)
Decision Support Systems (DCS) & Executive Support Systems (ESS) – Due to absent of transaction processing system (TPS) no proper management information systems (MIS) to enable DCS & ESS. DCS is useful in providing support non-routine decision making for middle management and ESS for senior management (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 78 & 81)
Database management Systems (DBMS) – As MSF have multiple products, all data given will be in different formats and all users will have their own preferred format of reporting thus creating double work when each product user need to extract and reformat the data into meaningful information. (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 240)
Establishing an information policy – Although there are numerous CIMB & Banking Acts like, Banking & Financial Institute Act1989 (BAFIA) section 97 – secrecy, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) GP7 confidentiality, CIMB Group Code of Ethics governing the information policy, it is still a good practise to draft information policy for MSF sales division. More specific guidelines, rules and penalties in controlling MSF information policy for sharing, disseminating, acquiring, standardising, classifying and inventorying information systems. (Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, pg 259)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – is widely implemented strategy for managing a firm interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. Most banks will have their own CRM. CRM is only possible if there is enough data captured which can be transfer into information and CRM uses the information formed by the data to enable the user better forecast the needs and wants of the customers. At this moment, CRM is not available in MSF.
3. CLOUD COMPUTING AND ITS BUSINESS BENEFITS AND COSTS
National Institute Of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines Cloud computing “as a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
The benefit of early adoption of cloud computing in Global 2000 enterprises enables organization on cost savings on maintaining its IT infrastructure. Therefore organization started to invest in cloud computing to take advantage on better infrastructure utilization by way of automation and charge back over virtualized infrastructure to help to improve its over-all utilization.
3.1 Type of Cloud Computing
General there are 4 basic type of cloud computing and it is depend on organization on which type is suitable for its application delivery and business services.
Type
Description
Private Cloud
Cloud service that are merely for the use of the organization and provided by third party and it services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage-model.
Community Cloud
Cloud service that are share among several department in the organization and managed by third party or service provider
Public Cloud
Cloud service available to public use over the internet and managed by third party by offering free services or pay-per-usage model.
Hybrid Cloud
A environment in which organization provides and manages some of its resources in-house for storage of operational data and has others provided externally by third party. This advantages the organization of the scalability and cost effectives without exposing its important applications and data to the third-party vulnerabilities.
3.2 Cloud Services and Capability
The CIMB – MSF division can adopt three basic types of cloud services, defined by NSIT and it is also accepted by the business industry.
Cloud Services
Description
Software as a Services
Software applications like ERP, collaboration that runs on the service provider IT infrastructure and delivers to the organization through the internet by way renting the software applications
Platform as a Service
The user organization can access the hardware platform and operating system over the internet on a pay-per-use basis.
Infrastructure as a Service
It is cloud computing platform which allow user organization to storage, process and networking through the service provided IT infrastructure by way of on a pay-per-use model.
3.3 Benefits of Cloud Computing
Reduced cost – Cloud technology is paid incrementally, saving organizations money. The organization is able to plan the needed expenses more wisely. By cloud computing the cost is proportion to the requirement.
Increased Storage – Organizations can store more data than on private computer systems.
Highly Automated – No longer do IT personnel need to worry about keeping software up date and backup. Cloud computing will automatically do the update and backup the system giving the organization more time to do business than fixing the problems on its own.
Flexibility – Cloud computing offers much more flexibility than past computing methods.
More Mobility – Employees can access information wherever they are, rather than having to remain at their desks from morning till evening which is tiring and sometimes a boring job. The cloud made the business go mobile.
Allows IT to Shift Focus – No longer having to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues, organizations will be free to concentrate on innovation and research and development. This help business and product growth in the long run.
3.4 Cost of Cloud Computing
Today, many large firms are burden with redundant, incompatible hardware and software because departments and divisions have been allowed to order and purchase their own technology. This make the cost of owning technology assets are relatively high.
The cloud concept is paying what you use and no minimum fee required. The users are paying either on a monthly subscription fees or per transaction basis which are composed of the following mandatory components:.
Management Interface at $6.25 per month
Platform creation cost
Application template
Release
Low usage (one time fee)
Average Usage (one time fee)
Frequent Usage (one time fee)
SAP ERP
6.0 Eh P4
$29
$179
$679
SAP Enterprise Portal
7.0 Eh P1
$19
$169
$669
SAP Solution Manager
7.0 Eh P1
$49
$199
$699
SAP Business Intelligence
7.0 (BI Cont 7.05)
$39
$189
$689
SAP Ides CRM
7.0
$39
$189
$689
Computing infrastructure cost
This cost will only be charged when you operate your platform. Operational support and the used computing infrastructure as cpu, memory, a static network address and network traffic are included.
Configuration Set
CPU
Memory
Low Usage (per hour)
Average Usage (per hour)
Frequent Usage (per hour)
1-5 users
4 core
8 GB
$1.99
$1.68
$1.49
6-10 users
4 core
12 GB
$2.68
$2.37
$2.18
11-15 users
4 core
16 GB
$3.37
$3.06
$2.87
16-25 users
8 core
18 Gb
$3.98
$3.67
$3.48
4. RECOMMENDATIONS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
1
Market Demand for Your Firm’s Customer Services, Supplier Services & Enterprise Services
2
CIMB / MSF Business Stratefy
6
Competitor Firms’ IT Infratructure Investments
CIMB / MSF IT Services & Infrastructure
4
Information Technology
5
Competitor Firms’ IT services
3
CIMB / MSF IT Strategy, Infrastructure & Cost
4.1 Market Demand for CIMB / MSF Services
Transaction processing system (TPS) – A system that store, modify and retrieve the transactions of MSF. However, all TPS must pass through atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability, otherwise known as the ACID test.
Decision support system (DSS) & executive support system (ESS) – DSS is a decision support system for middle level management and executive support system is for higher management. DSS and ESS not only provide better judgement, the system also enable “what if” analysis, which we can create several scenario to get the best desired result. Below is a diagram of DSS which consist of MIS. In order for a DSS or ESS to be created MSF must first have MIS, TPS and DBMS as all these systems are interrelated. An example of such software can be found at Vanguard Software corporation (www.vanguardsw.com) However, not all managerial roles are supportive using either DSS or ESS such as interpersonal role as a leader, decisional roles in a conflict between staff.
Management information system (MIS) – Report exceptional conditions, such as when the sales quota for a specific territory fall below an anticipated level or high staff turn-over for a certain department. MSF do not have MIS as report generated only upon request of individual.
Database management system (DBMS)- is a software package with computer programs that control the creation, maintenance and the use of a database. DBMS will allow MSF conveniently develope databases for various applications by database administrators (DBAs). A DBMS also provides facilities for controlling data access, enforcing data intergrity, managing concurrency control, recovering the database after failures and restoring it from backup files as well as maintaining database security.
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Opportunity in internet banking can be explore as there is no sales link or “contact us” link uploaded in CIMB Bank website, CIMB internet banking more known as CIMB Clicks does not provide any leads to MSF nor does it provide contact details of MSF. MSF should explore the business opportunity in internet banking by creating a website for MSF.
There is also demand for detail breakdown of incentive paid to sales staff. At this moment, no detail breakdown of incentive paid even in CIMB intranet and extranet, Human Resource Information System HRIS https://hris.cimb.com
4.2 CIMB / MSF Business Strategy
MSF five year vision is to be the best in class sales organisation with a passion for exceeding expectations. Best in class sales organisation means number one mobile sales force in Malaysia and in sales productivity among our region peers. In order to achieve this long term five years plan, MSF will need to improve it present information system and possibility of setting up its own IT department.
4.3 CIMB / MSF Information Technology (IT) Strategy, Infrastructure & Cost
MSF does not have an IT strategy but are using 400 desktops and 200 laptops. Giving an example of setting up a MSF office will easily cost more than MYR100,000. Below are the example of the breakdown costs:
Hardware acquisition – Each brand new desktop cost about MYR3,000.
Software acquisition – License software for Microsoft windows and office cost about MYR2,000 each desktop.
Installation – Installing an office of 5 desktop cost about MYR10,000.
Training – Training cost can be diversified as senior staff of MSF can train new recruits.
Support – Support cost had been diversified as all IT technical support are provided by CIMB IT department, GIOD.
Maintenance –
Infrastructure –
Downtime –
Space and energy –
4.4 Information Technology Assessment
CIMB Group spent MYR108 million last year for IT which is the highest among all other banking peers. Despite the large number, CIMB MSF still using some computer unit with windows XP instead of window Vista or 7, Intel pentium4 processor instead of Intel core processor and monitor screen instead of liquid crystal display (LCD). Most of CIMB group IT spending is on developing of a new CRM known as 1 View. However, the 1 View CRM is not provided to MSF.
4.5 Competitor firm services
Banks
Special IT Features
Availability in CIMB
HSBC Bank
Online application tracker
No
Online file upload services for credit card
No
Public Bank
E-mall for online shopping within PB website
No
Maybank
Green calculator for online banking environmental cost savings calculation
No
UOB
Office locator for mobile team, providing contact person and office address
No
4.6 Competitor firm IT infrastructure investments
Competitor Banks
2010 IT Spending
Comparison with CIMB Group IT spending
Maybank Group
61,000,000
56% of CIMB Group IT spending
RHB Bank Group
72,000,000
66% of CIMB Group IT spending
Public Bank Group
41,000,000
38% of CIMB Group IT spending
HSBC Bank Group
15,000,000
14% of CIMB Group IT spending
UOB Bank Group
90,000,000
83% of CIMB Group IT spending
* all data are based on individual banks 2010 annual report
5. CONCLUSIONS
The following summarises the findings and recommendations as outlined below.
5.1 Summary of key findings
The study leads to the conclusion that cloud computing has the potential to transform IT, not necessarily through its impact on an agency’s core business systems, but through commoditizing routine services such as e-mail, web servers, and data storage. Cloud computing can also easily deliver services that are common across government, such as accounting, procurement, and collaboration tools. If CIOs can increase their reliance on commodity computing, they will then have more time and resources to focus on the strategic management of IT and provide leadership and value for their agencies.
We hope that this timely and informative report will be useful to professionals and executives across government who are seeking innovative approaches in order to leverage the new technology of cloud computing in their effort to reform and improve ITprograms and the delivery of services to both government itself and to citizens.
5.2 Recommendations
5.3. Limitation of Studies
LIST OF REFERENCES
Department of Finance and Deregulation 2011, Cloud computing strategic direction paper: opportunities and applicability for use by the Australian Government , viewed 5 April 2011, and 22 May 2011 Mell P & Grance T 2011, The NIST definition of cloud computing (draft) , viewed 19 March 2011, Wyld, DC 2009, Moving to the cloud: an introduction to cloud computing in government , viewed 19 March 2011, Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, Management information systems: managing the digital firm, 11th edition.
Cirrus cloud computing : Price list, viewed on 30 April 2011 CIMB Statement on Internal Control 2007 and Annual Report 2010 http://www.cimb.com/annual_reports/CIMB_Bank/2007/pdf/SOIC.pdf
http://announcements.bursamalaysia.com/EDMS/subweb.nsf/7f04516f8098680348256c6f0017a6bf/65487497790102fe482578640016d4a2/$FILE/CIMB-AnnualReport2010%20(3.2MB).pdf
http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/search/query?start=0&filter=1&q=SAAS, IAAS PAAS,
Appendix 1: Journal
Appendix 2: Cost and Benefits
Appendix 3: Cloud Computing Benefits
Appendix 4: Problems With Data Centre Power Consumption
Appendix 5 : Power Consumption For Each Computer
Thomas – 24 March, 2011 Thursday:
Conducted informal interview (9:30am) with Sim, Customer Service Engineer. Obtained basic information of MSF IT infratructure
Thomas – 03 April, 2011 Sunday:
Visited report writing presentation by Adrian Stagg & Lindy Kimmins (11:00pm)
Thomas – 03 April, 2011 Sunday:
Seek permission from MSF Head (10:30pm), Mr. Daniel Cheong on selecting MSF Department for assignment 4
Thomas – 04 April, Monday:
Approval obtained by Mr. Daniel Cheong at 12:06am
Thomas & Janet – 04 April, 2011 Monday:
Both of us arranged to communicate through phone and email as we are from different parts of the country after office hours at 7.30pm. We discussed briefly on which of the organization intended to work on to our assignment report.
In the end, after much discussion we decided to select either one of our company which we are currently employed for our assignment report after which we have discussed with our relevant IT department in our next meeting.
Thomas & Janet – 04 April, 2011 Monday:
We communicate again at 8.30pm. After much exchange informations of our survey on our IT department, we decided to select company, CIMB Bank Bhd as the organization to work on for our assignment report due to the good support from his company IT personnel. Next we discussed about the plan on how to complete our assignment through allocation of jobs. As we have selected my company to work on for our assignment report,
Thomas – 05 April, 2011 Tuesday:
I log into CIMB Group website www.cimb.com/index.php?&tpt=cimb_group and started my introduction part of my report (11:00am)
Janet – 06th April, 2011 Wednesday:
I visited a few website : www.finance.gov.au/e-government/strategy-and-governance/cloud-computing.htm, www.isaca.org/Knowledge-Center/Research/Documents/Cloud-Computing-28Oct09-Research.pdf and www.startupbizhub.com/business-benefits-of-cloud-computing.htm which give me some information on opportunities of adoption by the Australia Government
Thomas – 08 April, 2011 Saturday:
Sent email (8:30pm) to MSF Head personal assistance, requesting for MSF organisation chart, MSF IT infrastructure & Eco system
Janet – 11 April, 2011 Monday:
Visited the Australia Department of Finance and Deregulation 2011 again and started to complete the Executive Summary for our assignment.
Thomas – 16 April, 2011 Saturday:
Visited USQ study desk for assignment 4 resources (9:00pm) http://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=true&id=391393
Visited Wikipedia for pseudonym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym (9:20pm)
Reading assignment 4 mock up report (10:00pm)
Reading CIMB Group Rules for Business Conduct (11:00pm)
Janet – 25 April, 2011 Monday:
Compute the company IT Infrastructure Ecosystem diagram provided by Loudon & Loudon 11e (page 203) and visited http://www.intek.net/a/images/netdesign.gif for fictitious diagram on corporate network infrastructure
Janet – 30 April, 2011 Saturday:
Compute the cloud computing benefits and it cost
Thomas – 09 May, 2011 Monday:
Checking and resizing fonts size for assignment paper (12:00pm)
Browse CIMB Group website http://www.cimb.com/index.php?ch=g2_au&pg=g2_au_leader&cat=bod&tpt=cimb_group
for CIMB Group CEO profile.
Browese USQ website
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Journal (390 words)
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