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Arvind Kathpalia, Head-Operations, Technology & Finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

Arvind, a University ranker in BA (Hons) Economics from Delhi University

and an MBA (Marketing & Finance) from FMS, Delhi, is responsible for the overall

Operations, Technology & Finance functions at the bank. . Arvind brings with him

25 years of experience in banking, with his earlier experience in ANZ Grindlays

and Standard Chartered Bank. His passion for travelling & sports takes him

around the world for watching key events like the Olympics, F1 racing, Grand

Slam, Cricket and Rugby.

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You have implemented a blanket managed services solution. Why is that so

and how do you see it for the BFSI sector?



Information Security is an integral part of banking industry today as

channels proliferate and we will do everything possible to ensure that our

customers feel safe about their identity, data and funds irrespective of

whichever channel, whatever time from any place they chose to transact with us.

The Managed Security Assurance Program that we have undertaken is a first in

the Indian Industry. It is a comprehensive result oriented program where our

strategic partner whose domain expertise is Information Security has agreed to

guarantee all kinds of security threats, internal or external. This way we get

access to the best domain expertise, tools and processes for its information

security.

We are extremely excited about this partnership and expect that many other

institutions will follow such programmes in India.

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Arvind Kathpalia



Head-Operations, Technology & Finance, Kotak  Mahindra Bank

How do you ensure business continuity ? Change management is also a major

concern to be addressed. How do you go about it?



Business Continuity is paramount for banking operations. It is not just a

question of having the technology but also having the right processes and people

in place. Kotak Mahindra Bank has invested a lot in BCP/DR. All our operation

units have a documented BCP in place and test drills are conducted half yearly.

The bank also has a DR data center in Bangalore where all critical data is

replicated online. BCP/DR is an ongoing exercise in a growing enterprise like

Kotak and it is our endeavor to continuously upgrade our BCP/DR.

Regarding change management, Kotak is one of the few enterprises which is

extremely agile, has fast time to market, churns out a 100 new projects every

year and also supports our legacy systems. We do all this through a combination

of smart sourcing where we keep the foundation layers, architecture and

integration inhouse and outsource everything else to people who are best

equipped to do it.

What trends can you spot in the banking sector as far as the culmination

of business and IT is concerned?



Banking and technology as inseparable. You will not find banks without

technology today, I see technology as an essential enabler to the various

banking business units rather than a control function which lays down

bureaucratic processes and standards. To ensure this, the CIO needs to manage

technology like any other business, ie being agile, faster time to market,

collaborating and aligning with the best partners, opening up supply chains and

being innovative.

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