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.
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.