The banking sector has long been synonymous with stability and meticulousness, but in recent years, its IT costs have surged, reaching up to ten times what they might reasonably be. At the core of this problem is an overwhelming complexity stemming from an excessive number of bespoke applications and tools. Many banks run hundreds of custom-built applications and thousands of separate tools, each intended to serve a specific purpose but collectively bogging down infrastructure and users alike.
Overloaded Systems | Sluggish Laptops & User Frustration
Most bank employees rely on laptops equipped with a staggering array of tools and applications. In many cases, the sheer volume of these applications causes significant slowdowns, eating up processing power and memory, and making basic tasks cumbersome. Security requirements also add multiple layers of proxies and VPNs that further hamper performance, making each keystroke or action feel like wading through mud.
For those on Apple workstations, however, the experience can be strikingly different. Because the ecosystem around macOS has fewer available tools, these devices are often spared the overwhelming load plaguing Windows workstations. This lighter load on Apple devices is reflected in faster performance and fewer disruptions, even if the hardware itself isn't necessarily superior.
In the banking sector, security is paramount, leading to a proliferation of infosec applications that promise enhanced protection. However, as the number of tools increases, so does the inherent complexity of managing them. Each new tool, instead of adding value, begins to create overlapping functions, conflicting processes, and even vulnerabilities of its own. With each additional layer, banks find themselves with more maintenance burdens, more compliance headaches, and worse overall performance, all while losing the value proposition initially promised by each tool.
This creates what could be called "the liability of complexity" — an environment in which the added security is outweighed by the degradation of systems, leaving both employees and IT departments struggling to maintain an over-engineered infrastructure.
At the network level, banks often find themselves hamstrung by legacy architectures. Many banking networks still rely on traditional routing equipment and MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) circuits, both of which are ill-suited to handle the bandwidth demands and dynamic connectivity required in today’s digital banking environment.
To add to the strain, these legacy systems are often layered with VPNs for encryption. While VPNs serve a critical security function, the combination of aging routers, MPLS, and VPNs significantly hampers performance. Applications, data, and communications grind to a snail's pace, leading to frustrated employees and unhappy customers.
In a sector where digital transformation is not just an advantage but a requirement, banks need a way to modernize without excessive cost. Enter SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking). Solutions like Nepean Network’s SD-WAN bring newfound agility to bank networks, reducing costs, increasing bandwidth efficiency, and simplifying network management.
Here’s how SD-WAN helps tackle the banking IT cost crisis:
Significant Cost Reduction: SD-WAN leverages broadband and lower-cost links, bypassing expensive MPLS circuits and legacy equipment that require constant upkeep.
Seamless, High-Performance Connections: By dynamically routing traffic based on application needs, SD-WAN optimizes data paths and avoids bottlenecks, significantly boosting performance, even with encrypted VPN tunnels.
Consolidated Tools: SD-WAN provides built-in security features, reducing the need for dozens of standalone infosec applications and reducing the load on employee devices.
Resilience and Redundancy: SD-WAN offers robust failover and redundancy options, making banks less reliant on single points of failure and improving overall uptime.
Enhanced Customer Experience: Faster, more reliable networks mean faster transaction times and smoother customer interactions, both online and in-person.
The South African Perspective
In South Africa, the unique challenges of infrastructure instability—ranging from frequent power outages to inconsistent broadband quality—make SD-WAN an invaluable asset for local banks. SD-WAN’s ability to intelligently route traffic across multiple connection types, including broadband and LTE, ensures higher levels of connectivity and reliability, even during load-shedding or network disruptions. With SD-WAN’s built-in redundancy and seamless failover capabilities, banks can mitigate downtime and maintain a consistent service experience for customers, essential in an environment where traditional connectivity can be highly unpredictable.
Becoming a Market Leader Through Innovation
A bank willing to adopt SD-WAN technology can cast off the shackles of legacy networking, significantly reducing its IT expenditure while boosting productivity and network performance. By streamlining their infrastructure and freeing up resources to invest in customer experience and service innovation, banks can position themselves as market leaders, competitive and agile in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.
In a world where IT costs continue to spiral upward, a smart, strategic deployment of SD-WAN is the key to future-proofing banking operations and staying ahead of the curve.
