Client: France’s Banque Palatine Challenge: An acquisition by a French banking group revealed that the institution’s information system had become too expensive to maintain. Solution: With the assistance of CSC, the bank transferred all of its applications to an integrated software package. Results: CSC and the client replaced a 15-year-old system in 15 months, with lower maintenance costs and improved customer service. For More Information Contact us and let our experience help you produce results.

When Banque Palatine was acquired by the French banking group Caisse d’Epargne, the new managers soon discovered that the bank's information system had become too expensive to maintain. With CSC as its partner, it conducted one of the most extensive deployments of an integrated software package at a French bank.

Choosing an ERP package
The newly acquired bank launched a study to consider three IT options: maintain and improve the existing information system, integrate the system into the Caisse d’Epargne group, or implement an integrated software package to replace the existing system. The study concluded that the latter option was the only one that could be achieved within the budget and time constraints.

Banque Palatine, a bank with close to 80,000 private and business customers, selected the ERP trade software package from French publisher SAB. Apart from a few modules that had to be developed (instruction for credits, disputes and CRM), the software package met the needs of the bank perfectly. In addition, it was already being used within the Caisse d’Epargne group, which would ensure a smooth transition.

CSC’s reputation a plus
All that remained was the choice of a service provider. Banque Palatine selected CSC because of its good reputation within the Caisse d’Epargne group, its acknowledged expertise in the banking sector and above all the dedication of its teams.

“CSC was already known in the group, where it profits from a good reputation in the banking field. In addition, the team which was mobilized appeared to us at the same time extremely qualified,” says Michel Kleitz, information director for the bank.

The project began in November 2004, with a planned cutover in February 2006. Under CSC and the bank’s project manager, Christian Paring, the multi-disciplinary team assembled for this project worked well together from the outset. Everyone was totally concentrated on the success of the project and maintaining the lead times, says Paring.

“I had never seen outside contributors so engaged toward the customer, with such a will to succeed. It was a hard-working team, entirely devoted to the customer and to the success of the project, and well-managed, which went beyond its mission,” Paring says.

Meeting tight lead times
In spite of the size of the task and the many potential technical pitfalls – 18 functional domains, a change of platform, and the development of close to 300 interfaces – CSC met the February deadline. In particular, a five month confirmation phase and two dummy start-ups helped CSC find and remedy all the unforeseen problems inherent in this type of switchover.

“Collaboration between the various entities engaged in this large-scale program was particularly noteworthy," says Frédéric Bidaud, a partner at CSC France. "We are proud to have taken part in this project for Banque Palatine’s transformation.”

The project has been a total success, replacing a 15-year-old system and reducing maintenance demands, which in the past required a team of 120 people; the new system will affect a 30 percent reduction in maintenance costs. The bank expects to achieve its return on investment within three to four years, and achieve future gains in terms of productivity or quality of service to customers. Notes Paring, “We remade in 15 months what the bank had spent 15 years building.”