Modernizing a Regional Bank Through Improved Connectivity

With their technology expertise, UPSTACK provided guidance for building a stable network for the newly rebranded bank.

Summary

A regional bank with a large retail focus was struggling with connectivity between branches and was looking to update its network to manage and modernize operations to better meet its customers’ needs. As part of the effort, the bank’s executives saw the recommended solution of moving some of their workloads to the cloud as an attainable strategy. Under the guidance of UPSTACK Partners, Nanette Kische and Michael Eaton, the bank partnered with a recommended network provider to build a dedicated fiber and broadband network for the headquarters and branch locations, improving uptime and overall operations across branches.

The Challenge

A mid-Atlantic regional bank with 20 branches and a focus on retail banking was in need of an upgrade to its network infrastructure as part of a rebranding and modernization effort. The existing network used a point-to-point model with all communications routing through headquarters, making it difficult for employees in different branches to communicate effectively. This outdated network model did not provide stability or reliability and did not offer a customer experience that was aligned with the updated image of the bank.

A consultant of the bank recommended the technology consulting services of UPSTACK, whom they have successfully partnered with on other projects to provide technology expertise. UPSTACK Partners Nanette Kische and Michael Eaton led the teams to design a new hybrid cloud network while retaining key data and infrastructure on-premises at the bank.

The Approach and Solution

To create an updated network, Nanette and Michael worked with the bank’s IT team to identify providers to deploy dedicated primary fiber to each branch, with cable broadband as a redundant backup to ensure uptime. The solution also included sourcing managed routers, software-defined wide-area-network (SD-WAN), next-generation firewalls, managed detection and response, and dedicated fiber circuits for the bank’s two data centers.

The Outcome

Operations at the branches have greatly improved with the implementation of network connectivity and SD-WAN. In addition to effectively troubleshooting issues that inevitably spring up during implementation, Nanette and Michael worked with the network provider to test the system and confirm the network circuits were strong and the built-in redundancies were ensuring uptime.  By hard-wiring certain services, such as printing and desktops for tellers, and enabling wireless for other activities, they were able to resolve the issues and improve overall operations at the branches.