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Al Rajhi Bank Set to Grow With Cisco in Malaysia
Cisco Unified Communications Supports Saudi-Based Bank Efforts to Quadruple Its Presence in Malaysia
| Source: Cisco
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA--(Marketwire - September 17, 2007) - The world's largest Islamic bank, Al
Rajhi Bank, has deployed the Cisco® (NASDAQ : CSCO ) Unified Communications
system as a strategic move to drive its business expansion in Malaysia. The
solution has been implemented across the bank's 182 existing branches to
provide a highly scalable, cost-effective and highly secure communications
system and it will accommodate future growth plans for up to 50 branches by
2010.
"Al Rajhi Bank's success as the world's largest Islamic bank has been due
in part to our continuous investment in leading-edge information and
communications technologies. We wish to replicate the same success in
Malaysia by adopting a communications solution that supports our aggressive
plans, while keeping costs manageable," said Soo Chen Woe, head of
technology for Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia.
The bank realizes the need to put in place from the start an integrated
voice and data communications platform that is scalable enough to cope with
the rapid growth. At the same time, a high level of employee productivity
and information availability must be maintained in order to keep the
business running.
Cisco's Unified Communications system eliminates complex and tedious
configuration processes, enabling the bank to quickly establish a new
branch network within a very short period. The mobility functions enable
employees to access vital information from the corporate network outside
the office and to remain operational and productive even in the event of
unexpected disruptions.
"Al Rajhi exercised and reviewed key components of the entire Cisco Unified
Communications system. After seeing it in action for six months, they saw
the business value and were convinced that the solution would address their
business challenges," said Kumaran Singaram, managing director, Cisco
Malaysia.
Al Rajhi Bank found that the Cisco Unified Communications system enhanced
the efficiency of intra-company interaction without compromising on the
personal touch. The solution increased efficiency and reduced costs by
cutting down long-distance travel, thus accelerating decision-making
processes.
"With the right infrastructure firmly in place, we are looking toward
setting new standards for the banking industry in Malaysia. We are
confident that the capabilities afforded by the Cisco Unified
Communications system will meet, or even exceed, the needs fundamental to
our expansion and development. Our experience shows us that Cisco is
definitely the right technology partner to help drive our future
initiatives," said Al Rajhi's Soo.
The Cisco Unified Communications system is an integrated suite of voice,
data and video products and applications specifically designed to help
organizations of all sizes to communicate more effectively. It allows
customers to integrate their communications system with their information
technology (IT) infrastructure, streamlining business processes for the way
effective businesses need to work today. The Cisco Unified Communications
system is a complete and extensive solution that enables unified mobility,
collaboration and comprehensive security, as well as various application
integration.
About Al Rajhi Bank
Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Al Rajhi Bank plays an integral part in the
life of the desert Kingdom. Al Rajhi Bank has been serving its citizens,
financing its growth and contributing to Saudi development for over 50
years. The bank has now grown into the country's largest branch network
(more than 500 branches) distributed throughout the Kingdom, the largest
ATM network (1600 machines) and over 12.000 POS installed with merchants
all over the Kingdom. It is also one of the largest joint stock companies
in Saudi, with a paid-up capital of SR 6,750,000,000.
Malaysia marks Al Rajhi's first foray into the international retail banking
market and it is an exciting and highly significant development in the
history of the bank.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ : CSCO ) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms
how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to
http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco products are supplied in Malaysia by Cisco
Systems International, BV.
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