ABN Amro has installed a frame relay network from Equant to link its Asia Pacific headquarters and worldwide IT operations in Singapore with its operations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
The Dutch bank says the new network will give it global coverage, high reliability and a significant increase in bandwidth for applications such as SAP, Lotus Notes and back office applications.
Lars Gustavsson, chief technology officer, ABN AMRO WCS, says the move is in line with the bank's strategy for reorganising its business around clients rather than countries. This process has entailed a concentration and consolidation of its operating platform, he says.
"Both these factors drive the importance of resilient and effective communications and resource pooling," says Gustavsson. "Our wide area network is increasingly becoming a vital part of our operations and we are continously reviewing and upgrading our 'nervous system,' the WAN."
He adds that the bank will extend the Equant frame relay network to Africa, Central Europe, Latin America and the Middle East in the near future.