The network, deployed by HeiTech Padu Berhad (HeiTech Padu) via Padu*Net with equipment from Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), was built on the principles of Cisco's vision for an Intelligent Information Network. This will provide Bank Islam with a foundation upon which to deliver fast, reliable and highly secure banking transactions for more than 85 of its branches nationwide.

An Intelligent Information Network, as Cisco defines it, is a network that is closely tied to, aware of, and responsive to the needs of applications, resources, and devices connected to it. An Intelligent Information Network will enable Bank Islam to quickly scale and deploy advanced services such as voice over IP (VoIP) and application optimization and virtualization technologies that integrate IT more tightly to the needs of the business.

En Jamil Hassan, CIO of Bank Islam, said, "Bank Islam remains one of the leaders in Islamic banking in the country after 22 years of operations. We are focused on further strengthening our standing by undertaking initiatives that will reinforce the Bank Islam brand among our customers. Among these initiatives is the upgrading of the bank's branch delivery system and customer-facing platforms to enable us to answer the diverse needs of our more than 1.2 million depositors. The rich and strong features of Cisco's solutions such as industry-leading security and VoIP will enable us to continue to deliver advanced banking applications."

Bank Islam chose Cisco networking equipment because HeiTech Padu was able to demonstrate the strengths of a solution that includes Cisco technology from end-to-end that is flexible, scalable and easy to manage.

En Fawzi Embi, senior vice president of HeiTech Padu, said, "We are conversant with Cisco's products. We also know that we can garner the support from Cisco in ensuring our projects are well managed, helping us to meet Bank Islam's business requirements."

"As Bank Islam continues to expand its network with the rapid deployment of new applications, constant monitoring and management are required to maintain the highest levels of network availability," said En Fawzi Embi. "By deploying a more integrated, more intelligent network, Bank Islam is now able to gain greater visibility into its network traffic and also have more comprehensive data collection capabilities."

"Banking environments are highly mission-critical and require a networking infrastructure that is robust, manageable, highly secure and flexible enough for dynamic requirements. Bank Islam's network will enable the bank to increase the efficiency of operations and lower its total cost of ownership while delivering new, integrated services such as voice over IP in the future," said Kumaran Singaram, managing director, Cisco Systems Malaysia.