(MEBG) – Emirates Bank International (EBI) has announced it will relocate the bulk of its IT infrastructure to the Dubai Internet City (DIC).
With DIC expected to start up as an Internet Service Provider in October-November, about the same time that EBI plans its move, the relocation is considered by the bank to be economical, because it will lower the operating costs the bank faces today, in using the Etisalat service provided by Emirates Telecommunications Corporation.
"The formation of the DIC has come as a sort of blessing for us, ensuring faster access for our Internet banking services, and reducing some of the traffic jams on our existing lines. The expanded bandwidth will come in handy for the immediate expansion of our Internet banking services, and any future requirements," said Mohammed al-Jallaf, manager for electronic banking services at EBI to Gulf News.
However, even with the launch of operations out of DIC, EBI will continue to operate the present Etisalat leased lines, Jallaf added.
Once EBI’s relocation to DIC is complete, and the dedicated servers for Internet banking and payment gateways are all up and running, it is expected that EBI's Internet service, BankNet, will offer additional functions for mobile and multi-channel banking. A complete makeover is also planned for the EBI site.
Since the pioneering launch of BankNet in the UAE in 1997, the bank has been seeing more and more customers using these services. Recently, the German Brokat Systems company was awarded part of a contract to upgrade the BankNet, in collaboration with its local partner, Emirates Computers, which will provide the installation and support services.
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