KBZ Bank modernises infrastructure with VMware

Kanbawza Bank (KBZ Bank), Myanmar’s largest private bank, today announced a partnership with VMware, a global provider of cloud infrastructure and business mobility, to modernise its IT infrastructure for the benefit of all 482 branches and representative offices in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Source: VMware. HE Scot Marciel, US Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Burma (middle) with executives from KBZ Bank, VMware and VMware partner Nex4.

Controlling more than 40% market share of the commercial and retail banking business in Myanmar, KBZ Bank recognises innovation and digital transformation to be crucial in its expansion at home and abroad. It is Myanmar’s only bank with an international presence. The new virtualised and agile environment provides the Bank’s employees with a digital workspace and the freedom to work on any device, giving them more opportunities to collaborate internally with others at the Bank.

Asked about KBZ’s broader digital plan, KBZ Bank’s CEO and Advisor to the Chairman Mike De Noma said, “This is just one of the many steps we will be taking to do our part to support the government’s efforts to make Myanmar a digital leader in the decade ahead and to maintain its position as a mobile first nation.”

Virtualisation across the entire infrastructure from compute to storage and network allows KBZ Bank to scale up or down based on business needs, driving down operational and ownership costs significantly and simplifying IT management. The stability of the environment also ensures system uptime of its ATMs and branches, and boosts the bank’s ability to respond faster to demand spikes.

VMware will be supplying its software-defined data centre (SDDC) stack of solutions including vSphere with Operations Management, vCloud, vRealize Operations Advanced, NSX, Site Recovery Manager, AirWatch and Horizon to help KBZ Bank deliver even more secure services and new applications to cater to the growing demand for digital services from corporate, SME and retail customers.

As Myanmar opens up further to foreign investment, the risk of cyberattacks also increases. Staying one step ahead of this, KBZ Bank is strengthening the security of data and processes through a virtualised network with the use of VMware NSX. NSX tags specific IT policies to each individual workload. The granular security capability means that unlike traditional IT networks, each workload is protected from attackers who manage to breach the perimeter defenses of a data centre, enhancing the security of KBZ Bank’s IT infrastructure and better safeguarding the confidential information of its customers.

“KBZ Bank is a prime example of how businesses in Myanmar are innovating and capitalising on consumer simple and enterprise secure IT solutions to drive solid business results,” said Duncan Hewett, Senior VP and GM, APAC & Japan, VMware.