Objectives

• Improve the employee support experience to serve a new generation of digital-native workers
• Reduce employee downtime due to technical issues
• Manage hybrid and multi-cloud data infrastructure with increased security
• Restore mission-critical services faster to meet government requirements

Solutions

• Deployed digital workplace solutions, including three tech cafés, each with technology vending machines, a cloud-based omnichannel contact center with built-in Unisys cybersecurity technology, Unisys Next-Generation Service Desk and Frontline Field Services, logistics and warehouse services and support for document processing
• Utilized enterprise computing solutions, including ClearPath® MCP Gold software, to migrate infrastructure for factoring services from a physical environment to a fully cloud-based virtual VMware platform

Results

• Positioned Bancolombia as a more desirable workplace for young professionals by boosting the employee experience and reducing downtime associated with day-to-day IT issues
• Enabled the organization to maintain critical financial decision-making operations in disaster recovery (DR) mode for ClearPath solutions

Data Points

• 66,000 requests fulfilled per month
• 90% decrease in disaster recovery (DR) total cost of ownership
• 50% faster transition from production environment to DR environment

The inception of Unisys and Bancolombia’s relationship marked a historic milestone, characterized by Unisys’ successful installation and management of Bancolombia’s ATMs – a trailblazing achievement as the nation’s first information sourcing agreement. Throughout an ongoing collaboration, Unisys has consistently delivered transformative solutions to Bancolombia, solidifying the bank as a leader in Latin America. As the banking industry began to accelerate its adoption of cloud solutions, Unisys was already prepared to lead Bancolombia into a new digital era.

Bancolombia’s technology leaders recognized the need to improve its employee support experience for the new generation of digital-native workers. Stringent national banking standards also called for a comprehensive solution to effectively manage its hybrid and multi-cloud data infrastructure, enhance security and achieve faster restoration of mission-critical services. When COVID-19 forced wholesale changes in short order, Unisys’ focus on cybersecurity allowed Bancolombia to shift to remote work while maintaining robust, secure support services.

“Unisys understands our expectations of delivering a better customer experience and has strength in addressing security issues,” said Eduardo Rueda Ciro, Bancolombia’s logistics and administrative services manager. “Security is paramount to the value we offer to customers. For me, it is very important that we continue with this strategic alignment between Bancolombia and Unisys.”

Attracting a new generation of workers

With 80% of Bancolombia’s new hires being young digital natives, the bank recognized the importance of aligning its workplace with its employees’ tech-savvy expectations. Bancolombia realized that young workers preferred resolving simple IT issues themselves to save time. But for complex support issues, ranging from PC failures to phone-configuration issues, employees needed more diverse and efficient solutions. The ideal approach involved a combination of technical services, seamlessly available both remotely and on-site, and self-service solutions.

In response to this demand, Unisys introduced three tech cafés at Bancolombia locations, revolutionizing the support experience. With on-site expertise and support from technology vending machines, employees could quickly access essential IT assets, saving precious time that would otherwise be lost waiting for traditional resolutions that could take hours or even days.

Implementing a robust cloud-based recovery solution

Bancolombia needed to have a robust disaster recovery (DR) plan to adhere to government regulations for banks in Columbia. The bank relies on Unisys’ ClearPath® solution to process critical financial factoring services. Bancolombia’s initial on-premises DR system for ClearPath led to prolonged restoration times.

Every minute without these essential services resulted in lost business, dissatisfied customers and the risk of fines and penalties. The previous DR solution provider could only support 80% of the required features, preventing a return to full operation while running in DR mode.

Unisys offered a solution – a cloud-based alternative that runs on an entirely virtual VMware instance that ensures a swift and efficient recovery process. Unisys also fortified the bank’s infrastructure with robust application security measures. Leveraging ClearPath MCP, enhanced by Unisys’ cybersecurity technology and data loss protection services, Bancolombia enjoyed secure and reliable support services that enabled its employees to perform at peak productivity.

Enabling seamless remote productivity during an unexpected crisis

The pandemic made digital business continuity a necessity, and Bancolombia needed to enable its employees to be productive in the office and at home. Amidst the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, Bancolombia’s initial enhancements proved instrumental in facilitating a seamless transition of its 51,900 direct and indirect employees to remote work.

As the need to introduce digital workplace solutions and expedite recovery times for a mission-critical factoring system arose, Unisys was swift to offer reliable solutions. Bancolombia’s initial employee and customer experience gains were maintained, even as the impact of the pandemic significantly impacted day-to-day operations.

“Unisys ensures the satisfaction of our users because their computer systems are always working,” said Jorge Ospina, Bancolombia’s former chief information officer.

Enhancing end-user experience through secure, convenient digital solutions

The collaboration with Unisys yielded many benefits for Bancolombia, including the successful transition of internal IT support and customer experience to secure, convenient digital services, leading to increased employee productivity despite the pandemic. Moreover, improved employee satisfaction and reduced downtime related to day-to-day IT issues enhanced Bancolombia’s appeal as an attractive workplace for young recruits.

Unisys’ service desk handles a substantial monthly load, efficiently managing 66,000 IT contacts, 63,000 business operations, HR and administration contacts, along with 6,000 monthly field service contacts. Additionally, Unisys provides frontline support services managing 6,000 monthly incidents, logistics and warehouse services, and critical support for document processing devices.

“Unisys has provided Bancolombia with innovative solutions for more than four decades,” added Ospina. Their services have evolved with us to ensure that we continually enhance our digital banking portfolio to improve the lives of our customers.”

Unisys’ expertise also played a vital role in enabling the organization to maintain critical financial decision-making operations even in DR mode while drastically reducing recovery time for mission-critical factoring services. By Unisys implementing a cloud-based DR solution and enhancing on-site IT support, Bancolombia achieved an impressive 50% reduction in downtime and a 90% decrease in the total cost of ownership for its DR service.

The mission-critical factoring service, which previously relied on a ClearPath® MCP-managed server in a physical environment, experienced a remarkable transformation. Switching to DR mode, which once took two hours, now happens in minutes, ensuring uninterrupted financial decision-making operations.

With Unisys as its partner, Bancolombia successfully navigated the challenges posed by the pandemic, solidifying its commitment to its employees, customers and overall business resilience.

To discover how Unisys can help your organization achieve streamlined and effective transformation with digital workplace solutions and enterprise computing solutions, contact us today.