Arab National Bank (ANB), one of the largest financial institutions in Saudi Arabia, announced that he has selected Cisco to upgrade its branches infrastructure with an integrated wide-area network (WAN) solution. The bank will deploy an integrated communications network comprising a comprehensive suite of Cisco's advanced technology solutions, including a WAN routing infrastructure based on the market-proven Integrated Services Router. The solution will use Cisco Wide Area Application Services to accelerate branch access to data held centrally, provide high levels of security, and underpin a Cisco Unified Communications infrastructure. The Cisco WAAS implementation is a comprehensive WAN-optimization solution that accelerates applications over the network, supports the delivery of video capabilities to the branch office and provides local hosting of branch-office information technology services. The router-integrated WAN-optimization solution will enhance customer experience and retention by accelerating access to information, and the WAN upgrade is a prerequisite for a major core banking system that Arab National Bank will be launching within a few months. The overall WAN/LAN solution is highly scalable and will support the delivery of new services in the near future, including voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP)-based unified communications. With the help of Cisco's intelligent network infrastructure, Arab National Bank will be able to maximize efficiency across its national branch network while providing best-in-class customer service. “The upgrading of the bank's branch delivery system and customer-facing platforms enables us to answer the diverse needs of our customers, “ said L. John Loomis, general manager and head of information technology, Arab National Bank. “With our new network infrastructure from Cisco, we will be able to offer an enhanced suite of services to our customers and maintain our leadership position in the Saudi banking sector.” “Major banks are increasingly optimizing resources and driving business transformation using Cisco's advanced technology offerings. ANB, as one of the top 10 banks in the Middle East, is an outstanding example of this trend of increasing demands on its internal operations,” said Dr. Badr AlBadr, managing director, Cisco Saudi Arabia. “Cisco is helping ANB to implement a communications infrastructure that is robust, manageable, more secure and flexible enough for dynamic requirements.” __
