Societe Generale Global Banking & Investor Solutions division steps up its digital transformation

"This acceleration in the digital transition reflects the growing trend in interconnection of individuals and systems that affects all of the Bank's activities. That means we must reinvent our interactive client interface and the way we design services, while guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of our data," says Didier Valet, Head of Global Banking & Investor Solutions.

A Digital Office supporting the transformation of business lines to better serve clients

Created in April 2016, the Digital Office is in charge of coordinating the move to digital transformation.
Its key assignments include leading the innovation within the division, implementing the digital strategy, and steering digital transformation projects within the business lines. It also helps to promote digital experts internally and lead the change required to foster the emergence of innovative ideas and invent the bank of tomorrow.

The Digital Office takes things further in the process of simplifying architecture and tools, by supplying all internal or external users of the personalised web services with a single access point, optimised interface, and interconnected applications.

These key principles improve user experience by taking a 360° approach to the points of contact with clients and thus offering innovative customised services. For market activities, for example, the "SG Markets" B2B service hub is now available to more than 20,000 users, allowing access to pre-trade and post-trade services from a single smart interface.

IT at the core of the digital transformation of business lines

The new technological cycle that the financial services industry is in right now also requires adapting all information systems to become more open, agile and efficient.

Since 2011, Societe Generale has undertaken three major IT transformations:

- Transformation of its infrastructure with the Cloud, which is becoming a new standard. This means establishing optimal allocation of resources between the Private (leveraging on the Group’s infrastructures since 2012) and the Public Cloud. Conclusive PoCs (Proff of Concept) were carried out in 2015 with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in close relations with the banking supervisor in order to ensure perfect alignment with regulation and adopt an iterative and conservative approach to guarantee security. Today, 60% of development environments in the Global Banking & Investor Solutions Division are in the Private Cloud. At the same time, a few applications are being tested in the Public Cloud.

- Transformation of our operational model by applying the Agile and Continuous Delivery methods to reduce Time to Market and constantly provide value to clients: 70% of developments are now carried out in Agile mode, and at the end of 2016, 50% of existing applications will be in Continuous Delivery mode.

- Digital transformation of IT, which first of all means designing a vision suited to every business line, then experimenting with a systematic process of innovating to open up our platforms and quickly test new ideas.

These three focus areas are based on the Group's ability to attract and retain the top talent in IT.

In a competitive environment with regard to IT skills, Global Banking & Investor Solutions is actively participating in high-profile events and conferences, such as "Le Meilleur Dev de France," and also developing a real partnership with the schools that are educating its future employees.
Global Banking & Investor Solutions, which recruits 250 engineers each year, 50% of whom are junior, has also rolled out a framework for developing talent, with training, mentoring, and expertise-sharing programmes (in-house Hackathons & Challenges).

Finally, the new building complex, "Les Dunes," which as of next autumn will house one-third of IT employees in Val de Fontenay, will offer mobile and connected tools promoting a cooperative and innovative approach, and provide 1000m2 in dedicated space for internal and external start-ups.

The Global Banking & Investor Solutions Division has a clear digital strategy in service of clients, which will enable it to provide more added value and be more agile in a constantly changing environment.

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