ANZ hunts for new integrator amid architecture evolution

ANZ is on the hunt for a systems integrator to help out with the ongoing evolution of its technology architecture.

According to ANZ Group executive technology, Gerard Florian, the bank will start a formal process to appoint a systems integrator to “assist in the scoping and design of our technology architecture to support the bank’s implementation of agile ways of working”.

“This is not about one big-bang technology project with a finish line. At ANZ we’re continuously evolving our technology architecture to ensure we are consistently delivering great products and services to our customers,” Florian said.

“Technology will play a critical role in the continued transformation of ANZ as we implement new ways of working to respond more quickly to changing customer expectations, engage and empower staff, and continue to improve efficiency.”

Florian said that ANZ needs to be thinking more around as-a-service mindset.

“We think about architecture, we would rather think about a sustained evolution of our entire architecture rather than picking on one specific area,” he said.

According to Florian, architecture alone won’t get the financial institution where it needs to be. 

“We also need to make sure that we got teams working in a way that will enable us to get features out quickly,” he said.

“When we move to that service provider mindset, what we need to think about it is: how do we create a service with a long term view but get some value out quickly and then continue to add more features based on customer feedback?”

As one of Australia's four largest banks, ANZ is one of the countries biggest spenders on IT in the private sector. On 3 November, for example, ANZ reported $2.15 billion in technology expenses for the year ending September 2016 – a 47 per cent increase on its costs for the same period the previous year.

Last week, fellow 'Big Four' bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), revealed it spent $1.94 billion on IT services during the 2017 financial year. That represents a 31 per cent growth compared to the $1.49 billion spent on the previous year.

Likewise, Westpac reported technology-related expenses of $1.9 billion for the financial year ending September, 2016.