Batelco, a Bahrain-based telecoms provider recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) that will see the banking group host its core IT infrastructure at Batelco’s Hamala Data Centre.
Bahrain-based telco Batelco and National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) Group recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalise plans that will see the banking group’s core IT infrastructure being moved and hosted within Batelco’s Hamala Data Centre.
The MoU signing comes in the wake of Batelco having recently received a delegation from the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) Group, on a visit to the newly opened Batelco Data Centre, located in Hamala. Members of Batelco’s top management, including Mikkel Vinter, CEO, Batelco and Abderrahmane Mounir, General Manager, Enterprise, Batelco, welcomed the NBB Group delegation that comprised of Ian Blacklaw, Group Chief Operating Officer, NBB, Razi Amin, Head, Information Technology NBB and Osama Ali Nasr, Chief Information Officer, Bahrain Islamic Bank.
Both teams discussed the long-lasting relationship between Batelco and the NBB Group and future collaboration plans, before touring the facility. During the tour, key features of the colocation facility were outlined by the Batelco team including the benefits it offers such as providing the right environment for the operation of the bank IT critical infrastructure. In addition, the teams discussed a number of topics including the importance for the banking and finance sector to have access to a secure environment to locate their critical data, ensuring Business Continuity in the face of environmental or technical disasters.
Following Batelco and NBB Group signing an MoU to formalise plans, the banking group has decided to move its core IT infrastructure being to be hosted within Batelco’s Hamala Data Centre.
Blacklaw said: “We were delighted by the outcome of our Disaster Recovery operational move to Batelco’s RJR data centre last year and this agreement is a testament to the standards of excellence we have come to expect. The current shift is a strategic move towards a complete Digital Transformation at NBB Group, and given the recent upgrades to the bank’s services, we aim to adapt an independent techno-centric model of operation to further enhance our performance and expand our service offerings. Batelco’s new data centre is fully equipped with all the necessary means to handle our IT infrastructure operations, allowing us to further focus on outsourcing our day-to-day responsibilities and operations while trusting that our infrastructure is being safely and securely managed and maintained by one of the most respected national entities in the Kingdom.”
Mounir said: “We are very pleased to sign this agreement with the National Bank of Bahrain Group and look forward to be part of NBB’s Group Digital Transformation plans. We believe that the facilities and solutions we can offer are well suited and designed for the banking and finance sector and other verticals. Due to the reliability of Batelco’s data centre facilities, companies that host their data and equipment with Batelco are assured of uninterrupted, secure and scalable services that enable customers to focus on their core business while leaving the IT operational aspects to us. Additionally, customers using our data centre services are provided with continuous support from Batelco’s 24-hour Network Operations Centre and Business Continuity management facilities.”
He added that: “The foundation of Batelco’s data centre is based on making the digital business of our customers successful, by offering reliable, secure and energy-efficient solutions, combined with best-in-class customer support,” he added.
The National Bank of Bahrain began its Digital Transformation journey in 2018, in order to meet the fast evolving needs of its customers and ensure a higher availability of its services. NBB is continuously modernising every aspect of its banking experience through strengthening its digital capabilities, while reducing electricity consumption and dependence on physical technology within its own data centres, to ensure a greener environment.
Batelco’s Hamala Data Centre is the third data centre of the company and the second to achieve Tier III certification for design and build from the Uptime Institute, a global authority that specialises in evaluating global data centres through a series of performance-based assessments designed to measure progress and efficiency of all data centres across the world. With an area of 12,236 square meters, the data centre is equipped with a total capacity of 2.7 megawatts that services 250 working racks, Batelco’s Hamala Data Centre is the largest enterprise data centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Batelco’s data centre is designed to serve the growing demand from companies that require sophisticated and cutting-edge IT management services, premium collocation services, to suit all corporate needs, while eliminating the cost for companies to maintain their own Disaster Recovery solutions.
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