The HSBC Group

STANDARDIZATION ACROSS DIVERSE LOCATIONS WITH GDC BRANCH PLATFORM The HSBC Group, one of the world’s top ten banking and financial services groups, operates an intelligent global wideband network that integrates the diverse voice, fax and data needs of over 15 subsidiaries across 67 offices in 27 countries. The HSBC Group Wideband Network (GWN) offers an integrated suite of ser- vices that supports the primary commu- nications requirements of HSBC’s regional and local subsidiaries, includ- ing HongkongBank, Hang Seng Bank, James Capel, HSBC Asset Management, as those available to our very large capi- Tim Cureton says, “The OCM allows us to British Bank of the Middle East and tal markets trading operations in London take the GWN to more and more branch Marine Midland Bank. The GWN or New York,” said Tim Cureton, head of locations. This means that we can create employs a variety of different types of group telecommunications HSBC. “The a consistent telecommunications network digital circuits from over 30 internation- Group is consolidating all voice and data and support our subsidiaries with this al and domestic carriers, including frac- traffic onto common high speed digital network quite easily. Use of a standard tional T1/E1 services. links and bringing the sophistication of network technology across the Group the network backbone down to the helps avoid the incompatibilities and The GWN uses General DataComm’s branches, regardless of their location. duplications of the alternative use of Transport Management System (TMS) We provide our users with a rich, reliable diverse technologies.” 3000 and Office Communications and managed set of telecommunications From a global perspective, the GDC-based Manager (OCM) internetworking plat- services, which lets them get on with GWN gives HSBC the centralized man- forms for its core technology. The GDC business.” products integrate and manage each agement controls to ensure that its stan- office’s voice, fax and data applications. Extending the Group Backbone dard technology policies, procedures and practices are understood and applied, Each Group subsidiary has very different In June 1995, HongkongBank added a even at the most remote sites in the telecommunications needs, which HSBC new GDC OCM node to the GWN in HSBC Group. has integrated using a single family of Shanghai, beginning the rollout of over 25 products from GDC. OCM nodes across the network. The OCM In August 1995, HSBC confirmed its com- Getting on with Business in Shanghai, linked to Hong Kong via a mitment to the OCM by installing five wideband digital circuit, ensures that this OCM nodes feeding into a central site “By standardizing on the GDC OCM plat- China branch has the same collection of TMS 3000 in Beirut, Lebanon for its sub- form, we can offer cost-effectively the integrated voice, fax and data services as sidiary the British Bank of the Middle same advanced telecommunications ser- a branch in the more sophisticated leased East (BBME). The Lebanese network vices to our branch manager in Shanghai line environment of the USA. uses line of sight spread spectrum radio The HSBC Group

links to internetwork all in-country “We’ve enough confidence in the OCM to being able to control the network from a branch requirements. This provides believe that it will function in any envi- single point, we can dramatically reduce BBME with a flexible and resilient net- ronment where we operate, no matter the network management resources work independent of the national public how remote.” required. We concentrate on solving infrastructure. problems with network management HSBC telecoms in Asia resources required. We concentrate on After the success of the Lebanon expan- “In Asia things move rapidly,” said solving problems with carriers and maxi- sion, HSBC took advantage of the new Cureton. “We’re using GDC’s TMS and mizing the use of our bandwidth instead DACS services in Hong Kong and OCM products on top of national carrier, of worrying about the vagaries of sup- Singapore by rolling out the DACS-com- alternative carrier and our own private porting diverse communications systems pliant OCM. Eight OCMs in Hong Kong VSAT service to provide a reliable and in multiple locations. The HSBC Group and two in Singapore have proved the highly managed network to deliver bank- private network approach gives us con- platform’s flexibility to work in advanced ing products to our customers. We’ve trol over our telecommunications des- as well as more basic environments. been in Asia for well over a century and tiny. We have an obligation to our cus- “The GDC equipment is built for any are very familiar with the way business is tomers to move in step with their needs. environment and as such has become a conducted here. Rapid and reliable ser- A public network is also less secure and core strategic product within the GWN,” vice is a must. The GDC OCM makes it a much harder environment in which to said Julian Grudzien, HSBC’s manager of easier to deliver such service in a con- manage security and operational risks.” data communications. “The OCM draws trolled fashion.” Centralized Management little power and is inherently reliable. Benefits of the GWN This means we can concentrate on our The GWN is centrally managed, using real network challenges: rolling out ser- Flexibility is one of the key benefits of GDC’s PC-based network management vices and managing carriers, not hard- implementing the GDC OCM. Grudzien software, from the Global Data Network ware problems.” states: “Using the OCM, we can extend Control Centre (GDNCC) in the network anywhere in the world, HongkongBank’s radically-designed Using the OCM product line, the HSBC interconnect buildings at T1 and E1 Head Office at 1 Queen’s Road Central in Group consolidates its telecommunica- transmission rates, and offer seamless Hong Kong. In the event of a disaster, tions within a shared private network. integration between computer centers, the entire network can be administered, This provides the ability to manage head office buildings and branches. We using the same corporate procedures, bandwidth and channels, giving regional can offer in-house T1 or N x 64 Kbps from Buffalo, London or Hong Kong, subsidiaries the ability to monitor their lines within a building.” within minutes. own portions of the network. “At a busi- ness level we can leverage the standard HSBC relies on the flexibility, resilience GDC’s Global Presence and telecommunications platform to respond and cost-effectiveness of the GWN to Commitment is Key very swiftly to the demands of the mar- provide one of the world’s most compre- As in any endeavor, the commitment of ket,” explained Cureton. hensive range of financial services: the people involved is critical to its suc- retail and corporate banking, trade ser- The banking group has extended the cess. HSBC found in GDC a highly moti- vices, private banking, treasury and network to further BBME locations in vated and customer-focused company, capital markets services, consumer and Riyadh, Dubai and Bahrain. The technol- willing to invest time, effort and business finance, pension and invest- ogy has brought to BBME the telecom- resources to satisfy HSBC’s unique glob- ment fund management, trustee ser- munications network essential to be a al demands. In addition to the equip- vices, securities, custody services, and major player in global financial markets ment supplied by General DataComm, insurance. and has provided them with a platform HSBC selected GDC because of the that permits easy access to HSBC offices “The OCM offers a cost-effective global company’s willingness to commit to a outside the Middle East. telecommunications platform at all lev- long term, strategic partnership and to els for access to our global corporate back up this commitment with a global HSBC accelerated OCM rollout during backbone. From the major financial cen- service agreement that financially guar- 1996, targeting existing offices in the ters of the world to the remote branch antees service level performance and Asia region: Seoul, Manila, Jakarta, locations, we use one hardware platform delivery. Bangkok and Taipei. Next in line? family from a single vendor,” said “Maybe Yerevan or Baku,” says Grudzien. Cureton. “Using one architecture and

The HSBC Group

GDC implemented a global service pro- About The OCM The HSBC Group gram for HSBC through a series of inter- The GDC Office Communications The HSBC Group is one of the largest locked relationships with direct offices, Manager is an internetworking platform banking and financial service groups in subsidiaries and regional and local service that integrates voice, fax, data, fractional the world with major commercial and partners. Maintenance services are pro- channels, LAN and Frame Relay onto one investment banking businesses operating vided around the clock and equipment common hardware and management plat- under long-established names in the Asia- performance is measured on a monthly form. The OCM is available in several ver- Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East basis against performance levels which sions (each either standalone or rack- and the Americas. The Group possesses GDC guarantees to meet under strict mountable), and in either point-to-point assets in excess of USD $350 billion and thresholds that give the Bank the option configuration or as a multi-aggregate has operations in 72 countries with a net- to invoke financial penalties for non-per- feeder platform feeding services to a TMS work of over 3,300 offices. Its major sub- formance. Each month, failure rates and 3000. sidiaries include: response times for GDC personnel to cor- rect deficiencies are recorded and By September 1996, the HSBC Group had reviewed in management meetings. deployed 29 OCMs within its Group • The Hongkong and Shanghai Wideband Network in the following loca- “GDC has proved to be a reliable partner Banking Corporation Limited tions: Bahrain, Dubai, Johannesburg, over the last eight years in which we have Montreal, Riyadh, Singapore, Bangkok, • Hongkong Bank of Canada, built the GWN together. They take a per- Hong Kong, Madrid, New York, Seoul, sonal interest in our account and have • Hongkong Bank of Australia Taipei, Beirut, Jakarta, Manila, Panama demonstrated a genuine understanding City, Shanghai. • HongkongBank of Malaysia of the demands of global telecommunica- Berhad tions,” said Grudzien. “We enjoy a true strategic partnership.” • HSBC Asset Management • HSBC Insurance Holdings Limited, • HSBC Investment Bank Limited • HSBC Investment Bank Asia • HSBC Securities • HSBC Trade Services • Forward Trust Group Limited • James Capel & Co. Limited • Midland Bank • Marine Midland Bank •Trinkhaus und Burkhard KGaA • British Bank of the Middle East • Equator Bank Limited ■