Aruba SD-Branch + Central helped TSCAB achieve high network availability with seamless management across their 413 branches

Telangana State Co-operative Apex Bank Limited (TSCAB) was looking at enhancing their customer experience, but their traditional wide area network (WAN) infrastructure was not up to the task. The bank needed a modern network that can help take the bank to the next level.

“Our primary challenge was related to accessing Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform, but it involves more than just CBS. So, we started looking at upgrades and Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) became the logical choice,” says Rajasekhar Chowdary, Head – IT Infrastructure & Information Security, TSCAB.

Aruba Emerges as the Obvious Choice

To begin with, TSCAB wanted to navigate site-related issues, specific to accessing Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform. But enhancing their apex banking solution meant having a solid infrastructure that not only strengthened their core banking platform but also redefined networking for their 413 branches across the state. High availability and best-in-class security was also critical.

To get all of this, within a well-defined, affordable budget was not an easy task. As TSCAB began searching for product and solution providers that can help embrace SD-WAN, Aruba Networks soon became the ideal option. “We went through a scrupulous evaluation process and as a result, we chose Aruba SD-Branch solution that met our requirements,” adds Chowdary.

Aruba SD-Branch combined best-in-class wireless and wired infrastructure, and management orchestration features with cost saving SD-WAN capabilities. Using an architectural approach that simplified the delivery of branch requirements, SD-Branch unified networks and services that traditionally operated in silos.

Gaining Security and Availability Without Costing a Fortune

Aruba’s SD-Branch encompassed all the networking elements required by TSCAB - WAN, WLAN, wired, and security. Its Zero-Touch Provisioning helped the project to be completed rapidly– making automatic rollout possible, while reducing costs and enabling a move from a CAPEX to an OPEX model.

With Aruba’s SD-WAN tools, the bank can now easily gauge branch network requirements, and optimize them accordingly. Meanwhile, Aruba Central helped with remote monitoring, management, and orchestration of the entire network – all from a single pane-of-glass.

Aruba SD-Branch’s Zero Trust Security methodology ensured high security. From built-in firewall to dynamic segmentation, and Intrusion Detection Systems and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) in place, today, TSCAB holds complete control on who accesses what part of their network.

Bringing Agility to the System

“We immediately experienced changes in efficiency through features like dynamic path selection that helped optimize how traffic moved between branches, data centers, and clouds. This also brought down costs, and allowed SD-WAN to determine congestion issues to proactively divert traffic,” says Rajasekhar Chowdary, Head – IT Infrastructure & Information Security, TSCAB

TSCAB wanted to enhance customer experience with a wider adoption of technology and alternative delivery channels. The new network infrastructure helped them increase agility, optimize overall performance, and adhere to stringent network security and compliance requirements.

“Providing best-in-class customer experience required state-of-the-art IT and networking infrastructure. Aruba understood our networking needs and helped us simplify network monitoring, troubleshooting, and management. Today, we have the ideal network for our bank,” says Muppaneni Srinivasasa Rao, Chief Information Officer, TSCAB.