“It has been great to see how expertly, determinedly, and committedly this project was carried out. It speaks a lot about the kind of expertise we have at Aktia."
The basic banking system is not directly visible to customers, but it affects everything. It is the core of the banking business, the “heart and lungs”, through which all key functions of the bank are managed. Aktia successfully updated its basic banking system during Easter, at the same time upgrading its entire IT infrastructure to the next level.
A decision to upgrade Aktia’s basic banking system was taken four years ago, in 2021. It had been years since the system had been implemented, and it was known that the project was going to be extensive.
At the same time as the basic banking system was updated, its server platform was transferred to a completely new provider. This entailed a major modernisation project, the success of which had a direct impact on Aktia’s entire business.
New plans during the journey
In the middle of the project, the plans changed as Aktia decided to set up Aktia Duetto, a joint venture with CGI, in 2022. At that time, a large part of Aktia’s IT personnel transferred to the new joint venture. As a result, the basic banking system upgrade project had to be redesigned almost entirely.
“While we were doing the system upgrade, we also modified the entire Aktia IT operating model not only through Aktia Duetto, but also through a number of other key IT projects. It was a challenging situation, but at the same time it forced us to rethink things in a smart way. The success required careful planning and effective prioritisation,” says Petteri Patjas, Aktia’s IT Sourcing Manager and one of the project owners.
A technical challenge, but also a competitive advantage
Aktia’s basic banking system is based on the T24 system, on which there is limited expertise. Moreover, the success of the project was not self-evident. However, Aktia now has an advantage over many of its competitors, as most other Finnish banks still have a reform of their basic banking systems ahead of them.
“We are now in a situation where our basic banking system supports not only current operations but also future development projects, including projects in the customer interface. It is a big advantage for us,” says Patjas.
Integration with other systems is now more seamless. Until now, the most concrete impact for customers was a four-day outage of Aktia services scheduled for Easter. During this time, the system was successfully upgraded ahead of schedule.
Teamwork under pressure
At the heart of the project was a small but experienced team with members from Aktia’s IT function and from Aktia Duetto. The team worked closely with key system providers and Aktia’s external partners. In all, nearly 200 people participated in the project in one way or another. The people responsible describe the project as a display of exceptional teamwork.
“There was a lot of pressure, but the feeling was always good. We discussed difficult situations openly and solved challenges together. There was a lot of humour and laughter, which helped us cope. This was a team you could really trust. I would do this again any time together with them,” says Heidi Forsström, IT Development Lead at Aktia and one of the project owners.
The team's expertise and commitment enabled the implementation to proceed as planned during the Easter weekend. Although work continued for weeks after Easter, the hardest push was over. At the same time, it was a unique sense of accomplishment.
“It is a very special feeling when such a huge system project is finalised at once. The excitement was overwhelming when the upgraded system went live on Easter Sunday. But everything worked as it was supposed to,” says Forsström.
Lead, but do not disturb
The completion of the project also required managers and Aktia’s management to have the courage to give the team carrying out the system upgrade full working peace.
“In the words of conductor Jorma Panula: ‘Lead, but do not disturb.’ It is an excellent management principle that also applied here,” Patjas sums up.
The contribution of Aktia’s top management was first and foremost seen as trust in the team's expertise and ability to complete the project.
“It has been great to see how expertly, determinedly, and committedly this project was carried out. It speaks a lot about the kind of expertise we have at Aktia. I am enormously proud of the whole team,” says Oskari Kurki, Aktia’s Chief Information Officer.