Dubai Bank IT Department receives ISO 9001 certification

The ISO 9001 standard is a quality management system process released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries.

Accredited ISO auditors TUV Rheinland ME FZE assessed the compliance of Dubai Bank's IT department, examining its quality management system, management responsibility, resource management, product/service realisation process, and measurement, analysis and improvement.

The audit took place on 26-27 November 2007, and, based on the outcome of interviews with both management and employees and the verification and review of documentation and records, the audit team recommended the issue of a certificate of compliance.

Dubai Bank CEO Abdulaziz Al Muhairi expressed the bank's pride at the IT department's achievement.

"Today's financial market is extremely competitive, and being ISO-certified provides a definite competitive advantage, as it indicates to customers and investors alike that there is a quality management system in place that meets the highest international standards,"

Mr Al Muhairi said.

Commenting on the certification, Dubai Bank's Head of IT, Faizal Eledath, said, "Being ISO-certified is an important achievement for any business, especially when the certification comes at a time of rapid activity and expansion. It demonstrates to customers and investors the genuine efforts of Dubai Bank in providing quality service, and assures stakeholders of the strict guidelines we adhere to in our operations.

"In line with Dubai Bank's IT strategy," Eledath continued, "the IT department has undergone significant development over the past year. The ISO certification is an indication of our commitment to excellence at all levels and in all areas."

Dubai Bank's IT department has wrapped up a busy year. In January 2007, the department was instrumental in seeing through the Bank's conversion to a Shari'a-compliant institution a year ago, just six months after the process had been set in motion and a full 12 months ahead of projections.

Since then, Dubai Bank's IT department has delivered several initiatives, including the introduction of its new SMS- and Internet-based banking solutions, enhancing the bank's ability to offer superior products and services to its customers. The department was also behind the launch of Dubai Bank's new website, which incorporated the bank's online banking service, Dubai Bank Online.

Throughout 2007, the expansion and upgrade of Dubai Bank's IT infrastructure resulted in significant cost savings, improved process efficiency, and increased performance, leading to the IT Department being named the "IT Department of the Year" by ITP's Arabian Computer Network magazine in September.

Dubai Bank has managed several milestones beyond its IT-related achievements; in addition to achieving Shari'a-compliance in a record six months, and releasing a number of new products, Dubai Bank opened a total of ten new branches throughout the UAE, five of them on the same day. All of the new branches are strategically situated to provide easy access to Dubai Bank's growing customer base and each branch utilizes state-of-the-art technologies to ensure efficient customer service.