Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait enhances e-Banking service with 'Dot'

A dynamic upgrade to BBK's existing online e-banking system, "Dot" as its name suggests emphasizes the simplicity and ease with which BBK customers can bank online. "Dot" also eases the back end processes for employees enhancing the speed and efficiency of services delivered to BBK customers.

Adel Salim, Manager - Business Development, Electronic Banking Division at BBK said: "With "Dot" banking on www.bbkonline.com becomes more user-friendly while providing a comprehensive list of online services. With this simplistic portal we make e-Banking with BBK a less stressful experience, not just for our customers but also for our employees."

The portal, a first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is based on a solution developed to handle the content to be published on the portal. BBK employees can conveniently publish content to the BBK website by entering the information on the forms provided online. The content is then taken through an automated work flow process that includes approvals from management, publication time lines, and expiry dates that archive outdated information from the website.

Earlier employees had to go through the tedious, time consuming process of manual work flow processes, seeking individual approvals from management and then requesting the Webmaster to upload the information. With the Microsoft CMS solution, everything is done faster and with less effort and more accuracy, while increasing the employee productivity.

BBK Intranet: BBK also launched its Intranet solution (named InfoGate) using Microsoft's SharePoint Portal Server and Microsoft SQL Server technologies to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst employees and teams within the bank. "Microsoft solutions enabled us to share ideas, important documents and reports in a very efficient manner without the need to use email systems" said Abdulla Hussain, head of Information Technology Division.

Along with the friendly interface to handle their finances online, "Dot" provides customers with access to the BBK financial portal which allows them to personalize their web page for online banking. BBK customers can customize the look of their web page, 'My BBK' to add and view services that they use more regularly. Other services will remain in the background easily accessible at any time. BBK customers can also use their unique e-PIN numbers issued through the banks branches to use BBK's online services for checking account balances, paying phone, electricity and credit card bills as well as transferring money from one account to another locally and internationally.

"We've conducted a thorough evaluation of various technologies and we find Microsoft Content Management Server and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server to be not only highly functional, but also quick to implement." said Abdulla Hussain.

"BBK shares a long-standing successful relationship with Microsoft. From the development of BBK Online to the latest "Dot" portal, we have partnered with BBK in developing the best solutions that are simple, cost-effective and customer friendly." added Omar Dragmeh, Finance Sector Manager for Microsoft North Gulf.

Samir Benmakhlouf, Country Manager for Microsoft in Bahrain added: "With the financial sector being one of the most dynamic industries in Bahrain, Microsoft is increasing its commitment to servicing this sector by continuing to bring in the latest technologies, solutions, and knowledge to help the financial industry in Bahrain realize its full potential through technology adoption".