Banking Operations Departments

Banking Operations Departments

Information Technology Department (ITD)

Role, function and responsibilities of ITD

 

In terms of fulfilling its basic functions, ITD has three main roles:

 

  • – Operational – Provides the infrastructure, administers and develops systems to meet the requests of other organizational units.

    – Application Development – Develops and maintains various applications, depending on the requests and needs of the institution.

    – Information Security – Assesses and monitors information security, tests and recommends improvements to IT infrastructure and systems.

The main tasks of ITD are summarized as follows:

    • Strategic Planning: Aligns IT resources with the institution's goals and requests.
    • Project Management: Oversees and manages IT projects, which may include implementing new systems, upgrading infrastructure, or implementing new technologies.
    • Budget Management: Responsible for managing the IT budget, which includes infrastructure development, maintenance and on-going operational costs.
    • Technical Infrastructure: Manages hardware, including servers, data centres, security and network devices, computers and mobile devices, to ensure they operate efficiently and securely.
    • Software and Application Management: Oversees the acquisition, installation, development, maintenance and licensing of software and applications used.
    • Cyber Security and Data Protection: Implements security measures to protect data and systems from various threats, including: firewalls, antivirus programs, data encryption, etc.
    • IT System User Support: Provides technical support to employees or other users who encounter problems with the use of IT systems, solving their problems and assisting in the correct use of these systems.
    • Keeping up with innovation and technology trends: Stays up-to-date with developing technologies and trends, assessing their relevance to the organization's needs.
    • External Supplier Management: Works with external suppliers of equipment, applications and services, ensuring that service level agreements (SLAs) are met.
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Organizational Structure of the Information Technology Department

 

The Information Technology Department is composed of three (3) organizational divisions:

 

  • Information Technology and Systems Division (ITSD)
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  • Development Division (DD)
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  • Cyber Security and Business Continuity Division (CSBCD)

Information Technology and Systems Division (ITSD)

ITSD is responsible for carrying out the following tasks:

    • Infrastructure Management: Responsible for maintaining IT infrastructure, including servers, data centres, network equipment, etc. This includes hardware management, capacity planning and ensuring high availability.
    • Network Management: Management of network infrastructure, such as: firewalls, routers, switches, network load balancers, etc.
    • Servers and Systems Administration: Administering servers and systems, ensuring they are properly configured, updated and patched. This includes both physical and virtual servers.
    • Monitoring and Alerts: Monitoring the availability and performance of network systems and devices.
    • Incident and Problem Management: Handling incidents, such as system outages or service outages, using incident and problem management best practices, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).
    • Data Storage and Disaster Recovery: Backups and disaster recovery plans to ensure that data and systems can be recovered in the event of data loss, hardware failure, or other disasters.
    • Security Operations: Works with the Information Security Division to ensure that security measures are implemented and operating correctly.
    • Patch Management: Regularly applying security patches and updates to software and systems to protect against vulnerabilities is a critical responsibility.
    • User Support: Provides technical support to employees and other users, addressing issues related to hardware, software, and general IT-related questions.
    • Change Management: Oversees changes to the IT environment, ensuring that updates or modifications are well planned and executed without causing disruption.
    • Documentation: Creates and maintains documentation related to configurations, processes and procedures.
    • Capacity Planning: Monitoring system usage and planning for future capacity needs, ensuring that resources are available when required.
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Development Division

The Development Division is responsible for the development and maintenance of software applications developed with internal resources.

    • Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): Adheres to defined software development methodologies to guide the process from initial concept to deployment and on-going maintenance.
    • Coding and Programming: Responsible for writing the code and program that forms the backbone of software applications.
    • Quality Assurance and Testing: Identifying and correcting defects and other issues in software. They ensure that the software maintains high quality and security standards and operates reliably.
    • Project Management: Oversees the planning, execution, and completion of software development projects. Responsible for managing the necessary resources, schedules and budgets to ensure successful project delivery.
    • Software Architecture: Designs the overall structure and architecture of software systems.
    • Software Version Control: Uses software version control systems to track changes and manage different versions of software.
    • Development Tools and Technologies: Chooses the tools and technologies for development, including Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), code editors, databases, programming languages, and the specific frameworks used.
    • Security and Compliance: Works to develop software with information security standards, and ensure that software adheres to applicable laws, regulations, and standards.
    • Documentation: Documentation of developed applications. This includes technical documentation and user manuals.
    • Maintenance and Updates: Maintaining the software, fixing bugs, implementing new features and keeping up to date with technological advances.
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Cyber Security and Business Continuity Division

CSBCD is responsible for:

    • Cyber Security: Implements and manages security measures to protect digital assets, network and central bank systems from cyber threats and attacks;
    • Rules: Implements rules, standards, guidelines and procedures related to information security and contributes to their drafting;
    • Security Review and Monitoring: Continuously monitors for suspicious activities and conducts security reviews to identify vulnerabilities;
    • Security Assessment and Testing: Conducts regular security assessments and testing to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the central bank's systems and suggests or undertakes corrective actions;
    • Reporting of Vulnerabilities: Reports on a regular basis in accordance with the rules on identified vulnerabilities;
    • Research and Recommendation: Stays up-to-date with the latest trends and new information security threats and conducts research and recommends innovative and appropriate security solutions.
    • Information Security Training and Awareness: Educates central bank staff on best practices and the importance of complying with information security rules.
    • Information Availability – Develops, implements, tests, reviews and evaluates information security controls within business continuity plans, to maintain or restore information security of critical business processes following disruption or eventual failures.
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Personnel

    • This department currently has 15 people engaged, including the Head of the Department.