HPE TB186AAE Product Data Sheet

Objective

Improve quality management
processes during development
of business-critical systems

Approach

Ensure eective performance
testing and quality assurance
by means of an integrated enterprise
load testing environment

Case Study

Alfa-Bank applications
run like clockwork

HPE Performance Center helps bank
set up eective performance testing

IT Matters

• Create an integrated workspace
for teams of testers

• Standardise enterprise load
testing processes

• Ensure knowledge transfer
between changing teams of
external service providers

Business Matters

• Minimise the risk of system
downtime during updates

• Avoid cost overruns while
increasing the volume of
performance testing operations

Alfa-Bank has multiple
business-critical systems.
Any modifications made
to them have to be
thoroughly tested. The
bank decided to roll out
HPE Performance Center
to boost the performance
and eiciency of these
processes. This has made
the work practices of testers
transparent and appreciably
increased the volume of
tasks performed.

Challenge

A need for centralisation

Alfa-Bank is one of the largest Russian
private banks by total capital, credit portfolio,
and deposits. Its strategic priorities include
a focus on asset quality and reliability
combined with the industry’s best customer
service, technological excellence, eiciency,
and business integration.

With the bank serving 22 million customers,
the load on its IT systems is substantial,
and so is the cost of any downtime.
Internal estimates show that unplanned
outage to a business-critical system can
cost up to $200,000 USD per hour. For
example when the money transfer system
is down, the bank has to forfeit transfer fees,
compensate customers and risk reputation
losses. Longer downtime can result in
lawsuits and penalties, with losses
potentially running into millions of dollars.

Case study

Alfa-Bank

“People change, but solutions supporting the testing processes have

to remain constant to ensure knowledge transfer and transparency
for management.”

– Anton Isanin, head of Performance Department, Alfa-Bank

Industry

Finance

Page 2

System performance testing is an essential
function: it is one of the key business
continuity assurance processes. With a
large number of business-critical systems,
meticulous enterprise load testing helps
minimise performance-related risks.

The IT Department at Alfa-Bank makes
at least 300 modifications to IT systems
each quarter as part of a growing trend.
Significant eort has to go into load testing
when business-critical systems are being
maintained. A total of 75 business applications
play a major role in the bank’s day-to-day
operations. Due to their critical nature they
are supported and tested centrally.

The bank also extensively outsources
performance testing to appropriately
licensed external service providers.
Competitive tendering is used to secure
engagement with cost eective and
reliable third parties.

“We’ve never shied from changing service
providers and have never grown attached
to them. People change, but solutions
supporting the testing processes have
to be consistent to ensure knowledge
transfer and transparency of processes for
management,” says Anton Isanin, head of
Performance Department, Alfa-Bank.

The bank had performance testing systems
in place, and although well structured, they
were previously based on dierent software
products and were not centralised, giving rise
to numerous potential problems.

Information about ongoing operations was
reflected in disparate systems, with each team
accumulating its own expertise while relying
on its own test results and test development
practices. From time-to-time the bank also
experienced problems associated with the
licensing of solutions running on disparate
platforms, while knowledge transfer posed a
major challenge whenever teams of testers
changed. An integrated enterprise load
testing solution would put an end to these
problems through unification of processes
and solutions used.

By managing resources and analysing data
in a centralised way the bank wanted to avoid
operational errors while contributing to more
productive and eicient workflows.

Solution

Continuity tool

The volume of tasks performed by testers
is constantly growing while the available
resources stay the same. Therefore higher
eiciency and more eective work practices
are required, which is exactly where the
solution for centralised management of
the testers’ work comes in.

“We had no illusions. We knew what type
of solution was needed and had very clear
requirements: HPE Performance Center
is perfectly aligned with the bank’s current
needs,” says Isanin.