Industry Financial Company Bank Negara Indonesia has had more than 7.5 million customers, more than 950 outlets, and a network of 2,300 BNI ATMs located around the country. Employees 19,000 IT staff 260 Annual IT Budget US$60 million

Part of the project involved implementing the BNI Universal Gateway, using SOA (service-oriented architecture) for integrating its core systems and delivery channels.

The bank migrated 240 remote VSAT connecting all BNI branches and ATMs (automated teller machines) within Indonesia, from the Palapa satellite B-4 to the Telkom -1 satellite. VSAT, or very small aperture terminal, is an earthbound station used in satellite communications of data, voice and video signals, excluding broadcast television.

With the new system in place, BNI saw its number of banking customers increase from 6 million to 8.5 million. It also increased its fee-based income from its ATMs, recording 26 billion rupiah (US$2.8 million) in 2005 compared to 16 billion Indonesian rupiah (US$1.7 million) in 2004.

Impressed with the magnitude of the project, Smart50 judge Graeme Philipson noted: "[It was a] big job. Well done."

To ensure that the IT projects achieved their business objectives, BNI implemented the ISO 9001:2000 standard for the IT systems development process. The standard assesses metrics like scope statement, business requirement definitions, project scheduling, programming and system development, system testing, and user acceptance tests.

BNI also monitored the projects' progress through the Committee Management Meeting, which consisted of staff from both business and IT. It also ensured service level agreements were draw up with individual business units.

On being nominated to ZDNet Asia's Smart50 list, Wisnu Wardana, general manager for BNI's IT division, highlighted the importance of having the right people and the right attitude.

"It has been more than just an IT project for the bank. It is also a 'people project'. Strong team work and strong management are just two of several drivers for our success. Therefore, being named in the Smart50 list is also the achievement of all personnel involved in the project," Wisnu said.

The system has also allowed the bank to comply more closely with strict regulations such as the Basel II Accord, Wisnu added. "To be in the list, shows that the bank is heading towards the right direction," he noted.