The adaptability of the Corporate Modeler Suite keeps the NATIXIS IT system aligned with the need for innovation

Using Casewise Corporate Modeler in a corporate and investment bank to keep the IT system aligned with the business need for innovation and agility. Ixis-CIB has implemented Corporate Modeler to build an application map linked with the enterprise process and procedure map. The long term objective was to reduce the complexity of the information system, to be able to cope with the business needs for innovation, while keeping costs and operational risks under control. After a first success, the project was stopped due to the merger and the creation of Natixis, and will now start again with the same objectives, on the Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank full perimeter.

On capital market, innovation is matter of survival and time to market is a key factor of success. But this focus on Innovation and Time To Market results in a very complex information system architecture : before the merger, Ixis-CIB had more than 400 applications and about 500 IT changes in production per months.

This complexity generates higher cost of maintenance, higher operational risks, and down the road, was a potential threat for the system’s global agility. So, it became necessary to streamline the system architecture. The short term objective consisted in creating a clear view of the application architecture and in setting up a global repository for applications and interfaces. The long term objective was to reduce the number of applications and interfaces and to create a proactive application portfolio management.

The application map and the application repository for Ixis-CIB were built using Casewise Coporate Modeler. Corporate Modeler was rolled out for business analysts within the IT department and within the business lines. At the same time, another project was launched, to describe Ixis business processes and procedures.

The short term objective was a success on the Ixis-CIB perimeter, but the project was then stopped, due to the merger. During the merger process, the application map was of great help to identify the impacts of the choices made by the business lines. Now that the process of selecting target applications is over, it is time to build the map of the new application architecture, including the Natexis systems, and the need for streamlining is even higher, as the merger has brought more complexity and redundancy.

The project can start again !

The new objectives are :

• Build a global view of the application architecture of the Corporate and Investment Bank
• Link the application map with the infrastructure map
• Link the application map with the process map
• Integrate risk analysis and financial analysis to get a complete view of the application portfolio
• Make the tool more user-friendly, with a nicer user interface.