Technology strategy
The smooth transition is a by-product of Judo Bank’s future-proof technology strategy, developed in partnership with JB Hi-Fi Solutions and powered by Microsoft software and Surface devices with a Technology-as-a-Service approach. The strategy grew from a desire to think outside the box and to allow Judo Bank to stay agile in a market that continually shifts, whilst enabling employees to do their best work.
The Technology-as-a-Service model combines the benefits of several technology practices into one comprehensive and flexible solution that bundles software and hardware into a single subscription service, billed per user.
“We wanted to build a bank for the next 20 years, not for the last 20 years. JBS has the experience, the skillset, the capacity to do that, with a much broader bandwidth to provide an integrated and seamless ecosystem. The ‘everything-as-a-service’ model has proven to be fast touch,” says Alex Twigg, Co-Founder and CIO at Judo Bank.
Enabling modern work
JB Hi-Fi Solutions worked closely with Judo Bank to bring its technology strategy to life, starting with Microsoft 365 and utilising Microsoft security architecture to build a Zero Trust network, with single sign on access across all internal and external services. Surface devices completed the mobile work experience, with seamless Microsoft 365 integration and a ‘choose your own device’ policy allowing employees to select either a Surface Pro 7 or a Surface Laptop 3 based on their preference and use cases.
“This strategy has revolutionised the way our teams work. It enables them to perform. Previously it would take three days to get a laptop and another three days to get it set up. Our process allows us to get employees up and running within a few hours, even remotely,” explains Niko Bielovich, Chief Service Management Officer, Judo Bank.
Business resilience and continuity
The technology solution combines JB Hi-Fi Solutions’ Device-as-a-Service offering with Microsoft Autopilot and modern management to support Judo Bank’s vision of a completely service-driven stack. Initially, 120 Surface devices were deployed to the Judo Bank team in one day, with Windows Autopilot for Surface preconfigured online for true zero-touch deployment. The setup process was specifically designed so that it could happen anywhere – at home, in the office, in a café – meaning all devices could be deployed, secured and managed remotely for a ready out-of-the-box experience in under 15 minutes.
Twigg asserts that the forward-thinking workplace structure has enabled its employees to operate on a business as usual basis when the reality is anything but usual. “We didn’t change a thing, it just worked,” he says.
Judo Bank has moved from three primary office locations in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to a 100% remote working environment with full collaboration tools and capability. Over 200 employees have been able to transition smoothly into remote work, continuing to support customers without any issues at a hardware or at a backend software level.
Increasing efficiency and empowering IT
The Technology-as-a-Service strategy has also led to enormous efficiency gains and IT cost reduction for Judo Bank, with JB Hi-Fi Solutions running a centrally managed, holistic service.
“JB Hi-Fi Solutions took over the leasing of the devices and packaged the entire supply of each device, including ongoing maintenance and management. We don’t own a single server. We don’t employ a single developer,” explains Twigg.
As a result, Judo Bank is able to save on administration overhead and focus internal resources on creating better experiences for employees and their customers.
“From an employee perspective, it’s been a very well-received process. They now have a very reliable service with one point of contact for their queries, and if they have any issues that point of contact can be significantly scaled up beyond what we could do as a standard help desk process,” says Twigg.
Nick Fielden, Business Development Manager at JB Hi-Fi Solutions explains that the Technology-as-a-Service approach was designed to empower Judo Bank’s internal IT team, not to replace it: “Our core objective as a partner is to add value and take a lot of weight off Judo’s shoulders by providing modern management with zero-touch deployment, more overarching layers of security, and by leveraging JB Hi-Fi Solutions’ national footprint.”