Payment card provider Metrobank Card Corporation (MCC) recently disclosed that it has signed up software firm VMware to modernize its data center with VMware?s suite of software defined data center (SDDC) solutions.
Taking advantage of a virtualized IT infrastructure, MCC was able to develop and launch new products and services such as the Metrobank Travel Platinum Visa within a much shorter time span and meet the growing demand for payment cards and digital financial services in the country.
The payment card industry in the Philippines is set to grow over the coming years, according to Euromonitor International, as more consumers rely on cards for transactions and payments, preferring cashless due to safety and convenience factors.
MCC sought to respond to this anticipated growth and sharpen its competitive edge by tapping VMware to deploy a software-defined data center.
With a robust infrastructure in place, MCC could now develop and launch new card products and promotions faster, as well as meeting the needs of new card usage segments such as travel.
?The cashless payments industry is evolving rapidly. Investing in digital innovation is the only way for us to capture new opportunities, win more customers and gain a greater share-of-wallet,? said Francis De Los Santos, first vice president and chief business technology officer of MCC.
?VMware?s integrated suite of SDDC technology and services delivers the best foundation to provide world-class customer experiences and enable MCC to stay ahead of the curve,? De Los Santos added.
In addition to shortened time to market for new products, MCC boosted its cyber security and defenses against external attacks.
By integrating VMware NSX, MCC could significantly strengthen its security measures to minimize the attack surface and cost of a breach.
MCC also achieved significant savings in operational costs by reducing maintenance fees and man-hours to operate hardware and software.
The automated virtualized IT infrastructure reduced complexity, allowing a lean IT team of five to focus on servicing 1,600 employees.
?Cloud is central for all businesses in today?s digital economy. It drives innovation and enables companies to offer differentiated customer experiences, ultimately boosting business growth,? said Victor Silvino, country manager of VMware Philippines.
?As a proud partner of Metrobank Card Corporation?s digital transformation journey, we are excited to witness how their investment in a virtualization-first infrastructure has empowered the company to seize opportunities in a growing payment card market, outperform competition, and gain high returns on investment,? Silvino said.
