FIELD REPORT
CEO TED TOMITA
Catskill Hudson Bank’s Speedy Success A community bank redefines itself, thanks to fiber.
THE CHALLENGE:
Catskill Hudson Bank wanted to transcend its roots as a community bank serving Sullivan County, New York, and grow to be a leading provider to business customers throughout a wide area. Because of its network limitations, however, operations at one branch or another were coming to a halt every few days due to connectivity issues or overloads. Meanwhile, customer expectations for service were only increasing. “Today, they don’t necessarily want to come to a brick-and-mortar bank,” says Kevin McLaren, executive vice president. “They want things like the ability to make deposits by taking a picture of a check with a phone.” Catskill Hudson CEO Ted Tomita knew the bank needed far better connectivity, reliability, and functionality in order to grow.
THE SOLUTION:
Tomita’s vision was to redesign the bank’s piecemeal system under one network and one brand. Today, the solution provided by Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) includes an Ethernet Local Area Network (ELAN) connecting more than a dozen bank branches, with circuits ranging from 10 to 50 Mbps. Two of these locations also have 50 Mbps Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) that provides symmetrical and dedicated fiber-based Internet access. Affordable, scalable Primary Rate Interface (PRI) provides IP-enabled voice services. Despite the volume of calls and data flowing across the ELAN, Catskill Hudson enjoys an exceedingly high level of security. In fact, the overall quality of the network has earned the bank flawless ratings in audits and reviews.
With this new [system] design, we can put a branch anywhere. –Ted Tomita
THE RESULT:
With fiber, Catskill Hudson now enjoys a competitive advantage in bringing products to market faster. The infrastructure is so robust that the bank was able to roll out a massive new customer service feature in under 30 days. And the network is more reliable than it ever was, even with 30 times more data flowing between branches. The network’s scalability also supports rapid growth, allowing the bank to add branches far outside its original footprint. Its furthest branches are now located three-and-ahalf hours apart. Moreover, Catskill Hudson can turn any customer location into a virtual branch by providing the business with a scanner and software. “With this new design,” says Tomita, “we can put a branch anywhere.”
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How did you partner with TWCBC to SOLVE your technology issues? Tell us about it for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of SOLVE. Visit business.twc.com/nomination to share your story. Fall 2015
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