KIEV, Ukraine, June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and PRAVEX-BANK today announced a five-year agreement for a new data center with IBM servers, storage, software and services that will enable PRAVEX-BANK to automate its banking system for improved service to over a million customers. As a result of the project, the bank will become the first in the Ukraine to comply with the National Bank of Ukraine's (NBU) ban on hosting customer data abroad.

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PRAVEX-BANK has more than 400 branches serving over 1,000,000 clients across Ukraine. In 2008, the Bank became a member of Intesa Sanpaolo Group -- one of the top banking groups in Europe -- improving its level of reliability and quality of banking services.

IBM business partner De Novo will supply PRAVEX-BANK a data center and IT infrastructure hosting site that meets international data center security standards. In addition, the new data center will ensure smooth processing of card operations, servicing of customers accounts, and mobile and online banking for PRAVEX-BANK. In 2012, the bank expects to double the data center's capacity for commercial operation of the automated banking system.

"It is essential that PRAVEX-BANK deliver reliable customer service. That is why we continuously raise the level of our technology standards," said Sergey Naumov, chairman of the board, PRAVEX-BANK. "The project we are implementing with IBM is strategic to our customer service and will minimize IT infrastructure maintenance costs. We are proud that PRAVEX-BANK is leading Ukraine's banking industry by developing a data center infrastructure that will enable us to securely manage customer data locally. PRAVEX-BANK, a Bank of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, is among the first in Ukraine to implement the NBU Resolution, ensuring that all customers' records and data will be stored and safely kept within the territory of Ukraine and investing a large budget into the development of a real-time data processing center in Ukraine."

"This investment is part of a strategy to introduce Intesa Sanpaolo Group's best practices in Ukraine to offer customers the most efficient business and technical solutions at the best market conditions," said Mr. Silvio Pedrazzi, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PRAVEX-BANK. "PRAVEX-BANK's new core IT system, the new data processing center, as well as strong training and development of human resources, are key tools of this strategy. Moreover, it confirms Intesa Sanpaolo and PRAVEX's commitment to contribute, according to their corporate social responsibility principles, to the economic development of Ukraine."

PRAVEX-BANK's new data center will be based on an IBM Power® 780 server running AIX® to support database servers, an IBM BladeCenter® H chassis with 11 HS22 blade servers to run a reporting and accounting application, an IBM System Storage® DS5300 disk storage system, and an IBM System Storage TS3310 tape library. IBM Systems Director and Tivoli® Storage Manager will be used for server infrastructure and data storage systems management. The data center will support the new automated banking system.

"The project we are implementing together with PRAVEX-BANK is a milestone for Ukraine's banking sector," said Penko Dinev, Country General Manager, IBM Ukraine. "This project combines industry leading IBM hardware and software with our services expertise to help PRAVEX-BANK accelerate transaction processing."

About PRAVEX-BANK

For information about the company, visit http://www.pravex.com/rus/main.

About IBM

For more information about IBM smarter computing, visit http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/data/flash/smartercomputing/.

About De Novo

For more information, visit http://www.de-novo.biz/?lang=en .

Contacts:
Joanna Brewer
IBM Media Relations
415-971-2777
jmbrewer@us.ibm.com

Alexandra Kisel
IBM Media Relations
+7 (495) 775 88 00 x1758
alex.kisel@ru.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM