The enterprise architecture project will help AFD to improve
the information system governance
PARIS – EBS, a full-service provider of application migration, modernization and enterprise architecture announced the first phase completion of the agence Française de développement (AFD) back-office modernization.
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is a financial institution and the
main implementing agency for France’s official development assistance to
developing countries and overseas territories. It finances projects, programs and studies in more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, middle-east, south-America in the area of Agriculture, education, health, infrastructure and environmental through grants, loans, guarantee funds and debt reduction-development contracts. AFD group has more than 1800 agents dedicated to funding development projects.
By adopting an Enterprise Architecture process, AFD aims to develop a more agile, scalable and rational information system that will support the organization strategy. This approach will not only short-term eliminate waste, streamline the architecture or introduce consistency, but also develop operational excellence in project management. An urbanized information system will improve the total cost of ownership and will facilitate rapid business services implementation and regulatory changes.
The Enterprise Architecture project started in January 2010 articulated in several phases. One of the critical urbanization plan phase was the implementation of a virtualized production system as reference architecture together with the modernization of the banking back-office application (GCF Financial Loan Management). The transformation goals were to implement a common target architecture best practice, to structured the existing data in a new relational model and standardizes the data-exchange between the information system applications. In addition, the GCF services were made available to the AFD 70 branches across the 5 continents through an SOA architecture providing a new services dimension to AFD business users..
« We can already measure significant improvement by better controlling our information system right after this first major milestone. With an interleaved information system, more coherent and agile, we can build and supply faster business services and ease the various operations with other external applications ». said Pierre Guiserix – AFD Chief Information Officer.
« We selected EBS for their proven experience in application modernization and their knowledge of our environments ». added Rodolphe Rougemont – AFD Information System Architect. « EBS methodology and their unique technical skills gave us the confidence to achieve our goals.
« We are very pleased to support AFD with its business critical transformation ». said Jean-Yves Lorre, EBS chief operating officer. EBS comprehensive solution approach uniquely enables customers to reduce cost, minimize risk, and realize the full potential of their existing IT investments.”
Moving toward improved information system governance, this first achievement is already changing AFD pace to deliver new business services. This modernization process helps business users to access more services across the 70 agencies, reduce significantly the cost and effort for managing the data, the applications and the system infrastructure.
About European Business Solutions
EBS is a major player and a full service provider of legacy migration, modernization, and Enterprise Architecture solutions. Drawing from over 12 years of experience, EBS recognizes that companies have significant investments in core applications and procedures and provides a wealth of low risk, high value tools, technology, and services to reduce IT costs without sacrificing current functionality and service level agreements. Headquartered in Paris, France, EBS has customers in several major countries, including some of the largest financial services, Fortune class end users and public sector.