HSBC: Making IT Dynamic

HSBC Software Development India (HSDI) was created in India in
April 2002 with the objective of providing software solutions and services to
the HSBC Bank worldwide. Since setting up the software center in Pune, in the
span of four years, its strength has grown to more than 3,500 associates. HSDI
has grown in size and experience, and has been successful in achieving SEI CMMi
Level 5 certification for software processes.

HSDI had to generate various MIS reports on a real-time basis.
"We were looking for a single application to take control of our
international and domestic operations," recalls Vishal Jadhav, assistant
manager finance, HSBC Software Development (India). The company required an
easy-to-use ERP application to manage its day-to-day business processes, with an
established Indian localization and appropriate monitoring facilities. In order
to meet the growing needs of HSBC globally and to streamline its internal
business processes, the company evaluated various software solutions like SAP,
PeopleSoft and Sun Solaris based solutions before settling on Microsoft Dynamics
NAV version 4.0.

The implementation by Ontrack Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics
Partner, did not require any additional hardware, software or networking
infrastructure investments. The implementation, inclusive of training and
deployment, was completed in one month. This was followed by a month of
hand-holding support.

HSDI implemented fixed assets management with bar-code tracking.
With the help of a portable data capturing unit, directly interfaced with
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0, it is now possible to scan, upload and reconcile the
bar-code encrypted fixed assets on a real-time basis. Earlier the entire payment
and cash cycles were tracked manually. The system now tracks them automatically.
For example, vendor payments were maintained on the old system but there was no
possibility of getting a report. With NAVcan be provided in minutes.

Prior to the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0, most
of the reporting was done using Microsoft Office Excel 2003. This is now
automatically generated from the ERP solution. Records of employee
reimbursements were also maintained in Excel worksheets, and the billing was
derived from it. Now, the company is able to tag the reimbursable expenses
during the initial stages of the expenses being incurred. This automates the
billing system on a real-time basis, with due adjustment of reimbursable
expenses.

Customer ageing reports have now become real time, with
Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Detailed reports about reimbursements from customers is
now a boon to the finance team. Dynamics NAV 4.0 facilitates faster report
generation and provides senior management ready access to daily reports.
Features such as Analysis by Dimensions and Account Schedule Reporting have been
a major enhancement. HDIS is able to generate reports on the fly such as
real-time Profit and Loss (P&L), department-wise income statements, advances
etc.

The ease of implementation strategy has resulted in an
effortless and reduced project roll-out. Dynamics NAV is easy to implement,
thereby reducing deployment and customization requirements considerably.
Improved financial management has been another major benefit; it is a central
application area of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, where all financial information is
posted, summarized and reported. "With the implementation of Microsoft®
Dynamics NAV 4.0, we are now able to calculate the fixed asset depreciation of
more than 4,000 assets within 5-7 minutes. This is a significant achievement for
us," Jadhav elucidates.

Rajneesh De


rajneeshd@cybermedia.co.in