Transforming Family Bank’s network with software-defin­ed infrastructure and zero trust security

Family Bank is a leading commercial bank in Kenya. They provide a wide range of digital financial services to their customers and were the first Kenyan bank to introduce paperless banking..

The Central Bank of Kenya regulates Family Bank and uses the global capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity (CAMELS) system to rate the bank’s performance. Family Bank also has to comply with international standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). To meet all these banking and data-security requirements, the bank must keep their technology – including their network – up to date.

Banking services require a highly reliable and secure network. So, when some of the bank’s infrastructure was nearing end of life, they saw an opportunity to modernize their network, improve network administration and operational efficiency, and increase network security.

The solution had to be easy to manage and enable the bank to push upgrades to all their branches at once. Services running on the network had to be available all the time and run smoothly, without any interruptions.

The solution we proposed would change the bank’s approach to network infrastructure. We designed a software-defined network that leverages the capabilities of Cisco infrastructure and network-management tools.

The software-defined solution enables each branch to use different connections (such as MPLS, 4G or the internet) to connect to the bank’s wide area network (WAN). If one connection goes down, the network automatically switches to another connection without interrupting business. F5 Load Balancing distributes incoming client requests across multiple servers, ensuring high availability and improved performance.

We implemented the network infrastructure refresh for Family Bank Kenya’s more than 100 branches in phases, so we would not disrupt operations. The infrastructure closest to its end of life was updated first.

We also designed and implemented the Cisco Catalyst Center management platform to give the bank a better view of what was happening in their local area networks (LAN). Cisco SD-WAN connects branches, data centers and headquarters. Using Cisco tools, the bank can use one dashboard to observe their entire network and detect performance problems before they affect business operations or customers.

The bank’s server farms were also updated as part of the process to create a software-defined data center.

Software-defined infrastructure means security is built into the network design. The solution uses a combination of Cisco solutions, including firewalls and network access controls, as part of a zero trust approach to security where users only have access to the information they need.

Implementing F5’s web application firewall helped to protect against security threats by providing better visibility and application-level protection for digital services such as ebanking, mobile banking and merchant services. To protect the Domain Name System (DNS) services that support all banking services, we implemented Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection.

The solution modernized Family Bank Kenya’s network and created opportunities for the bank to automate and improve their network further as they update their infrastructure. The refresh also enabled the bank to take a zero trust approach to security, protecting their applications and web domain.

Improved operational efficiency

The bank’s IT team can now manage the entire network through a single dashboard and automate routine tasks such as setting up devices. With a clearer view of how the network and applications are performing, they can address potential problems before these affect the bank or their customers.

Meeting audit and regulatory requirements

The updated network and increased security enable the bank to meet comply with local and international standards and regulations.

Optimized costs

Our flexible consumption models and the bank’s Cisco Enterprise Agreement make it much easier to predict costs. The bank can add any of the services in Cisco’s bundled agreement, at any time.

Enhanced security posture

By implementing essential security measures like web application firewalls and DNS threat prevention and by modernizing the Network Security Infrastructure, Family Bank Kenya greatly enhanced their security posture. Fewer risks and vulnerabilities mean better protection for the bank and its customers.