About the Client
The First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the UAE’s largest bank, delivering tailored banking solutions through a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. Headquartered in Khalifa Business Park, Abu Dhabi, FAB operates in 19 countries worldwide, providing the expertise, global relationships, and financial strength needed to support businesses locally, regionally, and internationally.
Business Situation and Requirements
With an increasing volume of sensitive documents, FAB recognized the need to modernize its legacy DMS to improve performance and security. Thousands of critical records, including personal banking information, were being scanned and stored manually, resulting in inefficiencies and highlighting the need for a modern, secure, and scalable solution.
These challenges were amplified by limitations in the existing system, which was built on outdated technologies such as Documentum 6.5 and Captiva 6.0. The system supported only a limited range of document types, had slow scanning and indexing processes, and lacked a reliable backup or disaster recovery mechanism in the event of a data center failure.
Leveraging our extensive experience in modernizing legacy Document Management Systems, Unthinkable was chosen as FAB’s technology partner.
Their key requirements included:
Upgrade Core Technologies – Replace the outdated scanning and indexing systems with modern, supported technologies to improve speed, reliability, and maintainability.
Streamline Document-Intensive Processes – Optimize banking workflows to handle high volumes of documents efficiently, reducing manual effort and processing time.
Implement Disaster Recovery (DR) Site – Set up a backup infrastructure to ensure business continuity and rapid recovery in case of system failures or data center issues.
Expand Document Compatibility – Enable the system to support a wider range of document types, accommodating diverse banking records and formats.
Role-Based Access Control – Organize the system so users have permissions based on their role, ensuring security and compliance while allowing authorized access.
Enhance System Organization and Navigation – Improve the document management interface and structure for faster search, retrieval, and overall usability for banking staff.
The Solution
Our team of digital transformation specialists dove deep into every process of the existing DMS. After extensive research, we pinpointed the best tools to deliver a seamless user experience and give FAB a sharper competitive edge in the market.
Revamped Document Management System
The DMS was upgraded to improve performance, security, and scalability. Documentum 7.x replaced version 6.5, offering tight control over document access and editing, online access for authorized users, and seamless integration with external systems through standard APIs. Its fast search capabilities and scalability support FAB’s future growth. Captiva 6.5 automates the capture of high-volume banking documents, enhancing processing speed, recognition accuracy, and classification across 28+ document types. Together, these systems automate document extraction, access, and management, reducing backlogs, errors, and operational costs.
Streamlined Business Processes
Approximately 150 document-intensive processes were automated to improve efficiency and usability within the DMS. These included critical banking functions such as credit approvals, loan operations, wealth management, check clearing, trust receipt generation, and the management of equities and expenses. By automating these workflows, the system significantly increased operational speed, enhanced the overall user experience, and ensured consistent, accurate, and error-free processing across the organization.
Disaster Recovery Site
A dedicated DR site was implemented to ensure uninterrupted banking services. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) was optimized for the most up-to-date recoverable data, while Recovery Time Objective (RTO) was minimized to reduce downtime during system outages or cyberattacks. This solution ensures customers have continuous access to banking services, offering a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable disaster recovery setup.
Other Technological Advancements
Other technological advancements included a user-friendly, browser-based interface in Documentum 7.x using HTML widgets and data-bound tables to improve usability. Centralized data capture through InputAccel enabled efficient scanning, indexing, and storage of banking information, reducing errors and accelerating processes. The T24 core banking system supported rapid scalability across both cloud and on-premise environments, while cross-platform compatibility ensured the DMS functioned seamlessly across multiple browsers and platforms, with a lightweight design that enabled faster scanning and indexing.
Impact
The scalable, high-performance DMS was upgraded with the latest management software to meet FAB’s requirements. Processes were redesigned for improved usability, while enhanced user-access controls strengthened system security across the organization.
The newly implemented disaster recovery site ensures business continuity with uninterrupted banking services, minimal downtime, and significant cost savings—supporting FAB’s continued leadership in the UAE banking sector.
150+
document intensive workflows digitized
0%
system downtime
10x
increase in productivity
