Securant Bank & Trust
"Integrating the iPhone into our infrastructure was surprisingly easy. And we're a Windows-based organization."
David Mollico,
Network Administrator
Banking on accessibility.
Securant Bank & Trust is a Milwaukee-based community bank with big aspirations. In the past 18 months alone, the bank has added two locations, increased assets to approximately $260 million, and launched a Wealth Management and Trust division—all during a recession.
Keeping Securant’s bankers in constant contact, and helping them win clients and close deals, is iPhone.
“As business and commercial bankers, we don’t make money sitting in an office,” says Senior Vice President Mike Fleming. “We make it out in the field, in front of customers. The iPhone gives us the ability to be out there while still maintaining contact with the office.”
"Time kills in banking, and we want to be responsive to our clients. We use iPhone as a way to give our clients access. They can talk to a decision-maker right away."
For a community bank like Securant, service is a key differentiator. And iPhone allows Securant’s bankers to respond immediately, and directly, to calls and emails from customers. Even President David Davis makes sure that he’s available, no matter where he is.
“People call me on weekends,” Davis says, “and any time of day. I have to have wall-to-wall coverage, and the iPhone functions in the remotest areas.”
Working happier, living happier
That level of connectivity has inspired Network Administrator David Mollico to coin a term: “life integration.” “The iPhone just integrates everything,” he says. “My job. My personal life. My calendaring. My web surfing. Even my iTunes. The iPhone puts everything into one, little, irreplaceable device.”
By spreading his availability out across the entire day, iPhone has made Securant Vice President Mike Fleming more efficient—and more available to his family. “Before iPhone, I was on the computer at home every evening for a couple of hours, catching up,” he says. “And that took away from my family life.”
Even without that computer time, iPhone allows Fleming to be more responsive to clients. “I get back to them earlier,” he says. “If there’s an issue, I can respond immediately instead of waiting until the following day. And in banking, a 24-hour difference can have a big impact.”
Keeping data private
In any bank, security is a high priority. Tasked with protecting sensitive customer data, Mollico is an enthusiastic fan of the built-in security features of the iPhone.
“Our iPhones are secure,” he says. “If somebody loses a phone, I can immediately remotely wipe all content from it. And we configured it so that if an iPhone gets stolen, the thief has only a couple of password attempts before the iPhone automatically wipes itself.”
Mollico has been able to protect security within the bank, too. “The iPhone allowed us to push security profiles when we set up individual access to contacts on the Microsoft Exchange server,” he explains. In other words: “The only way employees can get access to Exchange is to download the profile that was created for them.”
And if Mollico wants to keep tabs on what’s happening on the bank floor, he can use iPhone to do it. “Safari lets us access our in-bank security system in real time. I can pull up any branch, at any time, and take a look at what’s happening on the security cameras. And the resolution on the iPhone’s screen is excellent.”
Serving from afar
Remote connection to Securant’s servers has increased efficiency in other ways. For instance, Mollico can monitor the bank’s servers during off-hours, something that his previous mobile devices didn’t allow him to do.
“The iPhone’s screen size makes accessing our servers remotely so easy,” Mollico says. “When you’re working on a server, it’s a pain to keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, menu, scroll some more. The iPhone has a big enough screen, and the pinch and expand motions allow you to pan out and view the entire screen at once.”
Mollico has been delighted with the speed of iPhone, too. “Most smartphones are slow,” he says. “But when you fire up the iPhone, it keeps up with you as fast as you can type. Trying to navigate a web page with a Windows phone is a nightmare. But turn on iPhone, and you can flip as fast as you want.”
A better bottom line
President David Davis sees a direct connection between iPhone and a better bottom line at Securant: efficiency through communication. “The iPhone has been instrumental in allowing us to multitask on one piece of equipment and to stay in constant communication,” he says.
Mollico agrees. “That’s how we run five offices with just 55 people—because of the efficiency that iPhone gives us.”
Company Snapshot
- 55 employees
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- www.securantbank.com
Click images to enlarge
A flat learning curve
As the network administrator for a bank, David Mollico has a lot on his plate—everything from firewalls, website security, and antivirus protection to workstation deployment and managing the company’s servers. “The one thing I don’t want to have to worry about,” he says, “is supporting yet another product that people don’t understand.” Enter iPhone. “The learning curve was flat,” he reports. “Our iPhone users were up and running in minimal time. And they actually take the iPhone home and play with it. And anything that takes responsibility and training off my hands and puts it in the hands of the user is a winner in my book.”
No more cycling
Before iPhone, Securant had cycled through quite a few mobile devices. “Our smartphones were always throwaway after 18 months,” says President David Davis. But Securant’s team has been using iPhone for over two years—with no plans to make changes. “We used to buy new phones to get technology upgrades,” he says. “But with the iPhone, all we have to do is download the software updates.”
