CSC Computer Sciences: Opportunity for All - Neil Brownlie

Many banks and corporates regard SEPA as an annoying compliance project, but they should be looking at the opportunity it presents to create added value from the supply chain, Neil Brownlie of CSC tells Mark Stuart.

There are pressures on banks to slash transaction fees under SEPA and many are worrying that this will lead to a downturn in revenues. Yet by focusing on data and the benefits that can accrue from it, rather than on the transaction, an advantage emerges that could benefit all types of companies.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND IT OUTSOURCING FOR BANKS

Neil Brownlie of CSC, which provides systems integration and IT outsourcing to banks and corporates worldwide, says: ‘SEPA presents real opportunities for the banks that have realised what it can do for them. Once companies of all sizes can have a single and timely view of their cash positions and commitments they will be in a better position to improve their working capital. At a simple level, "slow cash is expensive cash". Let’s not forget that we are still essentially dealing with some finance processes that are 500 years old, even if they have been digitised.

‘Technology has an important role to play by making this information accessible to all parties. There needs to be a fundamental shift away from "proprietary" solutions to something that everyone can use.

‘For example, Google is the most successful search engine because you don’t have to change your practices in order to use it,’ Brownlie says.

‘We try to offer solutions in a similar way – we accept data in any form so the client gets the good service and the best results – and we do the hard work.

‘At the moment, many financial services companies compete to offer the cheapest transaction. But if you put yourself in the mind of the customer and ask, "what do I want from my bank", that shift in thinking opens up lots of possibilities.’ Many corporates are happy with their transaction costs, but they do not want to be locked into a bank that does not understand their requirements.

Brownlie adds: ‘We understand corporate customers in this way, and that’s why we partner with banks to offer solutions.’

SMOOTHER BANKING PROCESS AND IMPROVED SERVICE

A simple change of mindset can help companies create much more value from their financial supply chain management (FSCM). Brownlie explains: ‘There are lots of niche providers offering many FSCM solutions, but we can deliver the whole process end-to-end for billing or paying invoices in any format anywhere in the world.

‘We can also help corporates connect to secure financial messaging with their banks through SWIFTNet. And we can work with companies and their banks to enable a global service. The key word here is "service", you want a bespoke service that smoothes all the processes for you.’

CSC: TAILORED USE OF EIPP ON A GLOBAL SCALE

CSC is a global company, with a proven track record, extensive knowledge of corporates and banking, the ability to host in a secure manner and a powerful financial balance sheet to deliver as expected. Brownlie adds: ‘We have something to offer corporates of all sizes, something that is a real benefit – and not just a piece of software.’

At the moment, companies pay for FSCM services on a pay-as-you go basis, but CSC can tailor a solution. Brownlie explains: ‘If we have a reference model for the financial supply chain, we can offer a big-picture view, and then we take the customer down to the individual areas of the model and show how it can be delivered. We use EIPP, which we’re implementing ourselves so that we can more efficiently receive and pay suppliers’ invoices.’

Many companies are trying to consolidate their treasury operations so they have a single view of cash, which can be a problem. For such companies, CSC can do the hard work so they do not have to.