SMBC – Singapore Installs IPC’s Unigy

IPC Systems, Inc., a global provider of specialized communications solutions for the financial services community, today announced the successful deployment of Unigy, the leading unified trading communications and application platform, at the Singapore branch of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) which maintains relationships with more than 210,000 companies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

SMBC wanted a new infrastructure that would increase the flexibility, scalability and manageability of its trading communications systems. Additionally, SMBC desired to upgrade to a VoIP-based system, capable of integrating with existing private branch exchange (PBX) infrastructure. SMBC also had requirements for improved business continuity planning (BCP) as well as space limitations for equipment at its production and disaster recovery sites.

“We managed to meet all challenges with the solutions provided by IPC and went live within a limited timeframe. IPC analyzed the situation quickly and was very proficient and collaborative,” says Yoshiaki Ota, Joint General Manager–Treasury Unit, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Singapore. “We saw IPC’s commitment to this project by meeting our tight schedule and mobilizing the required resources to enable a successful ‘go-live’ date.”

“Our users require a lot of conferencing and speaker functionalities. We included these individuals in our proof of concept demonstrations and they were comfortable with Unigy,” says Ota. The bank needs to be in constant communication with its customers and counterparties and Unigy’s clarity eliminates the time and extra effort that had been required to communicate.

Unigy’s flexible administration controls combined with tight system security will also help SMBC lower the costs of maintaining trading communications infrastructure. In addition, Unigy’s versatility provides SMBC with the key capabilities necessary to maximize collaboration with their counterparts in overseas offices. Furthermore, increased resiliency means SMBC can continue operations regardless of any external forces that may interrupt normal function of their trading floor.

“We are delighted that SMBC chose IPC for their trading communication systems and BCP needs,” said Bruce Maslen, Vice President, Trading Systems Sales, APAC, IPC. “Our mission is to deliver high quality and value-added voice communications technology solutions that support global trading floors. We will continue to help meet the growing and diversified needs of financial services customers in this region and around the world – helping them to achieve global trading efficiency.”

About IPC

IPC is a global provider of mission-critical network services and trading communication technology to the financial markets community. With complete focus on this sector and over 40 years of expertise, IPC provides customers with integrated solutions that support traders and participants across the entire trade lifecycle including sell-side and buy-side financial institutions, inter-dealer brokers, liquidity venues, clearing and settlement firms, independent software vendors, corporate finance departments, financial information exchange providers and market data providers. IPC’s offerings include a unified communications/application platform, award-winning trading positions, managed voice and data connectivity solutions, compliance technologies, infrastructure management and a suite of enhanced service offerings. IPC’s global reach extends to more than 60 countries – including a network of 5,000 customer sites over 700 cities and an installed base of approximately 120,000 trading positions deployed worldwide. Headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, IPC has over 900 employees located throughout the Americas and the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. IPC’s mission is to continually innovate to support collaboration across the global financial community and address our clients’ needs in an ever-changing landscape. For more information, visit www.ipc.com.

About SMBC

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The large, global firm has more than 25,000 employees located in more than 400 domestic branches and 15 international offices. SMBC engages in deposit taking, lending, securities brokering and trading, securities investment, money transfer, foreign currency exchange, corporate bond trustee services and custody services, financial futures underwriting, investment trust sales and other commercial banking activities.

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