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Business News of Thursday, 19 November 2015

Source: GNA

BEIGE Group establishes Data Technology Centre

Mike Nyinaku, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Beige Group Mike Nyinaku, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Beige Group

The BEIGE Group has opened a Data Technology Centre in Accra, to control the operations of its subsidiaries in different modes including technological operations, banking services, and entire functional state.

The centre which has different facilities including IT infrastructure, suspended floors, insulator would serve as the backbone of the BEIGE Capital, a financial subsidiary of the Group to control all its electronic transactions.

Mr Mike Nyinaku, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Group explaining why the Group invested much into technology said: “Although we know it is not usual to find a detached data centre in organisations, we took this step because of where we aim at reaching in the future and possibly move from savings and loans to a different level.

“And that will require for us to have a robust information platform to provide support for the businesses we will be engaging in”.

The CEO said the Group has built a platform that could accommodate about five million customers in the future by putting up the data structure.

Speaking to the GNA in an interview about the plans of the Group to see BEIGE Capital transformed into a Bank, Mr Nyinaku said: “We are taking it slowly and don’t want to rush into becoming a Bank because we want to create something that will last. Therefore by the time our foundations are laid, we believe the Central Bank will find us credible enough to promote us.”

He expressed satisfaction on the competition in the financial, adding that BEIGE Capital would not have been as strong as it is if there is no competition in the financial market.

He said one challenge the Group is facing is their enthusiasm to always operate with talented personnel to maintain and improve their standards.

The CEO asked the Group’s clients to expect an improved, superior and higher stability service after setting up the technological centre.

He advised the youth interested in entrepreneurship to dream realistically and devote themselves to their thoughts, adding that the results of their ventures would not appear in a day or few years, but chances are that opportunities will find them, when they do not give up.

Mr Samuel Okine, an Information Technology Auditor at the Bank of Ghana who graced the ceremony said although many CEO’s complain that they spend much on IT without getting profit, they have no idea that without IT, they cannot make money in their business and other fields as well.

He urged financial institutions which are not prioritising the use of IT in their operations to wake up from their sleep because IT or software is what runs finance in the contemporary world.

Mr Okine said he has been to different countries that have data centres for their businesses and he would personally put BEIGE’s data centre at eight on a scale of one to 10 because it has amazing facilities.

“This is because businesses don’t usually spend on IT, so if you find a business that spends money on IT, then that should tell you, they know where they are going,” he said.

The IT Auditor said on his part, one amazing thing he found at the centre is availability of redundant power including generators and invertors that could supply standby power for 24 hours which are very necessary to withstand the inadequate power supply problem in the country.

He however advised the Group to maintain the facility because most of the time, organisations set up such useful structures which later collapse due to lack of maintenance.

Mr Alex Opoku, Head of Management Information System, BEIGE Capital said Technology has taken banking to a level, where it is at the convenience of customers.

He disclosed that the facility has programmers who are constant software developers to help improve the services of the Bank as well as its internet operations.

“With this facility, we can promise our clients faster and better services and they could even sit in the comfort of their homes to put money into their accounts or send money into the Bank accounts of their relatives, “he said.