Categories
Best use of customer communications
and social networking technology
NEW CATEGORY
This award will recognise the most effective implementation of communications
technology and/or social networking technologies by a financial services
institution of any size and type. The category is open to traditional
telecommunications projects as well as implementations involving VoIP,
SIP, IM, mobile technologies, Facebook, Twitter, and PDA applications.
Nominations may be for a single project or an overall strategy. The winning
entry will demonstrate how the strategic use of communications and/or
social networking technology has brought their company cost benefits,
improved internal processes, enhanced customer service (where applicable)
and helped further that organisation’s opportunities for future
business success. The judges will regard the application of technology
to create business benefits as being of equal importance to the degree
of innovation present in the IT solution.
Best use of IT in retail banking
This award will recognise the most effective use of IT in bringing business
benefits to a financial services provider, regardless of size, in a retail
banking environment. Nominations may be for a single project or for an
overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate how the strategic
use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved internal
processes, enhanced customer service (where applicable) and helped further
that organisation’s opportunities of future business success.
Best use of IT in wholesale &
investment banking
This award will highlight the most effective use of IT in improving business
processes within wholesale banks, trading houses, fund managers, investment
banks and other similar companies. Nominations may be for a single project
or an overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate to the judges
how the strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits,
improved internal processes, or enhanced external service to clients (where
applicable), in order to further that organisation’s opportunities
of future business success.
Best trading system
This award will go to the best new trading system, whether it is installed
internally at a wholesale bank or into the general financial markets for
wide-scale use. New execution venues introduced after the EU's Markets
in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) are encouraged to enter, as
are updated technology platforms from incumbent stock exchanges or banks/brokers.
Systems that specialise in non-displayed trades, public order books or
data delivery are all acceptable. The winning entry will demonstrate how
the use of technology has improved processes, speeded up response times,
enhanced capacity and helped further the chances of future business success.
Best use of IT in insurance
This award will recognise the most effective use of IT in improving business
processes in the insurance sector. Nominations may be for a single project
or for an overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate how the
strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved
internal processes, enhanced customer service (where applicable) and helped
further that organisation’s opportunities of future business success.
Best Use of CRM technology
This award will reward the most innovative and effective application
of Customer Relationship Management technologies by a financial services
provider, via either established or new delivery channels. Nominations
may be for a single project – for instance, an implementation at
a contact centre – or for an overall strategy. The winning entry
will demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has enhanced customer
service, brought their company cost benefits, improved internal processes,
and helped further that organisation’s opportunities of future business
success.
Best use of business-to-business e-commerce
This award will recognise the best use of new technologies to improve
business processes between financial services providers and their business
partners. Nominations can be accepted from projects using internet technologies,
mobile applications and other new technologies. Nominations can be for
a single project such as the creation of online market places, mobile
banking or trading exchanges, or for an overall strategy encompassing
a series of projects, linking business partners for their mutual benefit.
The winning entry will demonstrate to the judges how the strategic use
of technology has improved communications between the business partners
involved, delivered cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced
customer service (where applicable) and helped develop opportunities for
future business success for all parties participating in the project.
Anti-fraud/security strategy of the year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud/security
strategy implemented by a financial services provider to protect the customer
from phishing, ID theft or similarly fraudulent scams, or a financial
institution from service attacks or money laundering. The winning entry
will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology, such as biometrics or two-factor
authentication solutions, and processes have helped protect the end user
and comply with regulations. The judges will regard the application of
technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance to
the degree of protection and innovation present in the IT solution.
Compliance project of the year
This will reward the most effective compliance project by a financial
services provider. Nominations may be for a single project or for an overall
strategy. The winning entry will be able to demonstrate how the strategic
use of technology has enabled compliance with governmental regulations,
such as MiFID, SEPA, Basel III, the anti-money laundering protocols, or
the raft of new rules introduced post-crunch (e.g. liquidity requirements).
Submissions should show how the compliance strategy adds business benefits
and furthers the organisation’s opportunities for future success.
Systems integration project of the year
This award will recognise the most effective project to integrate disparate
systems by a financial services provider. Projects involving the integration
of legacy systems into e-business projects will be eligible for entry,
as will projects to integrate systems from different businesses, whether
to facilitate operations with business partners or in the aftermath of
a company merger. The project can be of any size. Nominations may be for
a single project or an overall strategy. The winning entry will be able
to demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has brought their company
cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced customer service
(where applicable) and helped further that organisation’s opportunities
for future business success.
Best use of Networking/Cabling
This award will recognise the best use of server networking technology
and/or the best use of cabling technology by a financial services provider
in a single or multi-site environment. The installation can be of any
size, using any form of networking technologies. The winning entry will
demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has brought their company
cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced customer service
(where applicable) and helped further that organisation’s opportunities
for future business success.
Outsourcing partnership of the year
This will reward the most effective relationship between a financial services
provider and an outsourcing company. The winning entry will demonstrate
to the judges how the partnership has helped the financial institution
improve business processes, enhance customer service, reduce costs and
further the organisation’s opportunities for future business success.
Nominations can be on- or offshore and involve contact centre operations,
security or back office administration, among other things.
Best payments deployment
This award will recognise a technology implementation that has improved
a financial institution’s payments proposition, whether that is
in the branch, online, via a mobile channel or in the corporate space.
The new solution can be used internally or on behalf of a white label
customer. The judges want to see evidence of straight through processing
(STP), ease-of-use and the adoption of common standards (where applicable).
The use of technology to create business benefits will be treated as being
of equal importance to the degree of innovation present in the solution.
Payments innovation of the year
NEW CATEGORY
Judges will look at evidence of new technology in the payments sector.
Applicants must demonstrate innovation in the space with information on
the issues leading to development, how the solution aims to meet the sector’s
needs, with details of performance where possible and evidence of how
the end consumer has benefited from implementation.
Click
here for an entry form
Data centre excellence award
Intended for the design and/or implementation of an outstanding data centre
within the last 24 months, the judges want to see the needs of the financial
institution and how the design and management of the centre meets those
needs. Evidence of strategic planning, efficiency, optimum spatial design,
and consideration for security and business continuity needs, plus a proven
record of good project management, will all be required. The deployment
of improved server designs, power and cooling layouts, virtualisation
and other technologies may all be mentioned. Any environmental matters,
such as reduced carbon emissions, more efficient chips, a brownfield site
and so on, may also be included in the submission, alongside cost savings,
increased capacity and other business benefits.
Storage innovation of the year
NEW CATEGORY
This award will recognise the most effective data storage project undertaken
by a financial services provider. It is open to projects utilising archiving
technology, virtualisation, tape and disk systems, cloud computing, Information
Lifecycle Management (ILM) solutions and other forms of storage devices.
The winning entry will demonstrate how the data storage technology has
brought their company cost benefits; improved internal processes –
for instance by enhancing data handling capabilities, retrieval speeds
or reducing bandwidth capacity; or ensured compliance with regulatory
rules concerning data storage.
Best business continuity implementation
This award will recognise the best business continuity plan to be put
in place by a financial services provider. The judges will consider the
technological aspects of the plan and the processes for recovery. The
winning entry will demonstrate clear planning, rational utilisation of
technology, anticipated speed of recovery, the business benefits and evidence
of regular testing (where applicable). The category will be judged against
factors such as physical and online threats, compliance requirements and
so-called ‘acts of God’ such as fire and flood. The nominations
will only be viewed by the judges and all details will remain strictly
private.
IT team of the year
This category will be awarded to the best IT team within a financial institution.
The team will have to have proven their excellence in the delivery and/or
support of IT services over the course of the last year and to have demonstrated
good collaboration skills and a clear vision of how technology can be
applied to ensure business benefits. The team can be nominated from within
the financial institution itself or by partners or suppliers.
SUPPLIER CATEGORIES:
NEW CATEGORIES
Cloud computing innovation of the year
This category will recognise excellence in the area
of cloud computing for 2010/11. Judges will look at new strategies, evidence
of success by utilising the cloud, and case studies where applicable.
The winning entry will demonstrate how the cloud computing innovation
has brought customers cost and efficiency benefits
Most innovative product of the year
This award will recognise a technology supplier that has delivered innovation
to the financial sector, through a particular product, service offering
or overall business approach. This is a new category, designed to recognise
those firms that have responded to market pressures with originality and
creativity. Details of product development should be provided as far as
possible, and applicants should demonstrate implementation and performance
of the product.
Technology provider of the year
This category will reward the provider deemed to have had a successful
year in serving the financial sector. Judges will look at examples of
new products and strategies, evidence of how they have been received by
the industry, and performance for 2010/11. Case studies may be included
alongside details of development over the year, response to market pressures
and future plans, where possible.
Risk management software of the year
This award will recognise success in the development, implementation and
running of risk management software for the financial sector. Applicants
must demonstrate how their software has been developed to best benefit
the financial sector, and evidence of performance should be provided where
possible.
SPECIAL CATEGORIES:
Employee's Choice Award for Outstanding Financial Company to Work For
The "Employee's Choice Award 2011" is the only FST Award voted for by you, the employee. In association with Church International, the "Employee's Choice Award 2011" will be awarded to the company deemed to be the best financial company to work for. The Award is open for entry by employees of financial companies or those that have contracted for one year or more.
The deadline for entries is 16 March and the winner of this prestigious Award will be announced at the FST Awards Gala Dinner on 31 March 2011.
Nominate your organisation for this award and you will be included in the prize draw to win a brand new Ipad! The winner of the prize draw will be announced by 30 March 2011.
Overall winner
This category is not open for entry. Instead, the judges will pick what
they consider to be the best entry out of all the submissions received
for the FST Awards 2011, across all of the categories.
Barry Holland Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual
Achievement
This award will recognise the contribution of an individual to the financial
services industry, looking at his or her role in the successful implementation
of projects and strategies since 2000. Projects can be from any sector
in the financial industry, and can encompass work in more than one position
and company. Collaborative work will be especially prized.
The award commemorates Barry Holland, an advisor to FST and four-time awards judge, who sadly passed away on 4 August 2010. Barry rose to become Director of Operations at Barclays Capital after joining the banking group in 1975 and working across its factoring and treasury departments. He was responsible for all money market and Foreign Exchange (FX) operational and settlement issues for London and New York, and oversaw the smooth implementation of the CLS (Continuous Link Settlement) system at BarCap. He chaired the CLS London & European User Group and was a member of the London Investment Banking Association, Treasury Operations Committee, as well as being involved with the Bank of England Money Market Liaison Group. He is sadly missed by all his friends in the industry and here at FST.
