For many years, Sopra Banking Software has actively contributed to different working groups and has also benefitted from BIAN deliverables and the BIAN network of highly qualified architects. The alignment with the BIAN content and methods, the contribution to the on-going discussions, has helped us to ensure our Enterprise Architecture is in line with the market evolutions. More precisely, our BIAN involvement helps us to:

1) Build a Business Capability model to describe the scope of the Sopra Banking Platform

One of our core solutions, the Sopra Banking Platform has a component based architecture, organized in key business domains. These key business domains are further detailed in the Sopra Banking capability model.  The BIAN Service Landscape provides a reference model to structure the Sopra Banking Software business capability model. The structure of the Landscape, organized in Areas, Domains and Service Domains, is described in a framework that Sopra Banking Software has adopted for its own model. So the BIAN Service Landscape, its framework and content, has helped Sopra Banking Software in establishing its own model, which is easily recognizable in the market. This Sopra Banking business capability model is also a key asset to discuss with our clients on the target scope of the Sopra Banking Platform and its implementation journey. Its alignment with BIAN helps to reconcile it with the potential models the bank would already use.

2) Developing Architecture Guiding Principles

The integration between the Sopra Banking Platform components needs to be realised in a loosely coupled way, allowing progressive implementation and partial upgrades of the client solutions, with the appropriate granularity of components. The overall service oriented architecture described in the BIAN “How to guides”has contributed to build the Sopra Banking Platform architecture guiding principles. It helps to define the architecture concepts and metamodel. For example, the definition and naming of our application services is inspired by the BIAN Service Domains and Service Operations.

3) Networking and sharing Information

Our active participation in the BIAN Working groups allows Sopra Banking Software to build a network with highly qualified architects who are active in the financial industry. Also the participation in the different BIAN events (Chapter meetings, ..) provides valuable information on BIAN progress and market trends. The networking and information exchanged during the BIAN events helps Sopra Banking Software to ensure an alignment with the key market trends and consequently keep our solution fully in line with them.

Moreover the current works on APIs, in line with market trends (PSD 2, Open Banking), is a key subject for BIAN and for Sopra Banking Software. We are actively contributing to this work; our objective is to help BIAN reach a level of maturity that will ease implementation at application level.

About Sopra Banking Software: With over 3 500 experts and one of the deepest, broadest portfolios of software and services, Sopra Banking Software is a trusted, long-term partner of more than 800 banks in 70 countries.