Software development has fundamentally changed the way in which clients consume services provided by banks. There is a need to constantly transform and improve these services by upskilling software developers, engaging users and responding quickly to their sentiments, maximising the power of DevOps to add value to clients.
This is according to Muggie van Staden, MD of Obsidian Systems, who explains the need for innovation and speed in the banking sector is dire, and the upskilling and developing of DevOps practitioners is vital to maximise digital tools and get the full value of being agile.
"Although newer software is constantly being developed, it doesn't mean the traditional infrastructure should be quickly done away with. Both modes of IT should initially be maintained because digitisation is a transition and it takes time for an organisation to fully transform.
"One of the biggest challenges facing the DevOps field is getting the culture of an organisation to accept change in a world that is consistently transforming. Helping customers and employees to understand this transformation is vital to business success; however, it can be a tricky thing to achieve," he adds.
Matthew Coughlan, partner manager for Atlassian EMEA, says banks need to unite in seeking solutions to help them address IT problems that affect them collectively.
"Transformation is needed in the way people work within the DevOps industry, particularly in the banking industry. Previously, the development teams and the operations team had been siloed, and working in a waterfall sequence, but now we are seeing a transformation where those barriers are being taken down and teams are collaborating to promote a better working culture, ultimately ending up with better products for customers, and increasing customer satisfaction," adds Coughlan.
The level of development among SA's developers, he continues, is more advanced than in some parts of European and US countries.
"This is because the DevOps industry in SA has adapted an approach where software implementation incorporates many facets, such as customers, DevOps practitioners and tool vendors, therefore ideas are driven at a much faster pace. This puts local businesses in a leadership position, enabling them to develop more practical ways of working which will improve working conditions for staff, in turn adding value to customers shifting the business to a better state," asserts Coughlan.
Skills shortage
According to Van Staden, SA is one of the biggest spenders on IT products in the world and that is where our skills development should be focused. However, there is a shortage of ICT skills and SA doesn't have enough developers in the country to fill the vacant positions for software developers in the banking sector, he adds.
"There are not enough developers in SA and this is something that some IT companies and banks are working towards addressing, through skills sharing and training programmes for developers. It's a case of developing and upskilling people.
"The maths and science crisis in SA is part of the problem. Pupils who are good at these two subjects should grab opportunities and choose career paths within the field of IT. It's also important for these subjects to be presented in an exciting manner in schools, using things like digital games, Raspberry pies, and open source IT tools, associating computing with gaming, in turn building a good foundation before going to university," explains Van Staden.
"Once they're in university, they should be introduced to the technology which is used and required in those IT industries, and ensure universities are producing graduates that are well equipped to walk straight into the job," concludes Coughlan.
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