“The commitment, market knowledge, and expertise of ShareSpace specialists not only allowed us to find the right office but also made the whole process surprisingly smooth for us. It went basically without complications, which in such cases doesn’t happen too often.”
Industry: banking
Featured client: Bank Pekao S.A.
Pekao Bank is an institution that needs no introduction. Founded in 1929, it survived the Second World War, the times of centrally-controlled socialist economy, various ownership transformations, and today, it is one of the leading entities not only in the Polish banking sector but in the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe. It is an institution that enjoys established trust.
It is worth mentioning that Pekao Bank was the Official Bank and the National Sponsor of UEFA Euro 2012. The assets of Pekao Bank amount to about PLN 200 billion. The number of all the bank’s clients fluctuates around 5.5 million. Pekao Bank employs over 14 thousand people.
The challenge
In modern banking, security requirements are very high. Encryption of transactions and all financial operations, often involving millions of zlotys, data security, and other sensitive information, are indispensable parts of the activity of any bank worldwide. We must not forget that despite the scale of its operations and its position among the leading banks in Poland, Pekao Bank continues to grow in an environment of fierce competition in the banking and financial services market. New internet and mobile banking solutions are one of the pillars of efficient customer service.
While working on one of the projects in this area, Pekao Bank was looking for an office space where a team of IT specialists could work efficiently. About thirty IT specialists were supposed to develop a new mobile app for the bank’s customers.
The condition was the proximity of the new office to the bank’s headquarters, which is located in the center of Warsaw. The office where the IT team was supposed to work had to be located within walking distance from the headquarters. The office market in the Polish capital is very dynamic and demanding. Despite a large number of offices under construction, many have difficulty finding the right location in the city center. The ShareSpace team immediately set to work to meet the needs of Bank Pekao.
Our solution
Apart from the direct vicinity of the bank’s headquarters, the ability to install appropriate security measures in the office was also a very important factor. No compromises were possible here, as a certain level of security is required by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. Moreover, the security systems demanded by the bank had to be installed during the office set-up phase. It was not enough to simply find office space and equip it with applicable solutions.
The security measures referred to included a dedicated, secure IT network, strict control of office access, and autonomous monitoring. The level of sophistication and complexity of the required solutions, in this case, demanded suitable work in the early stages of equipping the office. It was quite an exceptional challenge, which ShareSpace managed with ease thanks to extensive contact network and experience.
The outcomes
ShareSpace found a suitable office in a modern office complex, at the stage of setting it up. What is important in this case, this complex was not yet available on the market due to the ongoing development works. However, our specialists were able to contact its operator at this early stage and negotiate with him on appropriate office equipment that would meet our client’s needs.
The cooperation with the specialists from Pekao Bank and trust that was quickly established, allowed ShareSpace to take control of the entire process of furnishing and designing the office according to the bank’s conditions. Efficient cooperation between Bank Pekao – ShareSpace and the office operator allowed our team to independently take care of the process of implementing security solutions and ultimately achieve the desired results with minimal involvement of Bank Pekao staff.
