That’s why having a team of professionals by your side is essential experts in the banking world, ready to take on any challenge: from migrating hundreds of branches, even during a full lockdown, to onboarding entire NPL portfolios.
Regulations, evolving market conditions, and the drive for greater efficiency and value have led to a significant increase in banking sector interventions, including mergers, acquisitions, and information system overhauls.
These activities require considerable effort from banks: complex operations that demand in-depth knowledge of both the outgoing and target systems, as well as a broad understanding of the regulatory environment and, most importantly, the ability to tailor strategies to each unique case.
In this context, the real challenge is to turn constraints into opportunities for meaningful transformation. This can be achieved by approaching change with the right mix of methodology, expertise, flexibility, and speed – a combination of factors that fuel continuous improvement, allowing us to refine our approach from project to project, leveraging every experience as a steppingstone for the next one.
System migration is not just a technical challenge – it’s a transformative moment with a profound impact on a bank's structure. Overhauling an IT system means modifying operational logic and adopting a new mindset. The biggest challenge is organizational and requires a deep understanding of the banking ecosystem.
Successfully supporting a bank through this crucial transition calls for a competent, highly skilled and dedicated team – one that can help it change perspective, overcome resistance, and lead it through the delicate and challenging process of defining new operating methods.
At Deda Bit, this team is known as Migration Machine and its history dates back to the early 1990s. It was initially formed to help the "Fondo Comune delle Casse Rurali Trentine" (now Allitude) expand its proprietary information system beyond the borders of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
Since then, Migration Machine has successfully completed nearly 300 projects – 110 of them since 2016 alone - gaining specialized expertise spanning diverse clients and systems. Over the years, the team has developed a structured methodology powered by an advanced engine that automates data transformation processes.
Today, the team comprises over 100 professionals, including developers, consultants, and project managers, all with deep technical and functional expertise in banking processes, regulations, and technology. This optimal mix allows us to work effectively with both small local banks and large banking institutions.
Migration Machine supports banks throughout the entire migration process, from the kick-off to project completion. The journey starts with an assessment to identify gaps between the two systems and highlight any unique situations requiring specific solutions. Then we manage the technical aspects, ensuring seamless data migration from the legacy system to the target platform.
At the same time, we handle the parameterization of the new system, adapting it to the bank’s processes, characteristics, and operational needs, all while guaranteeing that daily banking services continue without interruption. As the go-live date approaches, we provide comprehensive training for the bank’s employees, preparing them to operate the new system confidently. Even after migration, part of the Migration Machine team remains available to support the bank until it becomes fully autonomous.
A migration process typically takes around six months from start to finish.
One of our most recent migration projects involved Banca della Marca, a BCC within the ICCREA group. With the support of Deda Bit, the bank successfully completed its information system migration in six months.
The migration process began with the formation of the project team and preliminary analyses, including the development of a comprehensive activity planning framework. This was followed by an in-depth data and operational analysis of Banca della Marca, leading to the setup of the Migration Engine and the parameterization of the target system. Training for 370 employees was conducted primarily remotely, leveraging a pool of key users, selected bank employees who received advanced training and then transferred their knowledge to branch colleagues.
Training for 370 employees was conducted primarily remotely, leveraging a pool of key users, selected bank employees who received advanced training and then transferred their knowledge to branch colleagues.
The migration included two data release phases for reconciliations and verifications before the effective system switchover. During the go-live weekend, end data was converted, followed by final reconciliations and checks.
While the Banca della Marca project showcases Migration Machine's operational efficiency, the case of Banca Popolare delle Province Molisane in March 2020 demonstrates how the team continuously grows by strengthening skills with every new project. Originally scheduled for the end of March, three weeks before the go-live, a nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To stay on track, we designed a completely new procedure that enabled the final - and highly sensitive - phases of the migration to be completed entirely remotely.
This was an emergency situation, requiring a shift in perspective and a significant effort to develop solutions, such as direct remote connections to cashier workstations in the branches.
Operating remotely demanded an even stronger presence, making sure the bank felt fully supported throughout the transition.
To achieve this, we set up virtual rooms where the Migration Team was available round-the-clock to provide real-time assistance.
Once completed, this experience gave rise to a new service: remote migration is now a standard solution offered by Deda Bit. Similarly, training has also become fully digital, delivering the same results with greater flexibility.
Adaptability and the ability to evolve over time are what defines us.
The wide range of projects we’ve handled - including acquisitions, divestitures, full-scale migrations, data portfolio acquisitions, securitizations, and system integrations - has allowed us to develop two additional key differentiating capabilities: flexibility in interpreting contexts and identifying the most suitable solution for each specific scenario; speed in designing and executing projects efficiently, using a proven methodology.
Regardless of the technology used, our success stems from our commitment to change and our constant drive to learn. Each new project adds new building blocks to our continuous improvement journey alongside our clients.
Today, the Migration Machine, which started as a local initiative, has become an industry benchmark in Italy for Merger & Acquisition operations. It is now further refining its expertise by specializing in the onboarding of distressed credit portfolios. According to the latest Market Watch NPL report, the value of distressed debt increased by 5% in 2020, reaching €38 billion in non-performing loans sold that year. That figure was expected to rise to €40 billion in 2021 and remain high throughout 2022.
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