Askari Bank strengthens its information security risk management and governance with SAS

Askari Bank is a leading financial institution renowned for its commitment to innovation and customer service excellence. The bank focuses heavily on technology and digital transformation to enhance the banking experience for its customers.

Askari Bank has a vision to empower individuals and businesses by offering accessible financial products that foster economic growth within the communities it serves. The bank decided to leverage advanced solutions such as SAS Governance and Compliance Manager (GCM) to boost operational efficiency while delivering secure and reliable services to its customers.

From Fragmented Data to Unified Risk Management

Askari Bank implemented SAS Governance and Compliance Manager for Information Security Risk Management to strengthen and automate its security posture, ensure regulatory compliance, and streamline governance processes.

The bank identified several challenges that needed to be addressed:

• Fragmented Risk Data and Asset Repositories: Multiple, disconnected systems led to inconsistent and redundant records with limited visibility.
• Manual and Inefficient Risk Assessment Processes: Risk assessments were largely manual, making them time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale.
• Lack of Real-Time Risk Visibility: The absence of a centralized system made it difficult for decision-makers to prioritize threats or respond proactively.
• Compliance and Audit Pressures: Frequent audits required accurate, timely reporting and demonstrable governance.
• Limited Traceability and Accountability: Disparate tools and unclear ownership structures hindered action tracking and control implementation.
• Misalignment with Business Objectives: Without integrated tools and data, aligning risk management with business strategy proved challenging.
• High Operational Overhead: Manual workflows increased staff effort and created operational bottlenecks.

To address these challenges, Askari Bank implemented SAS Governance and Compliance Manager (GCM), an integrated and scalable platform for risk and compliance management. 

Improved Governance, Efficiency, and Strategic Alignment

SAS Governance and Compliance Manager allowed Askari Bank to consolidate risk and compliance operations into a single platform, improving data integrity, transparency, and operational efficiency across the organization.

In addition, the standardization of risk management methodologies, ensured consistency and alignment with best practices. Also, automating key risk management tasks has significantly reduced manual workload, while the introduction of structured, role-based workflows has strengthened accountability and process governance.

Previously, due to lack of a centralized system, Askari Bank was unable to get a consolidated data insight, making it difficult to obtain a holistic, real-time view of the bank’s risk posture.

Decision-makers were struggling to prioritize threats or respond proactively to emerging issues and risks. Now with advanced dashboards and reports through SAS Visual Analytics, Bank gets actionable insights which consequently improve governance and decision making at all levels across the organization.

The implementation has significantly improved the bank’s risk management maturity, reduced compliance and operational costs, and supported by a more agile and resilient posture aligned with strategic business goals. Key benefits observed include:

• Enhanced Data Integrity and Governance
• Greater Accountability and Transparency
• Standardized and Repeatable Risk Management Processes
• Strengthened Regulatory Compliance, leading to cost savings from avoided penalties

Strategic Decisions Based on Data-Driven Insights

Each organization is unique, but effective decision-making and prioritization rely on timely, accurate, and meaningful data insights. Robust analytics empower leadership to extract actionable intelligence from complex data, identify risks and opportunities, and drive initiatives that align with strategic goals. By shifting from reactive to proactive decision-making, organizations can ensure that their strategies are data-driven and focused on long-term value creation.