United Commercial Bank Limited (UCB), among the largest private sector commercial banks in Bangladesh, signed a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement with Thakral One, a recognised Microsoft Licensing Solution Partner, to deliver exceptional value, cost-savings and best-in-class security.
The Agreement was signed at the UCB Head Office in Gulshan between signatories Abdullah Al Mamoon, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of United Commercial Bank and Sook Hoon Cheah, General Manager, Microsoft SEA New Markets. Also in attendance were Kashef Rahman, Senior Vice President and Head of Information Technology at United Commercial Bank, Basab Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer at Thakral One, Mark Walton, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft SEA New Markets and Yousup Faruqu, Country Managing Director, Microsoft Bhutan, Bangladesh & Nepal in addition to senior personnel from the Bank, Thakral One and Microsoft.
As the Licensing Solution Partner, Thakral One will ensure the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement is an empowering vehicle for the Bank to gain savings, benefits and value, and the flexibility to purchase software services and licenses under one agreement.
Commenting on the agreement, Abdullah Al Mamoon, Deputy Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of UCB stated, “With the rapid pace of technological changes, we need cutting edge technologies to boost the Bank’s performance, efficiency and protection from an evolving cyber threat landscape. This partnership will enable the Bank to have seamless access to the latest Microsoft software services and licenses, obtain greater value through a manageable and customized commercial licensing program based on the organization’s needs, agility to be competitive and future-ready security deployment.”
The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement offers the best value to organizations with different numbers of users or devices that require a manageable volume licensing program. Under the agreement, the Bank will have access to a customized solution which combines Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans (E3, F3), apps for enterprise including the up-to-date suite of desktop apps, and the Microsoft Defender for Office plan 1 safeguarding the organization from malicious email messages, links etc.
“By embracing Microsoft’s latest technologies, UCB will be able to do more with less and gain a competitive edge, enabling their employees to better serve their customers. This partnership also underscores the trust that UCB has placed in Microsoft and demonstrates our commitment to providing best-in-class security and empower one of the largest private banks in Bangladesh to safeguard their customers, employees, data, and infrastructure,” said Sook Hoon Cheah – General Manager, Microsoft SEA New Markets.
This solution will also equip the bank with the latest security and compliance features including Microsoft security end user identity in helping to protect the organization when users access the connected world. While deployment of Mobile device management will shield a hybrid workspace environment, the Multifactor authentication (MFA) adds a layer of protection to the sign-in process when accessing accounts or apps.
“Microsoft is deeply committed to providing holistic security protection, supporting customers to meet today’s most challenging security demands. We’re humbled that UCB has leveraged our technology to become one of the first responders to prioritize security measures and offer customers much needed assurance, especially with recent trends in the financial industry revealing an increase in cyberthreats,” added Mark Walton, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft SEA New Markets.
