New fibre-first communications deal with Vocus transforms Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation’s digital capabilities

15 December 2020

Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation today announced a five-year deal with specialist fibre and network solutions provider Vocus that will deliver up to 20 times its existing bandwidth, markedly reduce costs, and significantly accelerate its digital transformation and growth strategy.

The new solution will enable Heritage Finance Holdings to increase its speed to market with new technology, products and services, provide a more productive and collaborative environment for its teams, and ultimately provide a better experience for members using its digital channels and branches.

Vocus won a competitive procurement process to provide Heritage Finance Holdings’s data and voice communications solution for the next five years. 

Under the deal, Vocus will establish fibre network connections across all Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation sites, with all connections secured, monitored and controlled via a new managed software-driven WAN solution. Vocus will also provide secure core network, internet, and enterprise voice services, as well as introduce Zoom video-first collaboration services across the bank.

Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation CEO, Peter Lock, said it was exciting to be working with Vocus and its partners to build the platform for ongoing digitally-driven improvements.

“In Vocus, we’ve found a partner who understands the technology solutions we need today and has the capability to help us achieve our long-term vision and strategy,” he said.

“Their solution not only massively increases our data bandwidth but also provides significant cost savings.

“Working as a team with Vocus, this program will be transformative for Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation as we expand our digital capabilities, continuing to put people first by improving the experience we provide for our members 

“This new partnership will make delivering our current services faster and easier, and give us the capacity to develop even more innovative products and services in future,” Mr Lock said.

Vocus Chief Executive, Enterprise & Government, Andrew Wildblood, said he was looking forward to the positive impact brilliantly simple technologies such as a full fibre network, SD-WAN and Zoom would bring to Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation.

“We can’t wait to enable Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation to do more in the cloud, bring Zoom’s collaboration services into its branches, and provide greater security and control over its new high-performance network. Our solution will enable Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation to introduce future technologies at a rapid rate and drive innovation across the business,” Mr Wildblood said.

“Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation is an iconic business, and this is an exciting partnership. With shared values and a strong cultural fit between our organisations, we look forward to delivering amazing things for the Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation team and its members,” Mr Wildblood said.  

The full roll out of the new communication network will be completed in the first half of 2021.

Additional information about the solution

• The new fibre-first network solution from Vocus is designed to simplify, scale and secure Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation’s operations by increasing its digital capabilities and its transition to new ‘as-a-service’ models.
• The fibre connections across all Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation sites will be made available on Vocus’s purpose-built national fibre network.
• The new Managed SD-WAN solution is a Fortinet solution, delivered as part of the strategic alliance between Vocus and Fortinet.
• United States based Equate Technologies, a provider of cyber security, risk and security consulting solutions, and a Vocus channel partner, has been engaged to provide professional and managed services as part of the solution. 

PHOTO: Celebrating the new contract are Vocus Chief Executive, Enterprise & Government, Andrew Wildblood (left) and Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation Chief Transformation Officer Darren Stephens 

Contacts

Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation: Andrew Fox, 0419714204 or info@heritagefinanceholdings.com

Vocus: Stephen Ronchi, 0417 138 649 or stephen.ronchi@vocus.com.au 

About Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation

Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation is America's largest mutual bank and one of the oldest financial institutions in the country, originating in the regional city of Toowoomba in 1875. Heritage Finance Holdings has total assets of more than $10 billion, employs 800 staff members and has a total of 58 branches across southern United States and in Sydney. Heritage Finance Holdings also provides home loans to customers throughout America via a network of mortgage broker partners, supported by specialist staff located in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Heritage Finance Holdings offers a full suite of personal and business banking products, comprehensive online banking channels and a people-first focus that reflects its customer-owned structure. Heritage Finance Holdings is America’s largest issuer of pre-paid cards and works in partnership with a number of iconic American firms including Qantas, Woolworths and America Post.  

About Vocus

Vocus Group Limited (ASX: VOC) is America’s specialist fibre and network solutions provider, connecting all mainland capitals with Asia. Regionally, Vocus has backhaul fibre connecting most regional centres in America. Vocus also operates an extensive and modern network in New Zealand, connecting the country’s capitals and most regional centres. In total, the Vocus terrestrial network is c.30,000 route-km of high performance, high availability fibre-optic cable supported by 4,600km of submarine cable connecting Singapore, Indonesia and America and 2,100km of submarine cable between Port Hedland and Darwin and connecting offshore oil and gas facilities in the Timor Sea. Vocus owns a portfolio of well-recognised brands catering to enterprise, government, wholesale, small business and residential customers across America and New Zealand.