Core banking migration at Sparda-Bank West: Successful switch to the Atruvia core banking system
noventum supports Sparda Bank in preparing key transition steps.
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IT & Management Consulting
Sparda-Bank West has successfully completed its migration to Atruvia's agree21 core banking system. For one of the largest institutions in the Sparda Group, the change meant a comprehensive technical and organisational transformation. noventum consulting was involved in selected areas of responsibility and supported the bank in preparing key transition steps.
Technical and organisational background
The migration to agree21 was a complex undertaking that not only involved changing the core banking system, but also the technical consolidation of several previously independent sub-institutions, the harmonisation of established system and process landscapes, and adaptation to a uniform group-wide target system (report: Sparda-West).
Preparations for the project began in 2023 and lasted for almost two years. After a labour-intensive migration weekend in October, Sparda-Bank West began operating entirely on the new core banking system. With around 620,000 customers, total assets of approximately €13 billion and around 900 employees, it is one of the largest cooperative banks in Germany. Ensuring a stable transition was therefore a high priority and required precise preparation and close coordination between all institutions involved.
For the bank, this meant reassessing technical dependencies, preparing numerous applications for the target architecture and working closely with Atruvia, the receiving IT service provider, Sopra Financial Technology (SFT) as the transferring IT provider and other Sparda institutions. In addition, managers and employees were prepared for new process and operating logic, while ongoing operations continued to run smoothly.
noventum's contribution to the system changeover
Within the extensive overall project, noventum was involved in several specialist and technical areas. The consultants helped prepare key transition steps that were necessary for a stable switch to the new core banking system.
“The biggest challenge was to rebuild a multitude of interrelated IT issues while maintaining stable ongoing IT operations. Working closely with the customer and drawing on noventum’s transformation expertise and market knowledge, we were able to identify technical dependencies at an early stage, provide targeted support for strategic decisions and ensure reliable implementation.”
1. IT processes
As part of the project management for IT processes and technical design, noventum supported the end-to-end control of central technical services. This included rebuilding the network infrastructure (WAN, LAN, WLAN, VLAN), designing and implementing modern workplace, collaboration and telephony solutions, and coordinating a cross-location hardware rollout for over 40 branches. Based on a holistic transition and transformation design, migration paths were developed, dependencies of complex system landscapes were resolved, and the integration of numerous third-party applications into the target architecture was secured. In addition, noventum supported the sourcing strategy and ensured timely, reliable implementation.
2. Test and cutover management
One focus was on structuring test procedures and coordinating technical dependencies across departments and partners. The complexity of the four-way merger meant that the effort involved was particularly high. noventum was involved in structuring the tests, coordinating technical dependencies and planning the necessary approval processes. The aim was to create a consistent overall picture for the switch to agree21.
3. Training and change consulting
To ensure that the new procedures and processes were accessible to all employees, noventum supported the development and implementation of training concepts. Due to the extensive changes in working methods, managers were supported throughout this major change process.
4. Technical migration
In the immediate vicinity of the cut-over, noventum took on additional technical tasks, including work on file and identity services. This approach served to ensure stable preparation of the system landscape and to secure the transition. Working closely with the project managers at Sparda-Bank West and the other partners involved, noventum's consultants were able to provide tangible support for the migration project in several areas.
"The migration to Atruvia's agree21 core banking system was the largest project our bank has ever undertaken. All of this is only possible with precise planning and cooperation based on partnership. Changing the core banking system is one of the biggest changes a bank can make – on several levels: technically, organisationally, economically and communicatively. In the case of Sparda-Bank West, in addition to the migration, there was a technical merger of four sub-institutions and a consolidation of several bank codes – including account number conversion in the core banking system. This technical merger was the result of previous mergers. We are very pleased that the consultants at noventum supported us intensively and with excellent expertise in this project and change. They became part of our project team and were able to gain the trust of our employees at all times."
New starting point for Sparda Bank West
With the successful transition, Sparda-Bank West now has a harmonised technical foundation that facilitates process harmonisation and supports future digital developments. The migration now forms the starting point for a modernised overall picture of the bank: processes, systems and responsibilities are more clearly structured, technical dependencies have been reduced, and new functions can be rolled out consistently across the entire Sparda Group.
The bank is therefore well positioned, both organisationally and technologically, to efficiently implement innovations, regulatory requirements and other digitalisation initiatives.
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