On the 2nd of April 2013, we visited BancNet. The firm that connected thirty-one ATM Network Banks in the Philippines. Founded on 1990, BancNet has been running for almost 23 years now. What makes BancNet even more respectable is finding out that there are only about fifty (50) people running its operations since the past decade. Most of the time, they outsource to accomplish new projects and solutions that they innovate.
We were lucky enough to have the one of the senior employees, one who has been so dedicated to the company and have worked for more than 15 years, to speak for us. Though as you can probably guess by now, since there are only about fifty (50) employees, their office isn't as wide as the other companies we have visited like Brady, NetworkLabs, and JP Morgan Chase & Co..
On our way to Equitable Tower
BancNet's office is located at Equitable Tower near Ayala Triangle. Me and my friends took a cab to get there with an estimated fare of 150.00php from school (De La Salle University - Manila). We regrouped at a nearby McDonald's fastfood chain with our professor before proceeding. Upon reaching the front-desk, we were tasked to record our details in a spreadsheet as we call the elevators upstairs. BancNet's office is only a floor of the Equitable Tower. I forgot which one though.
When we reached the office floor, as usual, we were greeted with accommodating smiles. They only had two speakers but they both elaborated everything we need to know from the company. They talked about the company's background, history, vision and mission, the past, recent, and upcoming projects that they are developing or have developed, and some career opportunities, if any. They were hospitable and trusting enough that they even showed us valuable, fragile, confidential, and important information like their exact income in their previous fiscal year. I, as an Information Systems student, know how to value information, so records like these are really not for disclosure. What I can say is that, for a local company in the Philippines that has been operating for only 23 years, it is already a good indication of success.
One of the food for thought I've learned during their brief discussion is their core values. I think it is one of the most important factors that they practice in order to grow and progress to where they are right now. It is the foundation of their tradition, culture, and attitude towards success.
EXCITE
Now I have another confession to make, some of their talks were so business-oriented, to the point that they escalated to their banking processes that some of my IT classmates were no longer able to relate and fell...asleep.
Anyway, after the talk, we then proceeded to your most awaited portion, the office tour. Their office is not as spacious, and probably is the smallest among all the companies we've visited thus far. Cubicles? Check. Coffee Place? Check. Room for outsourced partners? Check. Server Room? Check. And we've learned enough not to take pictures of every company's Server Room for confidentiality purposes. They did not restrict us but conscience called and we complied. It was touching how they trust us that much.
It has been a wonderful journey and thank you for reading and anticipating my blog posts. Despite being an academic requirement for our course Information Technology Exposure (IT-EXPO), know that in every post I made, I always thought of my readers' (if there are any. Haha!) wellness and leisure. So I tried making each post as personal, interesting, and exciting as possible. Some of the posts here took me three to six hours (with lazy breaks in between) just to finish. If you are looking for career opportunities, not only in the field of IT, and are living in the Philippines or would want to work here, you can try some of the companies we've visited. They are all good and each has its own style, culture, and tradition that they developed over the years. Your work environment and work style would be the first things that you would probably be thinking of when applying. So this blog is not only for my welfare but for you as well. Together we share knowledge and adventures. Maybe one day we would meet each other in a big company. :)
Our Class with Prof. Arcilla (leftmost; purple dress). Photo by: +John Jane Granada
Hi guys! It's been quite some time since I last updated my blog. I've got some good news and bad news for you.
My Name Tag
Good News: This company visit has the most interesting discussion out of all the ones we have attended pre-tour around their office. It took us roughly about two and a half hours, almost eating the entire duration of the stay, to conclude everything for the brief overview of the company because of various questions arising from the majority of the class (and me as well. Hehe...). JP Morgan Chase & Co. talked about their company background, some very, very, VERY interesting trivia about their history, and of course, career opportunities for aspiring job seekers like us. Finally, for the awe, it wasn't just an office tour; it was a building tour! Yep, that's how rich they are being a financial consulting services company inclined on banking.
So are you excited? I haven't told you the bad news yet:
They employ a strict "No Taking of Pictures Inside, Other than Rooftop" Policy. Otherwise, they would sue our institution, De La Salle University - Manila, any students who are specifically enrolled under the course Information System, to be permanently banned for internship and employment. In short, they would no longer consider any career opportunities for us.
Who would want to add insult to injury? Everyone complied and nonetheless, JP Morgan Chase & Co. was accommodating and professional enough to treat us as adults.
So this post is really going to be a challenge to me but I will do my best to have you visualize what it feels like inside. Without further ado, here's a brief overview:
JP Morgan Chase & Co. is one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States. With a history dating back over two hundred (200) years, JP Morgan Chase & Co. still remains to be one of the global leading financial services firm with assets of $2.4 trillion. It operates in more than sixty (60) countries, with four (4) branches in the Philippines, and the one we attended to is located at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It has 260,000 employees.
We arrived there at eight o' clock in the morning and the call time was eight thirty. The entrance was a bit confusing because there were two: One in their lobby where the class grouped together and were subdivided to be lead by representatives from the company, and the other one was for the elevator entrance to their offices.
In our arrival at their briefing room, a group of professional speakers presented to us about the company. We were lucky enough to have the vice president of the Branch Infrastructure Services to speak for us. The first speaker talked about the company's background, history, and provided some interesting trivia.
Did you know that:
Monopoly Deal Character Tribute for Mr. Morgan
The famous character icon in the board game Monopoly Deal was a tribute to Mr. Morgan.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. was one of the firms that funded the establishment of the Statue of Liberty.
Statue of Liberty, USA
JP Morgan Chase & Co. is also listed as one of the Most Admired Companies of 2012 by Fortune Magazine .
Barron's Magazine also listed JP Morgan Chase & Co. as one of the Most Respected Companies of 2012.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. Philippine branch was also given a Silver Mabini Award for being Disabled-Friendly with its facilities.
JP Morgan, is included in one of the Men Who Build America according to a film.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. Philippines is also awarded with Outstanding Energy Efficiency Award
Finally, JP Morgan Chase & Co. Philippines is also awarded in 2009 as an Outstanding Employer of the Year.
The next speaker was a Quality Assurance (QA) Tester of the Branch Infrastructure Services. He began with a short introduction about himself, of how he started and ended up working enthusiastically in JP Morgan Chase & Co., he then followed with what he does in the company and how are some of their projects going.
I forgot to take note of all the names of the representatives that discussed to us but when we reached to the talk of the vice president of Branch Infrastructure Services, he discussed to us his story of rags to riches. He said that he used to just help his parents run their bakery when he was little. He was challenged in life by poverty and thus worked and persevered hard to reach his dreams. When the dawn of computers came in, his curiosity grew towards technology and turned into his passion that kept him to his feet until now.
Another interesting fact I've discovered during their talk is that JP Morgan Chase & Co.'s organizational structure under Information Technology (IT), specifically the people that composes such field, is vast. They set up teams for everything specifically rather than outsource them. Like for example, under their branch for IT Infrastructures Services, they have six (6) teams.
One team observes how JP Morgan Chase & Co. obtain, deploy, maintain, and dispose IT Infrastructures while managing costs efficiently (IT Asset Management); another team focuses on developing new applications (Software Development); there is also a team that manages the security of valuable information that JP Morgan Chase & Co. possesses (Network Security Management); for ensuring performance is always at its best, there is a team that conducts schedules for maintenance and other various tests for the assets of the company (Quality Assurance); finally there is also a team that is so feasible for Information Systems students. This team analyzes the company's business processes and when they spot a problem, inefficiency, or opportunity, they propose new solutions. (Systems/Business Analysts).
Moving on after the interesting talk, JP Morgan Chase & Co. started the tour around their building. This is the sad part because there is so much I wanted to show you too while we were toured around like their spacious food-court about as big as the ones we find in the malls with affordable meals, their mailing office, their silence rooms for peace of mind during difficult times of thinking, their rooftop (I got a picture below), and finally, their vending machines that provide all sorts of beverages ranging from cold sodas to hot coffees and milk for FREE. Our time was very limited and there was only a spare left, so we kind of rushed in with the main technologies that they use.
Since JP Morgan Chase & Co. is an international firm, they need to conduct meetings and conferences online. What makes this process unique is that they don't just use an Instant Messaging (IM) software like Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook Chat, or Skype. Rather, they use a TANDBERG Telepresence Interoperability and Business-to-business (B2B) Video Conferencing system.
Here's a video of how it works:
Cool, right? They showed us a demo and we enjoyed it a lot.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. provides plenty of career opportunities for different fields not only IT. Seeing the blissful and invigorating expressions of its employees makes me want to join the organization in the future. This might be my dream company. I love everything from its career opportunities, to its workstations, policies and procedures, to its accommodating employees, to its vision and mission, until its training seminars held every fiscal year. I surely learned a lot and enjoyed this educational fieldtrip with my friends. If you happened to be seeking for career opportunities as you read this post, I suggest you give JP Morgan Chase & Co. a try. We might see each other in the future. Until next time! :)
