Google Cloud today launched Dual Run, a new product built on top of unique technology developed by Banco Santander.

Madrid, 11 October 2022.
Banco Santander is working with Google Cloud to help other companies across multiple industries simplify their transition from legacy mainframe systems to the cloud. Google Cloud today launched Dual Run, a first-of-its-kind mainframe migration service built on top of unique technology developed by Banco Santander.

The Dual Run technology, which will be made available to customers exclusively by Google Cloud, has proven application in the highly-regulated financial services industry, and Santander has begun utilizing Dual Run to bring data and workloads onto Google Cloud's trusted infrastructure. Santander will also take advantage of Google’s deep knowledge and tech abilities in the use of cloud and software to accelerate its digital transformation.

In the next few months, Google Cloud will host a series of customer events to showcase their Dual Run service with the help of software developers and engineers from Santander who have been involved in the bank’s unique technology.

Dirk Marzluf, group chief operating and technology officer at Banco Santander, said: “Migrating from legacy infrastructure to modern technology is a key challenge for banks and many other industries. Dual Run for Google Cloud, which leverages the innovation we’ve developed in-house at Santander, will be critical for the digital transformation of many companies and is a testament to the outstanding technology built by our teams.”

Sachin Gupta, vice president and general manager of Infrastructure at Google Cloud, said: “Modernizing legacy IT infrastructure represents a significant stepping stone into the cloud era for many enterprises. Migrating mainframe systems to the cloud provides organizations with opportunities to better utilize their data, implement stronger cybersecurity protections, and build a foundation for their transformation. Santander’s innovation has helped us quickly respond to the needs of customers running legacy systems so they can begin their cloud journey with confidence and ease.”

Santander is one of the first major banks in the world to digitize its core banking, helping improve service for its 157 million customers and efficiency. To enable the transformation and modernization of its core banking, the bank is using Gravity, a bespoke internal software which has been developed in-house and allows parallel processing, meaning the bank can simultaneously run workloads on its existing mainframe and on the cloud, allowing it to perform real-time testing with no disruption to its businesses. Once satisfied with the stability and performance, the bank can then transit from the mainframe system to the cloud. The group expects to complete this transition in all its core markets and businesses within two-to-three years. Google Cloud built its Dual Run product leveraging the Gravity technology.

The core banking platform is the most critical part of a bank’s IT infrastructure and is where the main financial transactions, such as money transfers, deposits or loans, are processed. The transformation will allow easier and faster access to data, more simplicity and faster time-to-market, making it possible to deliver new capabilities in hours, instead of days, and more frequent app updates, while helping the bank drive value using real-time analytics and provide better products and services. This change also reduces the cost of running the core banking platform for Santander.

Santander’s successful cloud platform is built upon world-class capabilities - both in-house and through third-party providers. This gives Santander’s 16,500 software developers and engineers a modern, high-performing environment to create customer-centric applications and increases the bank’s ability to attract top talent. Santander’s cloud programme also reduces the bank’s energy consumption for the IT infrastructure by 70%, contributing to Santander’s responsible banking targets.