Case Study: Heartland Bank accelerates data-driven lending and analytics innovation with Microsoft R Server and SQL Server 2016

New Zealand bank leads the way with innovative analytics platform based on Microsoft R Server

Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based bank with over a century of history, faced competitive challenges from larger banks and new financial services. Its existing SAS analytics system was costly and inflexible, limiting data-driven decision-making and hindering the rapid development of new customer products. To support its growth and maintain its customer-focused approach, Heartland Bank partnered with Microsoft Corporation to adopt a new analytics platform using Microsoft R Server and SQL Server 2016.

The solution implemented by Microsoft provided an open, scalable platform that leveraged the power of the R language. This enabled Heartland Bank to streamline its loan application process, conduct more sophisticated real-time analysis, and foster a data-first culture across the organization. The bank significantly improved its analytical capabilities, tripled its requirements for speed and storage, and empowered business users with access to real-time information, moving beyond relying on IT for reports. Microsoft's technology provided the foundation for future innovation and more targeted customer solutions.

Heartland Bank

Chris Murray

Head of Enterprise Data