Westpac CIO surveys IT strategy

The migration of Westpac's customers to the updated version of its Hogan core banking system will be "well underway" during the bank's 2013 financial year the bank's chief information officer, Clive Whincup, told the Financial Review.

Westpac over the last year or so has outlined plans for a staged migration for the update core banking system, which in the past Westpac has said would start with the customers using its Bank of Melbourne brand.

Whincup told the Financial Review that the bank "probably haven't done a very good job of explaining ... the [IT] strategy."

"The priority for us was on the customer side ... because that is where the customer see the benefit directly."

Whincup described CBA's portrayal of its own investment in core banking systems in recent years as a "soundbite".

He said there was "a market perception, an industry perception, but I don't hear that there is a customer perception about us being behind."

Whincup said the bank's use of external suppliers to look after development application and maintenance was justified on the basis onf a skills shortage in Australia as well as relative cost.