KeyBank moves more applications to Google Cloud

KeyCorp in Cleveland is continuing its transition to the public cloud.

The $186 billion-asset banking company announced on Thursday that it would operate its primary platforms and applications on Google Cloud infrastructure. Deloitte, KeyBank’s systems integrator, will shepherd the migration, which starts this year and is expected to wind down by 2025.

Key is already familiar with Google’s products. It was an early user of Anthos, Google’s hybrid and multicloud service, and Kubernetes, an open-source cloud software system originally designed by Google.

“Through our co-innovation with Google Cloud, we have built and quickly scaled cutting-edge digital services for our clients with security at the core,” said Amy Brady, chief information officer at KeyCorp.

A number of major banks have announced migrations or upgrades to the public cloud over the last few years. TD Bank Group indicated it would take a gradual approach to moving its applications to Microsoft Azure in 2019. Capital One Financial operates on Amazon Web Services. In September, JPMorgan Chase announced a partnership with Thought Machine to transition its retail bank’s core system to the cloud. The same month, Wells Fargo said that it was turning to two cloud service providers: Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

In a December interview about THE check archiver Viewpointe’s transition to Azure, Futurum Research analyst Steven Dickens said that most large and medium-to-large organizations that count 10 to 15 years in the banking sector are challenged by legacy applications that need to be modernized.

KeyBank will use Google Cloud’s advanced data and artificial intelligence technologies to create a more personalized digital banking experience, launch products faster and improve its fraud prevention, machine learning capabilities and more. For example, it plans to use the service’s conversational AI virtual agent to improve contact center interactions, such as by informing agents of a customer’s pending charge before they connect.

“We’ve enjoyed a longstanding relationship with KeyBank, and this expansion will evolve how the bank serves its clients,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.