It’s no secret that technology is changing nearly every
aspect of how we work, live, and interact with each
other every day. At Capital One we have embraced
the change, evolving our business model and the way
we work to continually provide our customers with
innovativ e banking solutions and a great customer
experience.
Our decision to move to the cloud did not happen
overnight, it was part of broader changes we made to
our technology operating model that started in 2010.
As digital innovation has disrupted the banking sec-
tor and given rise to a host of new channels and cus-
tomer experiences, we recognized that to win in the
future of banking we needed to reimagine our IT
organizational model, development approaches, and
delivery processes.
We began with the assertion that if the winners in
banking are going to master digital channels, machine
learning, and real-time analytics, we needed to invest
and invent like the leading technology companies in
those fields—to operate like a bank that a technology
company would build. This meant making a commit-
ment to developing our own software, attracting and
growing software engineering talent, and reimagin-
ing our IT operating model.
And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Today, we’re tak-
ing a cloud-first approach to all development. We
chose AWS as our predominant cloud infrastructure
supplier because they offered the tools and agility we
need as a large enterprise.
But our cloud migration efforts did not come without
inherent challenges. Our primary concern was to
protect the sensitive financial information our cus-
tomers entrust us with every day – a responsibility
we take with utmost seriousness. We worked closely
with our security and risk teams and have invested in
strong cloud governance and security processes.
But I would argue that the most impactful change we
have made, has been our commitment to building a
top-notch in-house engineering team. We’ve hired
thousands of software engineers over the last five
years and have focused on empowering them with
the real-time technology stacks they need to rapidly
innovate, build, and deliver new products.
In fact, one of the key ways we have been measuring
success over the past several years has been the hap-
piness of our developers – it means a lot to us that our
developers are engaged and that we are able to attract
top talent. To this end, we have made investments in
education – creating a comprehensive training pro-
gram with AWS – and we now employ one of the larg-
est shares of AWS-certified developers in the coun-
try. Today, a full 2 percent of all AWS-certified
developers work at Capital One.
As we look to the future of our cloud journey, two
things remain our top priorities and can serve as a
model for other companies looking to transforming
their technology practices. First and foremost, it’s
important to keep the customer front and center.
This is not about technology for the sake of technol-
ogy – it’s about harnessing technology and data to
better anticipate and deliver on our customers’
changing needs. Second, you need to constantly be
thinking about the needs of your talent pool, how to
give them the resources and technology they need to
grow in their roles and develop disruptive products
that exceed customer expectations.
Ultimately, I’ve found that in striving to keep our team
of developers happy, we have discovered the formula
for winning the future of the financial services indus-
try and providing our customers with the best bank-
ing experience possible.
CTP hosts the Doppler Live event series across
the country, attracting innovators from all indus-
tries to network and learn about the transforma-
tive business benefits of digital innovation and
cloud adoption. The event hosted a panel of
cloud thought leaders and innovators including
Biba Helou from Capital One and Leigh Heyman,
a former senior policy advisor for The Office of
the CTO during the Obama Administration.
Find a Doppler Live
event in your city
cloudtp.com/doppler-live
SUMMER 2017 | THE DOPPLER | 27