Performance Engineering for BBVA Internet Banking

We conducted performance engineering for BBVA's e-commerce system, reducing response times by 80% before the system launch. This led to optimized system functionality and millions of savings in hardware costs.

Table of contents

Meet Our Client

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's (BBVA’s) initiative to digitally transform the bank aimed at providing cutting-edge financial solutions. The restructuring of BBVANet aimed to manage peak traffic loads without losing service quality.

One of the world's largest banking and financial services groups.
Founded in 1857.
Presence in over 30 countries, mainly in Spain, the Americas, Turkey, and Romania.
Initiated a digital transformation in 2007, resulting in a 19% year-on-year increase in new customers.

Understanding Challenges

BBVA was restructuring its Internet Banking system, BBVANet, and needed confirmation that its system would be able to manage peak traffic loads without a loss of service.

They required a provider to run performance tests on web and mobile corporate systems with real data, to make informed design and architecture decisions and minimize risks before going live.

Illustration of a person at a laptop placing a chess piece on the screen and holding a connected-nodes icon, representing strategy and thoughtful decision-making.

Solutions and Activities

With the aim of diagnosing system performance, we completed all performance tests and also suggested improvements.

On this path, we implemented a monitoring platform, mainly using tools like OpenSTA, Iseries Navigator, Windows Performance Monitor, Apache Log Viewer, and SQLServer Tuning Advisor.

We validated the architecture and general infrastructure to detect severe performance issues, then provided data to analyze different implementation options, and finally recommended changes to the system architecture.

For this being done, we utilized OpenSTA for test automation and NMON for server and database monitoring.

Results and Achievements

Originally, the system had been able to handle a total of 2,800 virtual users without suffering degradation. Prior to release, we implemented a successful ramp-up to 7,000 virtual users per hour during load simulation testing without extra hardware.

This meant a 186% increase, aligning with the expected number of users during peak hours over the next three years.

Resulted in millions of dollars in savings on hardware costs.
Reduced the maximum response time by 80% in one of the most critical test scenarios.
Enabled us to make essential system adjustments.
Provided training to key bank staff for the detection, analysis, and correction of performance incidents.
Strengthened BBVA's internal capabilities.

The optimization of BBVA's system led to significant savings and improvements, contributing to a robust and efficient banking experience for their customers. Our continued collaboration with BBVA in Latin America reflects the success and satisfaction with the services provided.