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    How LBS NordWest enables the secure use of AI Assistants across the enterprise 

    LBS NordWest wanted to make AI available across the organization without compromising control or data security. Another key objective was to provide employees with a consistent and centrally managed AI experience. To achieve this, the organization introduced CASA, an AI Assistant based on ThinkOwl's OwlSpot. The centralized platform gives employees secure access to AI, while clear user roles, governance policies, and a central AI Gateway ensure that AI is managed consistently across the organization.

    lbs employees

    1000+

    Employees with access to CASA, the company-wide AI platform
    AI models

    5+ AI models in use

    LLMs and SLMs for a wide range of use cases, including text and image generation
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    Go-live

    Within just a few months


    LBS NordWest establishes CASA
    as a company-wide AI platform

    LBS NordWest has introduced CASA for more than 1,000 employees. Built on ThinkOwl's OwlSpot AI platform, CASA provides a secure, centrally managed, and scalable foundation for using AI across the organization. With CASA, artificial intelligence serves as a strategic platform that supports employees in their daily work and enables the organization to scale AI with confidence.

     

    "We see AI as a foundational technology for the future of our organization. Our goal is for CASA to become a valuable digital teammate for our employees. It supports them in their daily work, makes knowledge easily accessible, and helps them work more productively. Together with ThinkOwl, we established this foundation in a remarkably short time. At the same time, we created the conditions for many more AI use cases in the future."
    Thorben Geers LBS
    Thorben Geers
    CASA Project Manager at LBS Landesbausparkasse NordWest

    LBS NordWest

    LBS Landesbausparkasse NordWest is one of Germany's five largest building societies, with total assets of approximately €21 billion. It specializes in helping individuals finance home ownership through a combination of home savings plans, mortgages, and housing finance services.

    LBS NordWest is trusted by 2 million customers and manages 2.4 million home savings contracts with a combined contract value of nearly €98 billion. Their service area covers the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Berlin, and Bremen, reaching more than one-third of Germany's population.

    LBS NordWest
    LBS Landesbausparkasse NordWest is one of Germany's five largest building societies, with total assets of approximately € 21 billion. It specializes in helping individuals finance home ownership through a combination of home savings plans, mortgages, and housing finance services.

    LBS NordWest is trusted by 2 million customers and manages 2.4 million home savings contracts with a combined contract value of nearly € 98 billion. Their service area covers the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Berlin, and Bremen, reaching more than one-third of Germany's population.
    employees lbs nordwest

    EMPLOYEES
    1000 +

    Headquarter

    HEADQUARTERS
    Münster (Germany)

    Banking Industry LBS NordWest

    INDUSTRY
    Housing Finance

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    Business requirements

    To embed artificial intelligence across the organization, LBS NordWest needed more than a collection of standalone AI tools. The goal was to establish a centrally managed platform that provides controlled access to different AI models, defines clear guidelines for their use, and creates a reliable foundation for future growth.

    • Central platform: A single AI platform that gives every employee access to AI.
    • AI Gateway: A central hub for accessing additional systems, applications, and AI capabilities through one interface.
    • Governance and compliance: Centralized policies for AI usage, access, and governance.
    • Multi-LLM management: Controlled access to multiple AI models through a single platform.
    • Data security: Sensitive business data remains protected and is never used to train external AI models.
    • European hosting: Hosting that meets regulatory requirements for the financial services industry.
    • Scalability: Built to support future AI Agents and specialized AI Assistants as business needs evolve.
    • Single Sign-On: Seamless integration with existing authentication and access management systems.
    • User experience and branding: A modern interface aligned with LBS NordWest's corporate design to encourage rapid user adoption.

      Business Requirements

    Implementation and solution

    Implementation and solution

    Working together with ThinkOwl, LBS NordWest implemented CASA using ThinkOwl's OwlSpot AI assistant. At the core of the solution is an integrated AI Gateway that provides controlled access to multiple AI models through a single platform. This creates a transparent and centrally managed AI environment while making administration straightforward. User roles, access permissions, and governance policies can all be managed consistently from one place.

    In day-to-day operations, CASA supports a wide range of tasks. CASA helps employees process information, create content, and organize their daily work. At the same time, it provides the foundation for integrating additional specialized AI Agents as new use cases emerge.

    Employees use CASA to summarize emails and meeting notes, create presentations, draft content, analyze and organize specialized information, and manage tasks more efficiently. It also serves as a valuable thinking partner, helping employees evaluate complex questions and develop well-informed solutions.

    Results

    CASA has become the foundation for the managed use of artificial intelligence across LBS NordWest. More than 1,000 employees now have access to a secure platform that standardizes the use of AI across the organization while keeping it centrally managed and controlled.

    Centralized management of AI models, access rights, and usage policies increases transparency and reduces risk. At the same time, the platform provides the flexibility to expand with additional AI applications and specialized AI Agents as future needs evolve.

    • Control without compromising flexibility: Different AI models are integrated through an AI Gateway and managed from a central platform.
    • More efficient knowledge work: Faster processing, organization, and use of information.
    • Greater productivity: Reduced time spent on routine tasks, allowing employees to focus on more complex work.
    • High user adoption: Strong demand and rapid adoption during the initial rollout.
    • Scalable AI infrastructure: A solid foundation for additional AI Agents and applications across the organization.

      Results

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    "The heart of CASA is a set of powerful language models that our employees can now use for prompting. The fact that the name was chosen by our employees is especially meaningful to me. It shows that digital transformation is most successful when people are actively involved and new solutions are developed together."
    Dr. Jörg Koschate LBS NordWest
    Dr. Jörg Koschate
    Member of the Executive Board at LBS Landesbausparkasse NordWest

    FAQs about the OwlSpot AI Assistant at LBS NordWest

    How does LBS NordWest ensure that sensitive business data is not shared with external AI models?

    LBS NordWest uses OwlSpot as a centralized AI platform with clearly defined security and governance policies. This enables employees to use AI with confidence while ensuring that sensitive business data is not unintentionally used in external AI training processes.

    Which AI models can be used with OwlSpot?

    OwlSpot supports leading AI models from providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and Mistral within a single workspace. Organizations are not tied to a single provider and can seamlessly integrate and centrally manage models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or locally hosted models. This gives businesses the flexibility to adapt their AI strategy as new technologies and requirements emerge.

    What do employees use the AI Assistant for?

    Employees use the AI assistant for a wide range of everyday tasks. Common use cases include summarizing emails and meeting notes, creating written content, analyzing information, and supporting decision-making for complex tasks and questions.

    How complex is it to implement a company-wide AI Assistant?

    The LBS NordWest case study shows that a company-wide AI Assistant from ThinkOwl can be implemented within just a few months. Success depends on a clear governance framework, active employee involvement, and a scalable technical foundation like the one provided by OwlSpot.

    What are the advantages of a centralized AI platform compared to individual AI tools?

    A centralized AI platform provides a secure and controlled environment for using artificial intelligence across the organization. Employees can access approved AI models and capabilities through a single interface, while the organization retains full control over usage, access permissions, and governance policies.

    Beyond improving control, a centralized AI platform is designed to scale as business needs evolve. It provides a long-term foundation for expanding AI across the organization, turning AI from a collection of individual tools into a strategic business capability.

    While standalone AI tools can deliver quick wins, they often lead to a fragmented technology landscape. Employees begin using different applications, AI models, and workflows, making it difficult to maintain transparency, consistent governance, and uniform security standards.

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