With the latest update (Version 2.1.4), CIB smartER introduces key improvements for even more reliable and powerful document search. Companies benefit from more stable connections to their document sources and more efficient day-to-day operations. The focus is on more robust authentication, accelerated document indexing, and more reliable connections to external data sources—benefits that extend to both business users and IT administrators.
CIB smartER is an AI-powered solution for semantic search and research in corporate documents. The solution combines full-text and semantic search with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), takes existing access permissions into account, and makes relevant information related to the underlying documents discoverable.
AI-powered search instead of rigid keyword search
CIB smartER solves a key problem in modern knowledge work: quickly and accurately finding relevant information in large document collections.
While traditional keyword and filter searches often require that search terms, file names, or metadata be known in advance, CIB smartER uses semantic search methods and AI technology to identify documents with related content and provide context-based answers.
This is particularly beneficial in regulated industries such as banking, insurance, and public administration, where documents are scattered across many systems.
For companies, this means significant time savings in daily research and a better basis for decision-making, as relevant knowledge can be found and utilized more quickly—including information that might otherwise be overlooked in a traditional search. CIB smartER integrates seamlessly into existing workflows and makes existing corporate knowledge specifically searchable for authorized employees. The result is an intelligent, AI-powered document search that goes beyond the limitations of a rigid keyword search.
With CIB smartER, the CIB Group is expanding its solution portfolio to include an intelligent search layer that retrieves relevant information from all connected sources.
Stability, Security, and Speed: An Overview of the Improvements
The update includes several improvements that will be immediately noticeable in day-to-day work:
More Stable Connections
Connection and error handling have been further enhanced. As a result, processing operations can be executed more robustly, and temporary connection issues can be handled in a more controlled manner. This ensures more stable connections to linked document sources, even under higher system loads.
Stronger Authentication
Authentication information required for OAuth-based authentication is now stored persistently and thus remains available even after system restarts. This means fewer interruptions and more stable integration into daily workflows, such as after maintenance or a restart.
Greater Security
Sensitive data is consistently protected, while logging is designed to ensure that confidential information does not end up in system logs unnecessarily. This supports operations that comply with data protection and regulatory requirements. The controlled handling of sensitive information is of paramount importance, particularly in banking, insurance, and public administration.
Faster Indexing
New documents are indexed more efficiently, and even large document collections are processed more reliably. Improved field management in the search index also prevents the index structure from becoming overloaded by too many different data fields. This contributes to stable search performance, even as data volumes grow and more sources are connected.
More Reliable Connector Integration
Connections to external data sources such as SharePoint, the CIB doXima archive, or other systems are resilient to temporary connection issues. This ensures that ongoing search queries can be reliably resumed even in the event of brief interruptions.
A More Modern User Experience
The Streamlit front end now uses the latest library versions, and outdated features have been replaced with modern alternatives. Unnecessary telemetry features have been disabled, which reduces unnecessary external network connections. For users, this means a familiar interface built on a modernized technical foundation.
Faster Searches for Business Users, Less Work for IT
In day-to-day operations, the benefits of CIB smartER are particularly evident in three areas:
- Business users can find the documents they're looking for more quickly without having to search multiple systems at the same time. This allows them to benefit from a centralized, company-wide search.
- IT managers gain a more stable system foundation that can reduce administrative overhead and improve the predictability of day-to-day operations—for example, when planning and implementing maintenance windows.
- Teams that work with multiple document sources benefit from improved connector integration and the ability to search across different document collections.
Stable system architecture even under heavy load
The underlying system architecture has been further developed to improve stability even under heavy loads. Improved retry and error-handling mechanisms ensure that processing operations can continue in a controlled manner even in the event of temporary disruptions. Error conditions are detected earlier and can be addressed more effectively. Logging is designed to avoid unnecessarily exposing sensitive data.
As a result, CIB smartER offers a solution for AI-powered document search—designed with security, traceability, and stability in mind—even for regulated industries. The solution is continuously being developed, with a particular focus on security, user-friendliness, and technical quality. User experiences and feedback are directly incorporated into its ongoing development.
Conclusion: A solid foundation for company-wide knowledge management
With these latest enhancements, CIB smartER continues to evolve into a reliable foundation for company-wide knowledge management. Instead of having to laboriously search for information, employees can make targeted use of existing company knowledge and incorporate relevant information into their work processes more quickly.
With the update to version 2.1.4, existing users now have access to the new enhancements. For companies that are implementing CIB smartER for the first time, the current edition provides a solid foundation for efficient document search and modern knowledge management.
Frequently asked questions
Version 2.1.4 primarily improves the stability of connections to document sources, authentication, and the controlled handling of sensitive information, as well as the efficiency and robustness of document indexing.
CIB smartER is designed for companies that work with information from various document sources. The solution is particularly relevant for regulated industries such as banking, insurance, and public administration, where documents and information are often distributed across numerous systems and sources, and where access rights, traceability, and controlled information management play a key role.
