Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) is Malaysia's government-owned telecommunications company mandated to design, build, and operate the country's national 5G network infrastructure. As a technology-driven organization built on agility and operational excellence, their HR function operates through four strategic pillars: Performance Management & Special Projects, Total Rewards & HR Operations, Learning & Development, and Industrial Relations—ensuring comprehensive people support while maintaining the efficiency essential for deploying cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructure across Malaysia.
Nurhidayah Mansor
Performance & Special Projects Lead at DNB
Omni is a great, simple system that caters to the needs of our growing organization. The support we get from pre to post implementation is superb. Our employees are happier and our HR is more efficient.
As DNB scaled their telecommunication operations, their Oracle subscription couldn't meet the needs of their organization. The HR team found themselves overpaying for underutilized software while maintaining critical employee data in Excel spreadsheets—a fragmentation that constrained their ability to support DNB's ambitious growth. The disconnect between onboarding and employee management, combined with lengthy payroll cycles and constant employee inquiries about leave balances, made it clear that DNB needed an HR platform designed for their scale and operational philosophy.
How Omni Adds Value to DNB
1. Single Source of Truth for Employee Data
The Challenge
When DNB launched in 2021, the organization inherited Oracle as their HRIS across HR, Finance, and Network functions. While comprehensive in scope, Oracle proved fundamentally misaligned with DNB's HR team requirements—creating a costly mismatch between the systems capabilities and DNB’s organizational needs.
"Oracle is big. It's very expensive," explains Hidayah. "We didn't really fully utilize it. We were creating a lot of work arounds, specifically for HR. We were underutilizing it, but overpaying for the system."
Oracle presented critical operational gaps that forced DNB's HR team into workarounds. Most notably, the system couldn't bridge recruitment and employee database management. "We needed a system that could capture new hire data and connect to HR operations where the employee database is established," Hidayah shares. "But Oracle cannot do that. It has gaps that we cannot explain."
Due to these limitations, DNB's HR team resorted to maintaining their official employee database manually. "Our database was all in Excel," Hidayah recalls. "We had to manage a set of employee data in spreadsheets."
This fragmentation created operational risks: data accuracy issues across multiple sources, manual updates required in parallel systems, reporting challenges that needed manual data merging, and compliance exposure from scattered documentation. For an organization of 250 employees, Oracle’s pricing structure created an unsustainable equation—significant software costs without commensurate operational benefits.
The reporting challenges extended beyond just data accuracy. Because DNB relied on a third-party payroll vendor who owned their data, generating custom reports became a waiting game. "If we need some analysis, we need to go through them which could take at least one day if they are not busy," Azzuah explains. "If not, it might be more than that. Two days, three days." With only one staff member at the vendor responsible for their reports, DNB's HR team had to follow the vendor's timeline rather than accessing data when they needed it.
"The features in Oracle did not meet our needs. After two, three years, we sort of abandoned using it" Hidayah explains.
Omni's Solution
Omni provided DNB with a unified employee database that serves as their single source of truth for all their people data. The platform automatically syncs information across modules—from onboarding to ongoing employee management—eliminating the manual data transfers and associated errors the team grappled with.
"This is the first HRMS system that we have fully utilized," notes Azzuah, Total Rewards & HR Operations Lead. "Before Omni, we were faced with so many software challenges.”
Omni's integrated approach meant that the DNB team could capture employee data once and seamlessly connect with other areas of their business to ensure accurate and timely processing. All employee documentation flows into the employee's profile, creating a complete record from their first day through the employment lifecycle. When an employee's information changes—promotion, salary adjustment, department transfer—that update automatically reflects across all relevant modules including payroll, performance management, and organizational charts.
This centralization benefits DNB employees as well. HR documents, employment contracts, performance reviews, and employee records now live within each employee's profile, accessible by employees with appropriate permissions while maintaining security and audit trails. "Now employees can log into Omni and retrieve their letters, their promotion details, and access their time allowance without the need for HR intervention," Hidayah explains. "There's all kinds of employee self-help."
The reporting transformation was equally significant. "Now with Omni we can easily generate reports—leave trends, attrition, it's all in there," Hidayah notes. What previously required 1-3 days waiting on a third-party vendor now takes seconds through self-service access. Azzuah can extract data anytime for analysis rather than being dependent on external timelines.
Beyond functionality, Omni's pricing model scales to organizational size and needs, providing enterprise-grade capabilities without enterprise pricing misalignment. For DNB, this means accessing comprehensive HRMS features—employee database, payroll, performance management, time & leave—at a fraction of their Oracle costs.
The Results
100% faster report generation
DNB's HR team eliminated their Excel dependency entirely, reducing manual data entry errors and improving data integrity across the organization. The time previously spent on spreadsheet maintenance and reconciliation now contributes to strategic HR analytics and initiatives.
"It's really satisfying that we can finally put all our employee records in one system," Azzuah adds. "Everything is connected, and we don't have to worry about data mismatches anymore."
2. Streamlined Expense Claims Processing
The Challenge
Before implementing Omni, DNB's expense claims process was entirely manual, requiring multiple Excel spreadsheets, copy-pasting across documents, and coordination between four staff members across two departments. The administrative burden affected both employees and the HR team.
"We were doing it all manually. We would start the claims in our shared folder, then copy-paste to another Excel sheet for verification," Azzuah explains. The process involved multiple handoffs: employees submitted claim forms, HR staff verified them, finance reviewed them, and then everything had to be copy-pasted back into Excel for storage. "It would take us about one week to complete the process," Azzuah shares. The extended timeline consumed significant HR capacity each month.
"It's quite difficult to check, and prone to mistakes. Copy-paste error, calculating error. And then we’d have to go back to all those forms to cross check all the receipts when an error was discovered," Azzuah recalls.
Hidayah emphasizes the scale of the problem: "It's not one or two employees—it's like hundreds of them submitting claims and there's only two of us checking. So you can imagine if we don't have a central system, how horrendous the checking process would be. And mistakes happen. A lot of mistakes from both the employee side and HR side."
The submission process was equally cumbersome for employees. Paper forms, physical receipts, and unclear approval status created friction that turned a routine task into an administrative headache for everyone involved.
Omni's Solution
Omni's expense management module digitized DNB's entire claims process, eliminating the manual copy-pasting and creating a streamlined approval workflow. Employees now submit claims directly through the platform, attach digital receipts, and track approval status in real-time.
"Now when we are using Omni for the claims, everything is in one system. We can include reminders and limits according to our expense policy. So if there is an issue, we can reject it immediately," Azzuah notes. The system enforces policy rules automatically, flagging non-compliant claims before they enter the approval queue.
What’s more, Omni’s mobile app transformed how approvers handle claims. "I can verify using my phone, so it's really easy and on the go," Azzuah shares. "Any claim that is not really tedious, maybe it's just a receipt of parking, I can check and approve during my commute."
The platform's audit trail and centralized storage eliminated the scattered documentation that previously made claims difficult to track. "Omni comes in and corrects all the lengthy processes, the human mistakes, eliminates them all," Hidayah explains.
For DNB's finance team, working with payroll became seamless. Rather than compiling data from multiple Excel sheets, all approved claims live in Omni ready for export and processing.
The Results
30% reduction
in expense processing time
"It's a very clean process. And it's significantly cut short our claim processing time," Azzuah reflects. The time savings enable the HR team to process claims continuously rather than in batched cycles that create bottlenecks.
"Previously, the claims had to be compiled and only then could we review it in one batch," Azzuah explains. The shift from batch processing to real-time approvals accelerated the entire cycle while reducing errors.
The elimination of manual data transfer has improved accuracy significantly. HR staff no longer worry about copy-paste errors or missing receipts—everything lives in the system with complete documentation and approval history. "It's a much easier process," Azzuah concludes.
3. Automated Leave Management
The Challenge
Before Omni, DNB's leave management process required manual tracking, approval routing, and balance calculations. Employees submitted leave requests through disconnected systems, while HR staff manually verified leave balances and ensured approval workflows were followed.
"We were getting a lot of queries from employees about their leave balances," Hidayah recalls. "The system we had before didn't give them visibility, so they would have to email us constantly to check how many days they had left."
The manual process created frustration on both sides. Employees lacked self-service visibility into their leave entitlements and balances, while HR staff spent significant time responding to routine inquiries that should have been automated. The constant back-and-forth on basic leave information consumed time that could have been spent on more strategic HR initiatives.
Additionally, the approval process lacked transparency. Employees submitted requests without visibility into approval status, leading to follow-up inquiries and uncertainty around time-off planning. Managers often missed approval requests in their email inboxes, creating delays that frustrated both employees and HR.
Omni's Solution
Omni's leave management module automated DNB's entire time-off process with employee self-service capabilities. Staff can now view their leave balances in real-time, submit requests through the platform, and track approval status without HR intervention.
"Now employees can just go into Omni and see everything themselves," Hidayah explains. "They can submit their leave, track the approval, and check their balances anytime. It's completely self-service."
The centralized platform provides visibility for both employees and managers. Staff can see their remaining balances across different leave types, view their leave history, and plan time off with confidence. Managers gain visibility into their team's leave schedules, helping with resource planning and workload distribution.
The Results
Leave policy updates
in 30 minutes or less
Omni’s intuitive interface enabled DNB to make policy changes quickly and remotely, even during off-hours. When they needed to update leave entitlements at the last minute, Azzuah and her staff completed the changes in just 30 minutes while commuting on the MRT.
The self-service capabilities dramatically reduced administrative burden on DNB's HR team while improving employee experience. Staff appreciate the transparency and control over their time-off management, while HR can focus on complex cases rather than routine balance inquiries.
The automated approval workflows ensure compliance with DNB's leave policies while accelerating approval times. Managers receive notifications for pending requests, can approve with a single click, and maintain visibility into their team's leave schedules. "It's really helped reduce the administrative work," Hidayah notes. "We're not constantly fielding questions about leave balances anymore. Employees are getting less frustrated, they are happier using the system. Employee morale has improved. We receive much less complaints now and they are happier, basically."
Omni Powers DNB's Telecommunications Growth
With Omni's comprehensive platform managing everything from onboarding to payroll, the DNB HR team has built an automated foundation for scaling their operations. The centralized system has consolidated the fragmented tools that previously limited their HR effectiveness, creating a single source of truth for employee operations.
"It's really a great, simple system that caters to the needs of our organization," Hidayah reflects on the transformation. The efficiency gains have enabled DNB's lean HR team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks. "We can now work on more tangible and relationship-building activities rather than being stuck in repetitive tasks."
The partnership approach that Omni brought to the implementation has been instrumental in DNB's success with the platform. "The support that we get from the Omni team," Hidayah shares. "That is superb. We really appreciate that. At any point of time we have problems or blockers, we know they are always there to help us the best they can."
Omni’s responsive customer support continues post-implementation. "They check on us regularly to ensure we’re getting the most out of the system. We really appreciate that," Azzuah notes.
Looking ahead, DNB's HR team is expanding their use of Omni's capabilities. Their next major initiative involves implementing the performance management module for goal-setting and OKR tracking. "The next big focus area is performance," Hidayah shares. "We are planning to launch OKRs in Omni. I'm quite excited, because I'm hopeful the system will help further reduce administrative work and help our people submit and reach their goals easily."
As DNB continues expanding their telecommunication services across Malaysia, Omni provides the scalable HR foundation needed to support that growth. The platform's efficiency gains have enabled DNB's lean HR team to manage their workforce effectively without proportional team expansion, while the cost savings create budget flexibility for strategic people investments.
For digital-first organizations like DNB, modern HR technology isn't just about operational efficiency—it's about building a foundation that supports innovation, agility, and growth. With Omni, DNB's HR team has transformed from administrative processing to strategic partnership.
Ready to automate your HR operations like DNB? Book a demo to see how Omni can help your organization reduce costs, save time, and focus on strategic initiatives.
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