Axxonsoft Intellect increases the effectiveness of the security of Sberbank automated teller machines

Axxonsoft Intellect increases the effectiveness of the security of Sberbank automated teller machines.

Since mid-2007, a security system based on the Intellect platform has been introduced into the distributed network of automated teller machines in the Ulyanovskii branch of the Povolzhskii division of Sberbank Russia.

Client

Povolzhskii division of Sberbank Russia today is the largest bank in the region, which enables it to continue to develop exponentially. The network of branch offices is very wide, allowing it to make its services accessible to practically everyone in the region.

Povolzhskii Head Office, in operation since January 2001, works in Samarskii, Astrahanski, Volgogradskii, Orenburgskii, Penzenskii, Saratovskii and Ulyanovskii oblasts. These above mentioned regions are industrially developed regions, and constitute part of the Southern federal region (Astrahanskii and Volgogradskii oblasts) and the Privolzhskii federal region (the remaining oblasts). The economies of these seven oblasts include industrial sectors such as energy, automobile production, metal working, fuel, chemical & petrochemical industry, and military-industrial and agricultural complexes. Practically all of the large-scale enterprises in the regions are serviced by Sberbank branches.

There are more than 430 credit organisations and branches operating in the financial sector of the regions. The largest financial-credit institution of this market, according to all qualitative and quantitative indicators is Povolzhskii division of Sberbank Russia. The total number of bank cards issued by Povolzhskii bank through the beginning of 2008 exceeds 2,100,000. In recent years, the bank has significantly expanded its network of facilities for servicing credit card holders; currently there are 953 cash withdrawal points, 1078 cash machines, and 3580 retail and service points accepting bank cards. Povolzhskii bank as in the past confidently holds more than 30% of the regional market for bank cards. The bank plans to further develop infrastructure for credit card holders, including the installation of self-service payment kiosks and cash machines with the Cash-in function.

With that quantity of cash machines and bank cards, it has become obvious that a system was needed that could ensure the security of the cash machines, efficiently resolve all pressing questions and track incidents of theft. Moreover, in connection with the large territorial reach of the bank, the system should also offer the possibility of centralised monitoring and control. A security system for the cash machines based on the Intellect platform assisted in effectively resolving all of the defined objectives

Situation

Over the last two years, the Ulyanovcki branch of the bank has actively installed new cash machines and payment terminals. Video recorders were used and are still being used for video surveillance. There is no need to talk about the shortcomings of this type of technology. The constant growth in the number of cash machines, bank branches, payment terminals and their territorial distribution has made video surveillance over these objects extremely ineffective; after all, in order to collect information from the video recorders, security system service professionals needed to travel to each cash machine. Moreover, incidents involving stolen and fake plastic cards were still occurring. It may not be worth it to speak of how much time and petrol was wasted on trying to solve this problem for every 2-3 transactions in different parts of the city.

Spetstechnika Co. showed initiative in turning to the bank with the offer to install a modern security system. Taking into the consideration the particularities of the protected objects, the following requirements were determined:

• Provide the possibility of efficiently managing remote objects from a single location of the security system centre, taking away the necessity to travel to all the cash machines
• As for transactions, it was necessary to develop a frame search in the video archive over such parameters as card numbers, incident of cash withdrawal, and the withdrawn sum
• A particular requirement was the need for monitoring of the technical state of the system – camera, software, and communication lines
• With regards to the absence of allocated channels of communication, the work of the system had to be organized on the basis of the regular communications channels

Selection of solution and implementation

During the process of selecting a technical solution, all the particularities of the task and experiences in introducing similar systems were analysed. Out of the range of shortlisted products, the most suitable was ATM-Intellect, the security system for cash machines based on the Intellect platform. A very important reason for the use of this solution was the fact that among all the studied options, only this system was able to work along the standard lines of communication between the ATMs, such as TCP/IP and X.25.

Today roughly 40 bank objects have been equipped with this new system and the remote control centre for video surveillance has been set up. During the first stages of installation, local video security systems computers were installed in special boxes alongside the cash machines. As time passed, a compact solution was developed, consisting of a personal Mini-ITX computer installed inside the cash machine that could keep external interference to a minimum. The time needed for deployment of the local video security system (LVSS) was reduced thus to one or two days. The technology for installing LVSS in the cash machines was mastered and implemented in several configurations and in payment terminals. During the mounting and start-up jobs, Spetstechnika Co. gave special attention to their quality; after all the stability of any system depends in large part on how accurately and expertly it is installed.

Effect

According to the evaluations of staff members working with the bank’s security system, disputable transactions have been settled ever more promptly and efficiently. Especially useful has proved to be the opportunity of a remote search in the video data archive of card numbers and withdrawal sums for each concerned instance of cash withdrawals. Thanks to this new system, the need for service professionals to travel among the cash machines has disappeared. Moreover, the functions of the remote verification of the technical state of the equipment allows for the more effective resolution of problems connected with the servicing of the network of cash machines and the distributed security system. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that in comparing the work of the old and new systems, bank staff members have uniformly given their preferences to Intellect.

Perspectives

Banking card technologies in the world, in the country, and in the particular region are developed very rapidly. Not only have cash machines become common, but also electronic payments in stores. A typical card holder can boast a few cards in their wallet nowadays

The Ulyanovcki branch of the Povolzhskii division of Sberbank Russia, as the leader in card technology in the region, enjoys the majority of credit card holders as its customers. The aim of Spetstechnika Co. is to provide for the protection of the bank and its clients during cards transactions. In the future, one expects an expansion of the video surveillance network for the cash machines as well as a transition to a new technical solution using the technology to duplicate information. Moreover, a complete replacement of the video recorders with an Intellect powered system is planned, where the information from all objects should be fed to the remote video surveillance centre. Spetstechnika is conducting negotiations with the bank over the arrangements to set up a new, department of claims, equipped with an operator workstation. It should handle information from the distributed security system. The Intellect video detectors are also expected to be used to prevent camera tampering, such as camera blinding detector,lens blocking detector, image stability detector. This will allow the bank to even further increase the reliability of its system of video surveillance

Associates

Spetstechnika was founded in 1992. Initially the company specialised in security systems for various objects and automobiles, and in particular worked on installing security systems in the base stations of Ulyanovsk-GSM CJSC. Currently, besides the active development of the ATM-Intellect system for Sberbank, Spetstechnika is involved in negotiations with security system specialists from Maksim-X Co. over the installation of POS-Intellect in the chain of Simbirka stores

Throughout its existence, the company has devoted the bulk of its efforts to the development of existing and introduction of new security technologies and systems of video surveillance, as well as the utilisation of video analytics. “Our objective is to organise innovative projects in Ulyanovsk and Ulyanovsk region, train people to use new technologies, deliver latest technologies of video surveillance, and unleash the full R&D potential of the region,” states director of Spetstechnika Vladimir Efimov