Safeguarding Iceland’s financial services backbone
Reiknistofa bankanna (RB) is the backbone of the Icelandic financial services. To enhance operational security and resilience, RB upgraded to Genetec Security Center. Now, they manage video, access control, and other systems in one intuitive and robust cloud-based platform.
The company
Reiknistofa bankanna (RB) is a provider of mission-critical IT systems for Icelandic financial institutions. They are responsible for the country’s central clearance and settlement system, and several multi-tenant core banking solutions. It also operates an e-invoicing and e-payment system for corporations and consumers. It’s jointly owned by the three main Icelandic banks - two saving banks, the Icelandic Savings Bank Association, and the three main payment card processors in Iceland.
The challenge
RB traditionally protected its data centers and offices via disparate video and access control systems. These siloed technologies were operated and maintained separately, creating an inefficient user experience. They were also very old; maintenance was becoming an issue financially and operationally. Sourcing reliable technical support and compatible hardware when something went wrong became complex, with replacement parts often taking at least two weeks to arrive. Something needed to change to not disrupt security and operations.
The solution
An intuitive operator experience
Within Security Center, operators work from customized dashboards that alert them to urgent matters. These might include unauthorized access or a temperature spike inside the data center.
Easy cloud deployment
The cloud-based system made adding new devices or facilities very straightforward. The initial implementation and configuration were also shorter than anticipated.
Failsafe and cyber secure
RB is the backbone of Icelandic financial services and can’t afford to have security breaches or downtime. The new system offers multiple layers of protection and is cyber secure by design, relieving RB of privacy burdens.
Standardizing on Genetec solutions
RB plans to install Security Center at its offices to standardize security. Since Security Center is scalable, it supports the plan to keep evolving, including adding ClearID™ to streamline access request processes.
“From day one, we wanted a unified system to help our teams understand the situation quickly, alerting them if anything required their attention. The Genetec solution does just this and allows us to build customized alerts, so we gain business intelligence. This provides us with a better ROI.”
Geir Sæmundsson, Datacentre Manager, Reiknistofa bankanna
Results
Working with a consultant, it quickly became apparent that Genetec Security Center was the best choice. As an open platform with video and access control capabilities, it would simplify daily security operations and allow us to integrate other tools such as RB’s heating and cooling systems. RB would also be able to phase into the new infrastructure, relieving budget pressures without delaying implementation timelines.
The solution has been immensely successful, and RB is looking ahead to a bright future with Genetec. The process of implementation and configuration was shorter than anticipated. As a fully cloud-based system, adding new devices or facilities to the network would be very straightforward. One year into its operation, RB runs its system autonomously with little need to call in external support.