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Banco de Córdoba Implements Cisco Physical Security Solutions to Improve Security
June 2010 by Marc Jacob
Banco de Córdoba, one of the most important banks in Argentina, has chosen Cisco to update its network platform, migrate to a Cisco Unified Communications platform and renew its video surveillance system, becoming one of the first banks to deploy the Cisco Physical Security solutions in Latin America.
The process began in 2007 with the aim of improving its business, providing excellent service to the customers, using new products, changing the commercial platform and increasing the productivity of its branches, using a new network of 400 ATMs.
Additionally, the bank was aiming to consolidate its service providers to optimize resources. To that end, the bank developed a general plan to modernize its technological infrastructure that would reduce operating and maintenance costs while converging telephony, video surveillance and data on a network that supported critical applications.
Cisco Physical Security software and hardware facilitates the capture, transmission, viewing, recording, archiving, and management of analog and IP video sources and provides electronic access control.
Currently the bank has deployed Cisco Video Surveillance 2500 IP cameras and Cisco Video Surveillance Stream Manager software to organize sequences of digitalized video. These are transferred through a network that allows the remote monitoring of 50 branches and the bank’s headquarters.
To test the technology, a pilot program of the Cisco Physical Security solution was carried out in four branches. During this stage two situations were resolved. In the first episode, a person cashed a $10,000 check, exceeding his cash limit. Thanks to the new system, the person was identified. In the second case, a crime against a bank customer was thwarted using the functions of the system.
Having successfully finished the pilot stage, Cisco Video Surveillance 2500 IP Cameras were installed in 46 branches. The definition of the cameras exceeds the requirements established by the Central Bank. In addition, the system obtains two different streams, while only one is required.
The Cisco Video Surveillance IP Cameras allow the sending of images in an optimal resolution without using broadband resources, while locally images are stored in high resolution. Controlling bandwidth use and prioritizing the applications in the network allow bank transactions to be processed without affecting the bank’s network.
As for IP telephony, the bank is doing a migration in stages. Currently it has installed 1,500 new Cisco Unified IP Phones, in the offices of the board, management, meeting rooms and some branches. In total the installation of 3,000 Cisco Unified IP Phone extensions is contemplated for the project.
The communications infrastructure of the bank fulfills the highest standards imposed by the Central Bank. It connects data centers through redundant fiber optic links and uses a Multiprotocol Label Switching network to interconnect its branches, using Cisco Catalyst® 6500, 3750G and 3560 Series Switches with power over Ethernet, Cisco 1800 Series, 2800 Series and 3800 Series Integrated Services Routers.
The fulfillment of the security regulations is achieved using firewalls and integrated virtual private network concentrators in the service modules of the Catalyst 6500 Series Switches, firewall functions and VPN in the routers, as well as the Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System.
Grupo Galmes, a Cisco Premier Certified Partner, was the channel partner in charge of the design and implementation of these projects at the bank.
