CBA deploys NetGuardians IT solution to guard against fraud

By Standard Digital Reporter

NAIROBI, KENYA: In order to enhance data security and further enhance its capabilities to mitigate against risk of fraud, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) has selected the software solution of NetGuardians, a Swiss-based software firm with a global client base. This makes CBA the first financial institution in the region to deploy NetGuardians’ solution at a time when there are rising incidences of the malpractice being reported.

NetGuardians’ solution - NG|Screener– is an intelligent behavioral alerting solution which continuously monitors and analyses banking activities and transactions.

According to Mr. Joël Winteregg NetGuardians’ founder and CEO, NetGuardians uses smart behavioural analysis methods to design the NG|Screener which quickly identifies atypical activity, effectively controls data leaks and alerts about potential fraud.

“Every day, your information system is subjected to thousands of threats - fraud, data theft, information leaks, and more. In today’s world, where the risks of malicious activity are multiplying, NG|Screener is your greatest ally,” said Winteregg, adding that the software is packaged for the banking sector and can also be easily configured for any field of activity. Based on detailed behavioural analyses, the NG|Screener filters the bank‘s data and sends out alerts whenever potential risks are spotted. With these alerts and regular reporting, the bank is protected from fraud and data theft while operations run smoothly thereby ensuring compliance with business standards.

“As the threat posed by fraudsters increases, we at CBA continue to invest in solutions that ensure all financial transactions made by our customers are safe and secure. By partnering with NetGuardians, we have been able to enhance our information monitoring capabilities to raise proactive alerts and reports depending on critical triggers,” said Moses Abwoga, CBA’s Head of Information Technology.

According to Price Waterhouse Cooper’s (PwC) Spotlight on Financial Services 2011 Risk Survey, Kenya banks are not immune to losses due to fraud, with the 2010 economic crime survey conducted by PwC also indicating that incidences of fraud had soared sharply compared to previous.

More than 90 per cent of respondents said that their organisations have been hit by fraud. Banks in Kenya lost a staggering Kshs 1.7bn in the three months from August to October 2010. Banks lost Kshs 761m in the first six months of 2010 through fraud, according to the 2011 Risk Survey report.

The PwC report however notes that many medium and large-sized organisations have now incorporated risk management functions to help identify and address fraud, with the functions devoting significant effort and resources to address internal, financial, environmental, political, economic and commercial risks.

“Even so, companies that are growing in size and complexity and implementing multiple technology-based systems are at risk of fraud. At some financial institutions, top management has delegated detailed supervision to middle management and operational clerks. Internal risk management systems are losing ground to highly-networked, sophisticated fraudsters,” adds the report.

Headquartered in Switzerland, NetGuardians provides strategic solutions to financial institutions globally and has a steadily growing clientele in Europe, Middle East and Africa.