Guarding financial transactionsFirst Data Corp.

Mar 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Access Control & Security Systems Integration

           

Security is a vital issue at First Data Corp., responsible for more than 200 million worldwide credit and debit card accounts that have a tremendous black-market value. "Being caught with blank credit cards or proprietary account information may be as severe as being caught with counterfeit cash," says First Data Corp.'s vice president of security, Duane Ritter, who helped overhaul the company's security system starting in 1995.The Atlanta-based company counts many of the world's top financial institutions and leading retail merchants among its customers. First Data is a leading international provider of transaction processing services - credit, debit and pre-paid card processing; payment systems; electronic commerce and information-based services to businesses and consumers. The company processes the information that allows consumers to pay for goods and services by check or card at any point of sale, whether at the retail counter or on the Internet.In 1997, First Data and its principal operating units: - maintained data for 180 million credit, debit and other accounts on behalf of more than 1,400 card-issuing clients.- electronically settled more than 2.7 billion cardholder transactions.- processed and settled 5 billion electronic payment transactions for about 2 million merchants - representing more than $250 billion in merchant dollar volume.- produced and mailed more than 600 million paper statements.It's not easy keeping security tight for such a far-reaching organization, with 33,000 employees worldwide; the Card Services Group (CSG) in Omaha, Neb., and its 40 other offices in Atlanta, Chandler, Ariz., and Chesapeake, Va.; and nationwide sales offices. More than 10,000 employees work at these U.S. sites.Other facilities include two large data centers for credit card authorizations and transactions; two credit card embossing centers; and two mailing facilities that process about 1.8 million pieces of mail per day, making First Data the largest first-class postal customer in the country."Our Card Services Group helps service banks' credit card accounts," Ritter says. "Among our many services, we approve credit card transactions, activate new accounts, provide statements, make collections and offer customer service. We act as a back-room operation for our customers, which are primarily financial institutions."First Data also operates the Bankcard Investigation Group that investigates fraudulent card use and other financial crimes and gives results to local or federal authorities for prosecution.Most of these facilities are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week - a big job for the security department."There was a decision three years ago that we needed to improve our security system," Ritter says. "We had a vision of a system that came from meetings with the company security staff. We needed to improve our CCTV system and change our access system to go to a proximity card with photo identification. This was an aggressive plan, but it was needed because of the nature of our operations. Also, we had a hodgepodge of equip ment and needed to bring it all together, integrate it and then improve upon it."First Data chose Security Technologies Group Inc. (STG) to help them make the plan a reality.Dallas-based STG is a commercial security systems integrator - with about 900 employees working in 40 offices nationwide. The company offers a range of security services, including systems integration, planning, engineering, design, installation, service and systems management. Adam Stanislaus, STG divisional sales vice president, and his staff helped to design and later install the current integrated system. The backbone is a C*CURE 1 Plus Ultra Security Management System by Software House, a division of Sensormatic Electronics Corp., Boca Raton, Fla. The system controls a host of other security components, including the CCTV equipment. The single interface simplifies training, improves efficiency and reduces manpower requirements.Access control system functions, including access request, monitor-point activation, alarm, communication failure and manual door lock and unlock functions, are recorded and permanently archived in the security operations center. The C*CURE system operates on redundant Alpha Servers by Digital Equipment Corp., using a Windows interface for monitoring and identification terminals. The system can restrict access by area, day and time, and lock and unlock doors at specified times. More than 420 proximity card readers from HID Corp., Tustin, Calif., operate in 40 facilities. The access system averages nearly 50,000 card reads per day. Some 40 biometric hand geometry readers by Recognition Systems, Campbell, Calif., are at high security areas such as the data center and card embossing facilities.The advanced processing controller panels each control up to eight doors. The host computer downloads information into each panel's memory. Therefore, if the host fails, the system would still function. If that happened, the panels would store information about each card read to upload to the computer when it comes back up.All employees wear photo identification badges with HID proximity technology. First Data's security staff issues between 2,000 and 3,000 new security cards annually.Another benefit: "We need to ensure Year 2000 compliance," Ritter says. "One of our older access systems was recently tested for Y2K compliance. When the date was advanced to Jan. 1, 2000, the system read the date as 1984. All 2,000 cards on that system would have been rejected as they were not even issued at that time."The system has also worked well for regular First Data vendors. For example, drivers making regular deliveries display First Data-issued access cards to a reader at entrance gates. The driver's name and photo appear on a monitor in the security control room for a guard to verify before the driver is allowed access.First Data's extensive CCTV system includes 15 SpeedDome Ultra and 72 SpeedDome cameras from Sensormatic; more than 310 fixed color cameras; 17 black-and-white pan/tilt/zoom cameras; and seven black-and-white fixed cameras. All but a few of the black-and-white cameras are made by Sensormatic. The security department is replacing older black-and-white cameras as they fail.American Dynamics Mega Power II switchers control cameras. Video flows through 26 Sensormatic multiplexers before being displayed on 30 color and 18 black-and-white American Dynamics monitors. A total of 34 Sensormatic and Panasonic time-lapse VCRs record alarm events. The system is recorded 24 hours a day. The tapes are kept 90 days before being recycled.Sensormatic's SensorLink telephone video transmission system provides pictures to the Omaha security control room from Atlanta, Chandler and Chesapeake facilities. Officers monitor the system around the clock, but each high-level security area monitors its own cameras and access system. The central station acts as a backup in the event of a major emergency.Other security devices include nine mechanical turnstiles by Revolving Door Control, Ontario, Calif., 48 intercom stations by Aiphone Intercom Systems, Belevue, Wash., and Stento USA, Kansas City, Mo. Bullet-resistant glass surrounds the security console.Keeping such a large system working at its peak is a major task. Under its agreement with First Data, STG continues to maintain the security system and respond to equipment emergencies. STG operates an on-site office staff, including technicians and an account manager."Making sure that the quality of the security system is being maintained to First Data's high standards takes a dedicated team," Stanislaus says. During regular meetings with Ritter, First Data's security staff discusses its needs and then the STG team offers options on equipment and service to meet those needs, he says.

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