‘We are better protected than before.’
Together with Swisscom, Clientis has strengthened its cyber defences and secured its sensitive data safely in the cloud. With 24/7 monitoring and FINMA compliance, it is ready for the digital future.
Security Operations Center as a Service for 23 Clientis platform banks
- Leading provider of banking services for regional banks
- 23 affiliated banks with a total of 930 IT clients
- 43 employees
- Planning, development and operation of a comprehensive security solution
- 24/7 monitoring by Swisscom’s Security Operations Center
- Early detection of risks and rapid response to attacks
Protecting sensitive data – no easy task
Clientis Banking Solutions supports 23 regional banks with comprehensive modular outsourcing solutions, with an emphasis on high service quality and futureproofing. The company offers flexible and tailored packages to assist the banks with maintaining their independence and overcoming challenges, both now and in the future, while at the same time enforcing mandatory IT standards for all banks and employees – in particular with respect to protection against cyberattacks.
Sabine Dages, head of cybersecurity at Clientis Banking Solutions, is emphatic: “In the banking world, security is our biggest asset.” With the migration of workplaces to the cloud, new challenges arose: “Not only do we need to meet stringent technical standards, but we also need to comply with the regulatory requirements of FINMA.”
How do you ensure a secure journey to the cloud?
With 930 clients, including 100 bank counters handling cash transactions, differing levels of security knowledge, and differing security practices in the individual banks, as well as increasingly complex and frequent cyberattacks, how would Clientis ensure a secure journey to the cloud?
An IT risk analysis undertaken in 2022 highlighted the need for action. In particular, there was a lack of end-to-end visibility of actions within the network. “We simply did not have enough in-house resources to monitor our systems 24/7”, explains Sabine Dages. “We didn’t even have an automatic threat detection solution.” Potential cyberattacks could only be detected through internal analyses, which were very time-consuming. Coordinating compliance was also complex. “A very challenging area”, says Dages. “The stringent requirements were a considerable burden for us.”
24/7 peace of mind
Today, Swisscom’s Security Operations Center (SOC) monitors the banks’ systems round the clock – including their end devices and network – using the Managed Extended Detection & Response Service with Endpoint Detection & Response. The SOC detects suspicious activity immediately and responds in real time, so Clientis can easily meet the requirements of FINMA and ensure reliable protection of its sensitive data. There are also plans to add Microsoft Defender for Office and Identity Monitoring. This solution provides a comprehensive overview of documents, identities, endpoints and cloud workloads, and reliably detects typical anomalies. Thanks to the efficient detection of and defence against complex cyberattacks, the Clientis network of regional banks has achieved a new level of security – without the need to invest in expensive local infrastructure.
Teamwork is the key to effective cybersecurity.
Why choose Swisscom?
With Swisscom as a partner, the banks on the Clientis platform have systematically modernised their security architecture and laid the groundwork for a secure future in the cloud. “Swisscom is big enough to anticipate new threats and market developments”, says Sabine Dages. “Despite increasing uncertainty, the new solutions mean that we are better protected than before.” Swisscom works behind the scenes to maintain stability, transparency and trust, making security the foundation for innovation and digital development.
