Lloyds TSB banks on Unisys security in $2.6m contract

Unisys has secured a two-year managed intrusion detection service contract with Lloyds TSB, one of the UK`s largest financial services companies.

This deal, worth $2.6 million (R21 million), builds on Unisys`s position as a strategic supplier for Lloyds TSB.

The intrusion detection service, part of Unisys`s suite of managed security services, will be delivered from the Unisys Security Command Centre (SCC) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, supported by the SCC at Unisys headquarters. The solution for Lloyds TSB will rely on software from ISS RealSecure, Lloyds TSB`s chosen software supplier.

"As Lloyds customers want to transact 24 hours a day, the company needs to protect itself from any attack that may lead to its services being unavailable," says Bob Spencer, head of Group IT Security & Risk, Lloyds TSB. "By securing and monitoring systems, Unisys also prevents other losses such as financial, reputation and allows our customers to feel safe and secure when transacting with the bank."

Unisys provides the resources to monitor the intrusion detection service 24x365 and its threat intelligence and protection capabilities ensure that the technology is current, tuned and scanning for the latest threats. The bank, with the assistance of Unisys, puts in place the response procedures and plans. Collectively, these mitigate risks associated with operating in the Internet environment, enabling safer, more secure achievement of strategic business objectives.

"Lloyds had already tried to implement IDS in-house and found that it was unable to assign the resources required to manage and monitor the system effectively," continues Spencer. "There are a number of economies of scale that Unisys offers, including hiring and training skilled personnel, keeping up to date about new vulnerabilities, new hacker tools, new security products and new software releases. Unisys also has a much broader view of the Internet and can learn from other customers."

The Lloyds TSB solution is based on Unisys`s Zero-Gap Security Planning, a new approach to solving clients` security challenges. This addresses the critical need for integrated business security services and solutions. The holistic Zero-Gap Security Planning approach includes strategic consulting, architecture and planning, design, implementation and management services for business continuity, infrastructure, identity, collaboration and privacy.

"This is one of the biggest managed intrusion detection systems projects in the UK," says Geoff Tuck, managed services director at Unisys Africa. "Unisys has helped Lloyds TSB free up internal resources to concentrate on its core business and has provided secure managed services that have helped reduce costs and increase peace of mind for Lloyds TSB and its customers."