Stonesoft Assures Secure Information Flow and Business Continuity for Carte Bleue Web Services

Leading French banking card firm relies on the unrivalled performance of StoneGate to strengthen website security and quality of service

Created in 1967 following the alliance of six French banks, Carte Bleue has played an essential role in the development of payment cards in France. Carte Bleue, the exclusive representative of Visa for France, develops dedicated products and services for financial institutions that market to private individuals and to business. Today Carte Bleue is the leader in its market with around 60 per cent share of its market, handling some 220 million international transactions and a trading volume of 202 billion euros per year.

A quality move

Carte Bleue understands the importance of responding rapidly to changing consumer demands, including the rising influence of internet. Thus, from 2000, Carte Bleue overhauled its websites and took greater control of its data input. These projects coincided with a significant increase in services offered to cardholders. Today an impressive range of websites controlled by Carte Bleue incorporating a wide range of additional customer benefits have resulted in a remarkable access rate of 99.6 per cent.

Carte Bleue's unrivalled position in the market enables it to deliver perfect continuity of service for its end-users, whether they are private individuals or companies. For this reason, Carte Bleue has aimed to optimise its network framework in such a way as to maintain its high rate of access and to assure full satisfaction for banks and cardholders. In order to give the highest possible service levels, Carte Bleue has invested in technology solutions which give results and which are aimed at strengthening the security of the network while increasing the availability and the quality of service of each of the company's websites.

On the advice of its partner, ACE Service, Carte Bleue opted for Stonesoft's StoneGate security platform, which it felt incorporated numerous high access functions which no other developer could deliver in one single application. Only Stonesoft currently offers such a complete package without any further costs.

"We are very satisfied with the StoneGate solution. Our web-platform has gained in quality of service and image with Visa Carte Bleue cardholders, thanks to StoneGate products."

Franck Winandy, manager of information systems structure and security for Carte Bleue.

Stonesoft's reliability key for Carte Bleue

One of the imperatives for Carte Bleue is to deliver a continuity of service through the high availability of its network framework. This demand goes hand-in-hand with transparency of actions and activities. Carte Bleue also has a duty to guarantee access 24/7 - as well as assuring a strong infrastructure network with a guaranteed recovery time of less than four hours.

In 2005, StoneGate, the flagship security system from Stonesoft, was deployed for the first time on the Visa Infinite platform, which handles the services and needs of private individuals that require a privileged relationship with the issuing bank. Today, ACE Service is providing a complete network security solution for Carte Bleue, comprising StoneGate Multi-Link, Clustered Firewalls and Load Balancing. Furthermore, since 2006, Carte Bleue has opted to make use of StoneGate's IPS SGI in order to complete the security set-up.

"Since its implementation there has been no interruption in service. StoneGate completely delivers its functions in terms of security norms, network environment and certifications. The unified management platform similarly permits effective control over intrusion attempts thanks to dealings delivered in real time"

Franck Winandy, manager of information systems structure and security for Carte Bleue.

About ACE Service

Founded in 2001, ACE Service concentrates its activity on its know-how: the security of information systems. With a structure on a human scale, the company is reactive and adaptable to customers' needs. ACE Service sees to it that the computer remains a day-to-day productive tool for the end user and that the network infrastructure is the most reliable and secure for the company. Its services are evident in its 4 complementary aspects:

The audit and analysis of your existing framework
The deployment of security solutions for your network
Distance administration of information systems
The training and transfer of skills to users

Thus Ace Service puts at the disposal of its clients (large accounts and SME/SMI) multiple skills and certification enabling the most precise response to their needs.
www.ace-service.fr

About Carte Bleue

Carte Bleue is the market leader in banking cards in France, with a market share of more than 60 per cent. The presence of Carte Bleue is especially significant in the realm of top of the range banking cards with a market share of approximately 85 per cent, and around 70 per cent for banking cards intended for company clients.
The Carte Bleue range today comprises 20 products: nine dedicated to companies (Visa Business, Visa Affaires, Visa Purchasing), ten to private customers (Carte Bleue Visa, Visa Premier, Visa Infinite) and a transversal Internet-secure payment service, e-Carte Bleue.

Carte Bleue cards permit easy settlement of all purchases, including those made via the internet, and cash withdrawal in 160 countries. In addition to these basic banking services, each Carte Bleue card brings with it assistance and insurance services, much appreciated by all those who travel. The company cards from the Carte Bleue range bring with them services specifically adapted to the needs of professional activities where the managing of purchases is required.

Carte Bleue is the exclusive representative of the Visa brand in France. Visa Europe is an autonomous company whose capital is 100 per cent owned by the European banks and by the member establishments of GIE Carte Bleue. The SAS Carte Bleue accompanies the financial establishments and the banks in the stages of conception of payment cards from the Carte Bleue range and adapts the Visa programmes with respect to the banks' clientele. Its capital is held by 40 financial establishments and the Carte Bleue group. Its Administration Council is composed of the GIE Carte Bleue and seven financial establishments.
www.carte-bleue.com