Banque Misr takes control to safeguard customer data with improved threat management

Banque Misr has over 400 branches across Egypt providing corporate, retail and Islamic bank services along with using national savings to help fund projects that boost the country's economy and holding equities in more that 130 projects across a range of sectors such as housing, tourism and communications.

"Anti-virus protection is very important for the profitability and reputation of our business, and any attacks launched on our infrastructure can be devastating to business," said Sherif Mohsen Abdel Fattah Shaitout, Chief Information Security Officer at Banque Misr. "With the CA Threat Management solution we have minimized the disruption caused by viruses and malware. This means we can provide better service to our customers and continue to develop innovative offerings that help boost the Egyptian economy."

Realizing the growing importance of technology in the Middle East to customer support and satisfaction, the bank is committed to equipping staff and branches with the latest IT solutions and has embarked on a program of technological advancement. As part of this transformation, Banque Misr is migrating to a centralized infrastructure and services model based on the ITIL framework.

"The security risks to the business are heightened by the fact that we have one data center with all client devices linked directly to our network," added Shaitout. "Previously, we could deal with a security breach locally, safe in the knowledge that it could be contained. Now, a virus could quickly spread across the entire network. The CA Threat Management solution provides us with access to regular virus updates and has helped to secure our infrastructure."

Preventing such a security breach is not only of importance for the bank's efficiency but also for ensuring compliance with regional and international financial regulations. The Threat Management solution has been deployed to 4,000 desktops and 200 personal digital assistants.
Using CA Anti-Virus, Banque Misr is now protected against worms, Trojans, viruses and malicious mobile code. Most crucial, the bank is now able to detect viruses in files downloaded via the internet or email and can stop them before they enter the company's network.

Since deploying the CA solution, virus and malware incidents at the bank have reduced significantly. By reducing the number of virus outbreaks, the bank has been able to improve productivity and efficiency while maintaining the bank's reputation. Banque Misr has also been able to meet regulatory and industry requirements along with enhancing customer service levels.

With CA Anti-Virus, Banque Misr can ensure the integrity of its transactions, which is essential not only for customer confidence and satisfaction but also for participating in international financial programs and complying with industry standards.

"Prior to implementing CA Anti-Virus, every single PC at the bank had been infected at some point and on some occasions it had inadvertently been transmitted to our partners damaging our reputation and business" continued Shaitout. "We now have robust, multi-layered approach to security and can protect the business against current and future threats."