Thales today announced that LINK Interchange Network Ltd. (LINK) has chosen
Thales e-Security’s wide area network IP encryption technology, Datacryptor 2000,
as a standard component in its high capacity, highly secure electronic transactions
networks. LINK’s first customer to implement this technology is Post Office
Ltd, which is using Datacryptor to securely connect to the LINK network to
provide banking services. This enables customers of many banks and building
societies to withdraw cash, or check their balance over the counter, free
of charge at any of the 16,500 Post Office® branches across the UK with just
their bank card and PIN number.
LINK is the busiest shared ATM network in the world, processing over two
billion transactions per year for the UK’s largest institutions and independent
ATM deployers. Due to the amount of funds being transferred across the LINK
network, ensuring the highest level of security of these transactions is crucial.
P&C Communications,
a Thales partner, worked with LINK for 18 months to develop and implement
a solution that would meet the company’s existing and future security requirements.
As a result, Datacryptor 2000 was selected as the standard network security
device for LINK’s connections with its customers. The Post Office is the first
company to benefit from the new solution, which ensures the highest level
of confidentiality on data transferred between the Post Office computer network
and LINK.
The Datacryptor 2000 was chosen by LINK because of its reputation for providing
the highest level of network security commercially available. The Datacryptor
2000 is already being used by some of the UK’s largest banks not to mention
the UK Government. As well as the device’s ability to provide uncompromising
security, LINK was also attracted by the fact that it offers a high level
of future proofing together with flexible remote management capability. Another
key benefit of the Datacryptor 2000 solution crucial for LINK was the fact
that while parts of a transaction are already encrypted, Datacryptor 2000
provides a final blanket encryption of all the IP data using the powerful
3DES algorithm.
P&C Communications helped LINK design the encrypted network, which consists
of Datacryptor 2000 devices on both LINK’s and the Post Office’s computer
networks, ensuring that all data between the two networks is automatically
encrypted. Over the period of 18 months, P&C Communications also provided
project management and technical expertise during the installation as well
as technical support and personnel training during the post installation process.
With this technology in place, LINK can process secure electronic transactions
to support the banking services offered at Post Office branches. The Post
Office chose LINK because of its proven technological expertise in the transaction
management arena and its existing infrastructure that links nearly every bank
and building society in the UK.
Paul Jackson, head of communication security at Thales e-Security, said:
“The Datacryptor 2000 offers the high level of security LINK needs to protect
electronic transactions between LINK’s networks and the Post Office. The fact
that LINK has chosen Datacryptor 2000 as a standard component on it’s networks
shows how seriously LINK wish to protect their information in transit.”
Alan Gilmour, Data Centre Manager, at LINK said: “Thales provided us with
the most appropriate solution on the market that offers us the level of security
we need, for the Post Office and all our customers, now and for the foreseeable
future. For this reason we have chosen Datacryptor 2000 IP as the standard
for all solutions requiring network security. In addition, P&C Communications
provided outstanding service and support during the entire process – from
the design stage, through the installation process, to post installation 24/7
support.”
About LINK
LINK Interchange Network Ltd specialises in electronic transaction management
services on behalf of the UK's largest financial institutions and other commercial
organisations. LINK manages the LINK network, the world's busiest shared ATM
network with 45,000 cash machines deployed and over 95 million LINK-enabled
cards in issue in the UK. In addition to providing ATM transaction switching
and settlement to its network Members, LINK operates ATMOS, the UK's leading
provider of outsourced ATM management and card services. LINK also supports
transactions for some of the bank and building society accounts that can be
accessed at Post Office branches and has developed a building society branch
sharing service on behalf of MutualPlus Ltd. LINK is pursuing opportunities
to use its proven, secure and reliable network infrastructure to support a
new generation of transaction services, including overseas developments.
About Thales
Thales is a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets:
Aerospace, Defence and Information Technology & Services (IT & S).
The Group employs 63,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated
revenues of €10,6 billion in 2003.
Operating in three main markets covering e-security, card payment and network
security, Thales e-Security addresses the business, government and finance
industries’ need for cryptographic security products and solutions. Over half
of the world’s banks, together with the majority of the busiest exchanges,
currently use Thales technology.
