Erste Bank Ukraine installs Milestone XProtect IP video software at its 139 branches

Erste Bank Ukraine with 139 branches has installed a security system using Milestone XProtect IP video management software to manage over 1,000 network surveillance cameras from a mix of hardware manufacturers.

JSC Erste Bank was founded in 2006, after Erste Group (one of the leading financial institutions with 190 years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe) entered the Ukrainian market. Today Erste Bank Ukraine serves businesses in 139 retail branches across the country. They provide a wide range of banking services and products, including deposits and current accounts, salary projects and credit cards, cash-settlement services, project financing and treasury operations.

Focusing on service quality and building long-term customer relations, Erste Bank provides people with the advantages of the largest financial groups in Europe. Erste Bank bases its successful business relations on the individual needs of every customer and constantly searches for solutions to help build financial independence. They also have chosen the best technology for their security system.

Milestone XProtect™ IP video software has been implemented across the Erste Bank Ukraine locations to manage a mix of network camera models from Axis, Sony, IQinVision, JVC, and other manufacturers. As of 2009, all 139 Erste Banks have been operating with the Milestone video software, installed on local servers in operation with 1,300 cameras monitoring the building facilities that are anywhere from 100 to 250 square meters each in size.

Security and quality control of processes

"The video control systems have been mainly installed for safety and security reasons, i.e. to watch out for the safety of customers and to provide quality control in our business processes, insure against errors and fraud, and to improve service levels," says Vadim Lazarev, Head of Technical Security, Erste Bank Ukraine. "Milestone uses IP technology, and we know that this technology gives us the opportunity to advance in future. We work with LANIT - IV COM because their company has an excellent reputation all over the Ukraine."

The LANIT IT - IV COM Deputy Director, Vladimir Stefanenko, reports: "The software at the core of the system is Milestone XProtect Enterprise and XProtect Central, managing 1,300 network video cameras of all types. Milestone is built with an open platform that allows the widest choice in hardware or other technology support, so we could put together a best-of-breed solution for Erste Bank that fits their exact needs in every situation."

Both central and local control saves costs

Milestone's XProtect video management software manages over 1,000 IP cameras at Erste Bank

He describes how each bank branch has its own local network - 140 servers are running Milestone in each of the 139 bank locations and the headquarters location, which has central access to each site with excellent overview of the system operations and status at all times. Each branch location also has employees who are given access to the system, which is set up in the Milestone user access rights.

Altogether, almost 30 employees are working with the Milestone video management. The central headquarters access to each of the bank branches means that they do not have to travel to each branch as much - quite a distance in this widespread geography - which saves costs in travel and time.

"With the help of the Milestone video surveillance, the control over different operations and incidents has been improved," states Vadim Lazarev. "Milestone has recorded over 20 incidents. For example, a teenager who vandalized ATMs was revealed. One of the branches also got images of a fraud artist and sent his photo to other banks all over the Ukraine; as a result, the perpetrator was arrested in one of the commercial banks."