Notenstein Private Bank secures Backbone with ID Quantique Encryptors

Based in St. Gallen, Notenstein Private Bank has 700 employees in its thirteen branches across Switzerland and manages CHF 21 billion in assets. Notenstein Private Bank is a 100% subsidiary of the Raiffeisen Switzerland Cooperative and is managed as an independent bank within the Raiffeisen Group.

Notenstein already worked with ID Quantique (IDQ). The bank therefore decided to install the IDQ Centauris 10 Gigabit Ethernet encryptors to secure its mission critical Storage Area Network (SAN). Four 10G Ethernet encryptors were installed to secure 2 redundant links. According to Christoph Schwalm, CIO of Notenstein Private Bank Ltd., “Our credibility and commitment to our customers depend on ensuring the ultimate protection of our data and availability of our services.”

IDQ's products were the only encryptors which combined critical security and networking features with full performance. After deployment of the encryptors, 100% of the available bandwidth was maintained without packet expansion or loss. Advanced network management tools, and features such as Link Loss Forwarding, were critical to the bank to ensure network availability and manageability, as well as compatibility with CWDM multiplexers and other standard network equipment. Prior to the installation, IDQ helped architect the overall solution, providing OTDR measurements of the optical fibers to ensure a high quality communications infrastructure for the bank, and to test the active components on the network.

IDQ's encryptors are based on the leading 256-bit AES cipher (Advanced Encryption Standard), and are certified to the highest commercial standards - Common Criteria EAL4+ & FIPS PUB 140-2 level 3 accreditation. The CypherManager software tool provides an efficient and simple method of provisioning and managing the encryptors, either locally or remotely through a secured SNMPv3 interface, ensuring minimal training requirements for the network team. Moreover the “set-and-forget” functioning minimises ongoing maintenance costs. Advanced monitoring tools also allow for real-time alerts or regular configurable reporting for audits, compliance and forensic requirements.

Notenstein Private Bank protects its mission critical network links with IDQ's Centauris encryptors, including the redundant SAN links between the headquarters and the DRC.

ID Quantique was founded in 2001 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The company was awarded with the CTI Start-up Label in 2004.