Fundtech Case Study: Three Valleys Water PLC
Fundtech Case Study: Three Valleys Water PLC
High-volume payments processor benefits from full automation and instant access with Bacsactive-IP Enterprise HSM
Three Valleys Water plc is the largest water-only supplier in the UK. As part of Veolia Water UK, the world leader in water and wastewater management, Three Valleys supplies an area covering 3,700 square kilometres and provides 870 million litres of water every day to over 3 million customers. From Luton and Royston in the north to Guildford in the south, and from Berkhamsted in the west across to Dunmow in the east, the organisation ensures that there is a constant supply of fresh water to some of the country’s most heavily populated areas.
Clear Understanding of Requirements
As a high-volume processor of Bacs files from multiple back-office applications, Three Valleys needed a service that would enable them to reduce manual input, speed up processes and provide instant access to Bacs transactions for users throughout the organisation. When the time came to find a new Bacstel-IP provider in 2005, Three Valleys chose Bacsactive-IP Enterprise HSM with Workflow to automate their Direct Debit transfers, credit card transactions and supplier payments. Mark Daniel, Three Valleys’ Unix Systems Administrator explains; “Having looked at a number of providers we chose Fundtech because they had the better understanding of our requirements, the best business plan and the best quote”.
Instant Access Gives a Clearer View of Business
Implementing the Fundtech solution has brought many benefits from both a business and IT perspective. According to Mark: “On the business side, now that the system is internet-based, we get a much clearer indication of what is happening at any given time. Any authorised user can login and gain instant access”. All Three Valleys users can login to the secure Bacsactive-IP website from any PC in the organisation. From there they can authorise submissions created by the Workflow module and view reports that have been automatically downloaded from Bacs. Reports are also saved to disc and uploaded into Three Valley’s back-end applications. Mark continues: “From an IT perspective, the system is much easier to administer. Problem diagnoses are also far more effective. The old dial-up method only told us whether or not there was an error. Now we are able to see who has logged on etc., making diagnosis, and therefore resolution of the problem far quicker”.
Three Valleys have also found that using automated email notifications as part of the approval process helps reduce cycle times and improve productivity. The Workflow module was mapped to match the organisations business process so that authorised users, at various stages of the approval process, are automatically notified by email that a new file is available for processing.
HSM Provides Central Control and Fast Processing
Using Bacsactive-IP Enterprise HSM, Three Valleys can maintain central control over their payment transactions with an unlimited number of authorised members of staff accessing the service using a web browser. Ifor Williams, Sales Director from Fundtech adds: “Three Valleys operate multiple back-end finance applications, including Oracle, so having ‘one-view’ of all these increases visibility and saves valuable time. Individuals from all relevant departments can access Bacsactive-IP to view all their Direct Debit transfers, credit card transactions and supplier payment submissions.”
“We also suggested that Three Valleys use a Hardware Security Module (HSM) to optimise automation and speed,” says Ifor. “A HSM is a physically secure, tamperproof device capable of processing millions of transactions quickly, safely and reliably. When dealing with high transaction volumes organisations need a solution that requires minimum manual input and provides maximum automation. HSMs are by far the best way to do this.”
Strong Relationship with Great Support
The successful migration to Bacsactive-IP has lead to improved administration, greater automation and increased transparency for Three Valleys. Mark concludes: “The Bacsactive-IP solution has proved highly successful. We have developed a good relationship with Fundtech over the past four years and the support team has been excellent, really helpful.”