New security software to check fraud

Net Solutions Ghana and its partner Pfortner have introduced Pfortner IT Security Solution, an IT security product, onto the Ghanaian market.

The new product is expected to help protect banks and other agencies that rely heavily on data transmission from electronic fraud.

The product is expected to significantly bolster the defences of the 27 universal banks, savings and loans companies and microfinance intuitions in the country.

Launching the product, Mr Aubrey Swanepoel of Pfortner said the product, which will encrypt data, is targetted at businesses that have offices in remote areas.

“The product provides secure redundant connectivity to banks, government departments, anybody with local and remote offices in rural areas. It provides encryption across those bleeps to ensure that no one can intercept the data,” he said.

“It also provides redundancy in communication; so if one mobile operator goes down, you can use another one, making it really highly available. The benefit of having high availability is better service delivered. With banking, they can get to know people and give them better quality of service, government can increase service delivery and, overall, it increases the level of security that is offered so that it is not intercepted.”

Mr. A. Amponsah, of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, commended the product, describing it as expedient as the department is currently dealing with projects which contain a lot of vital information online.

“We have this Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System that brings together budget planning, budget development, financial reporting and all other resources including the management of our payroll integrated into one system. We have developed a system that enables all the people on the Government of Ghana payroll to be able to access their payslips. As we go into this direction, the issue of security becomes very challenging.”

The issue of internet fraud has been of great concern to financial institutions and other service-oriented businesses in recent years, with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service creating an E-Crime Bureau to help fight electronic fraud.