How BBVA is managing its corporate security at moments of transformation

This is a stiff challenge for a banking firm running 8271 banks worldwide, employing 131,856 people and serving 72 million clients in over 30 countries. Since 2012 BBVA has managed to pull off this challenge thanks to taking up the GMV-developed Faro Corporate platform, capable of ensuring the best possible management of all the organization’s physical security arrangements. To date, BBVA has rolled out the solution in 11 countries and it is now being used by more than 1000 people.

Inés Díaz Ochagavia, BBVA’s Banking Corporate Security manager, who has helped to create and set up the platform, has chosen the XXIX Spanish Congress on Cybersecurity, Information Security and Privacy, to tell us how Faro Corporate has improved the banking company’s corporate security management. Inés was accompanied by Javier Zubieta, Marketing and Communication Manager of GMV’s Secure e-Solutions.

Inés tells us that one of Faro’s most important inputs is the knowledge of what type of event is occurring and where, in real time. The tool is so highly automated that it cuts down the time needed to run security: real time information reports needed by any user are available instantly; emails are whisked off to user groups that need to be informed of the instant; it also provides predefined screens and visual risk maps…

Faro also improves the collation of all security-incident information that might call for an official casefile. It takes charge of all evidence custody (site images that might clear up the perpetrator of a theft); the maintenance and management of the organization’s complete security activity documentation: protection plans, operational procedures, applicable legislation, checklists, cybersecurity policies... keeping a single and global repository, cutting out overlaps and incongruences.

She wound up by stressing the benefit obtained from operations and maintenance of the security facilities, keeping a detailed control of incidents, of system renewals, budget control..., as well as evaluating the performance of external suppliers, especially the outsourced surveillance service. This service eats up a large chunk of the private security budget and a check needs to be kept that the service actually received matches the contracted service.

For all these reasons Inés Díaz Ochagavia is proud to be able to declare: “Our processes are more fleet-footed and uniform; we have managed to automate daily work, making it more flexible to suit the real needs of each user and obtaining bespoke reports. Faro Security has allowed us to improve decision making and control of the security function thanks to the global vision it affords us.”

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