SBV Services

SBV Services is a leading provider of customized cash services and solutions for reserve and commercial banks, ATMs, and retail environments. Founded in South Africa in 1986, SBV recently expanded into other African countries and is currently operating in Namibia and Lesotho. The company operates 43 cash centers and more than 800 state-of-the-art armored vehicles, and employs a workforce of 7,000 people. As cash is collected from banks and other organizations, SBV moves it to a secure cash center where it is validated, sorted, and stored or redistributed.

Moving large amounts of cash on public roads on a daily basis makes SBV vehicles and employees targets for criminals. To guard against physical attacks on employees while moving cash, SBV provides body armor and weapons and uses body-worn cameras and scanners that constantly feed data back to SBV, where it is collected, analyzed, and securely stored.

Equally important is the safety and security of its network. If criminals gain access to the company’s logistical systems and risk-mitigating processes, they can use that information to attempt a robbery. To reduce these risks and ensure the safety of its personnel, clients, and the public, SBV is rigorous about protecting its systems and data from cyberattacks. As the threat environment evolved, SBV also sought a faster way to deploy security protections.

After reviewing solutions from several major security vendors in 2013, the company chose Trend Micro™ OfficeScan™ for its endpoint protection and Trend Micro Control Manager to simplify security management. In 2016, SBV decided to try another vendor’s security solution and quickly realized it had made a mistake when it was attacked by a virus. “When the virus hit and our cash centers went offline, the cash movement across the country slowed,” said Ian Keller, chief security officer at SBV Services. “We knew we were in serious trouble.”

SBV reached out to Trend Micro. Their team brought ten people on site to work shoulder-to-shoulder with SBV’s IT specialists to quickly solve the issue. As a result, SBV re-engaged with Trend Micro and has never looked back. “It was phenomenal to see the camaraderie between the teams,” said Keller. “Trend Micro proved their technology is great and the people behind it are absolutely fantastic.”

To expand the protection of its vital IT systems and employees, SBV Services chose Trend Micro Smart Protection Complete, which delivers multilayered security to protect SBV’s 3,500 endpoints, as well as its applications and network. Smart Protection Complete integrates security across protection layers with flexible cloud deployment, simplified licensing, and central management for network-wide visibility and control of threats and data. SBV also uses Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector to deliver visibility into all aspects of targeted attacks, advanced threats, and ransomware.

SBV recently upgraded to Trend Micro Apex One as a service, which serves as a single agent for a wide range of components that minimize network traffic and provide comprehensive endpoint protection. Because Apex One is cloud-based, it can be deployed and upgraded faster than on-premises software. Apex One manages SBV’s licensing seamlessly. “I don’t have to worry about whether I’m licensed for all my Windows servers or control centers—all that is taken care of,” said Keller. “Apex One as a Service was a no-brainer from a speed, functionality, cost, and scalability standpoint.”

"Since deploying Trend Micro, we’ve recorded millions of attacks, stopped 117,000 threats in one day, and had zero infections in 18 months. Trend Micro is always working, even while I’m sleeping."

Ian Keller
Chief Security Officer
SBV Services

With Trend Micro Smart Protection Complete and Apex One defending its systems and devices, SBV Services has strong, connected security across its entire IT environment. Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector uses known and unknown patterns and reputation analysis to detect the latest ransomware attacks. The customized sandbox detects mass file modifications, encryption behavior, and modifications to backup and restore processes. “Since deploying Trend Micro, we’ve recorded millions of attacks, stopped 117,000 threats in one day, and had zero infections in 18 months. Trend Micro is always working, even while I’m sleeping.” said Keller.

Endpoint deployment in the cloud via Apex One as a Service makes operations easier to manage because system updates are handled automatically. Apex One also provides end-to-end visibility into the entire IT security environment on a centralized console, significantly improving response times.

Support from Trend Micro has also been a highlight. For Keller, being resilient and able to adapt quickly to threats is essential to the business, and that’s what Trend Micro enables. “Trend Micro is dedicated to securing our enterprise as the threat landscape evolves,” said Keller. “We trust them to keep us covered.”

"Apex One as a Service was a no-brainer from a speed, functionality, cost, and scalability standpoint."

Ian Keller
Chief Security Officer
SBV Services

Keeping South Africa’s cash moving securely while ensuring the safety of employees and the public requires SBV to maintain the highest security and prepare for the next generation of cyber threats. Next, SBV plans to add Trend Micro endpoint detection and response (EDR) to its IT environment. The fact that EDR will integrate seamlessly with SBV’s existing technologies was a deciding factor. “It doesn’t make sense to invest where you don’t have synergies,” said Keller. “Everything has to integrate.”