Co-operative Group Chooses TNS for Outsourced ACI Postilion SolutionTransaction Network Services (TNS) is one of the leading providers of fast, secure

and cost effective data communication services for transaction-oriented applications

BackgroundThe Co-operative Group is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned by more than seven million consumers. It is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, the leading convenience store operator and a major financial services provider, operating 4,800 retail trading outlets and employing more than 100,000 people with an annual turnover of over £13 billion.

Business Challenge

The Co-operative Group’s payment processing platforms had evolved dramatically over the years due to the growth

in card payments, new stores and additional payment types. The Co-operative Group had been running its own

payments system in-house for a number of years and with the acquisition of Somerfield Supermarkets it also

acquired an ACI Postilion payments system.

The challenge of PCI DSS meant that significant effort and expertise was required to upgrade the payment

systems of both The Co-operative Group and Somerfield.

As with many retailers, unmasked card details were being stored locally in the store payment systems, which

necessitated a major upgrade of the entire payment infrastructure within The Co-operative Group. Data centre

facilities also had to be migrated for business reasons, which added to the scope of work, all of which had to be

resolved quickly to enable PCI DSS compliance to be achieved.

www.tnsi.com

One Connection – A World of Opportunities

CASE

STUDY

www.tnsi.com

Global Expertise

• TNS is a global provider of

payment services with over 20

years of experience in the industry.

• TNS is highly experienced in

managing ACI Postilion platforms,

having deployed one of the first

systems in Europe.

• Since then, TNS has deployed

Postilion platforms for ATM

driving, POS processing, card

scheme switching, etopup and

card issuing, using our expertise

to correctly engineer, implement

and manage solutions that meet

the demanding needs of our

customers.

• A team of experienced and highly

skilled Postilion systems analysts

and support personnel.

Simplified PCI DSS Compliance

• The TNS solution provides PCI DSS

compliant payment processing,

network connectivity and file

settlement.

• The service is securely hosted in

PCI DSS compliant data centers

and is directly connected to the

TNS Secure Payments Network

for onward connectivity to leading

acquirers and processors.

• Overnight file settlement is

managed by TNS’ PCI DSS

certified file settlement service.

• Payment processing, network

connectivity and file settlement

are all fully managed and annually

PCI DSS certified.

Reduced Costs, Simplified Payment Processing

• Bringing more than 14 years of

Postilion platform management,

TNS can manage the full process

from planning to implementation,

bringing a wealth of experience to

improve service, lower costs and

simplify your payment processing.

• Expandable and adaptable

service that can support future

technology enhancements.

Proactive Management

• Managed 24x7x365 from two

TNS Network Operations Centres

with a dedicated Postilion help

desk, the service is continually

monitored to ensure maximum

availability and performance.

• TNS’ proactive approach ensures

that systems remain secure

and compliant with PCI DSS

requirements, both now and in

the future.

• Comprehensive service level

reporting and management

information.

www.tnsi.com

Why Choose TNSSolution

The Co-operative Group made the

decision to simplify its infrastructure

and processing systems by selecting

TNS to provide a fully outsourced

solution for its retail stores and

service stations using the ACI

Postilion platform.

The Co-operative Group was a long

standing customer of TNS, utilising

our PCI DSS certified Secure

Payments Network to securely and

reliably connect its existing

payment systems to UK acquirers

and processors. As a result of the

company’s expertise in the ACI

Postilion platform, TNS was a natural

choice for The Co-operative Group’s

latest payments challenge.

Working with The Co-operative

Group and ACI, TNS implemented a

new Active-Active Postilion solution

for the retail stores and petrol

stations, and managed the PCI DSS

certification process on behalf of

The Co-operative Group.

The solution resides in TNS’ core

data centres and TNS manages the

annual PCI DSS re-certification by a

Qualified Security Assessor.

End-to-end network connectivity

from The Co-operative Group

through to acquirers and processors

is included in the service, along with

overnight file settlement, all managed

by TNS’ PCI DSS certified processing

and network infrastructure.

The solution offers The Co-operative

Group a true one-stop shop,

delivered by a trusted payments

provider. TNS has responsibility and

visibility of the full life-cycle of the

transaction, from authorisation

through to file settlement. With no

hand-off to other suppliers at any

point, TNS is able to provide truly

accountable service levels to The

Co-operative Group.

The benefits of a Postilion

platform for a sizeable group

like The Co-operative are

numerous, particularly when

working with an industry

leader such as TNS. We

work with TNS on many

different levels through our

payment services and work

incredibly well with them.

TNS manages each element

of the Postilion platform with

great ease and maximum

effort which only an

experienced provider can do

given the extensive amount

of traffic we experience.

TNS’ commitment to PCI

DSS validation means we

in turn are able to offer our

customers a high level of

service. From configuring

merchant terminals to

constant support for The

Co-operative technical staff,

the TNS Postilion platform

covers security, compliance

and banking covenants

making it a worthwhile

and welcome addition to

our payment network.

“

”

Outcome

Justin Latham Project Manager

at The Co-operative Group said:

The PCI Security Standards Council Participating Organization logo is a trademark or service mark of The PCI Security Standards Council in the United States and in other countries.

Contact TNSFor more information, please email solutions@tnsi.com call: +44 (0) 114 292 0200 or visit www.tnsi.com

www.tnsi.com UK Feb 2015

About TNS

One Connection – A World of Opportunities

For more than two decades, TNS has been one

of the industry’s leading global providers of data

communications and interoperability solutions and a

trusted partner to thousands of financial organisations,

telecommunications providers and retailers worldwide.

We provide secure, mission-critical communications

platforms which enable customers to confidently

exchange information and handle billions of transactions

worldwide every year. TNS can access more than 400

acquirers, processors and banks across over 60

countries.

Built upon our fully resilient, PCI DSS certified backbone,

we operate some of the largest real-time, community

based networks in the payments, telecommunications

and financial services industries. These communities

count on us to provide solutions that ensure their

businesses run seamlessly.