Security, transparency and attentiveness: the editor Exalog was the right choice for OVH
OVH, the number three internet hosting company in the world, chose Exalog’s. Allmybanks software for its treasury management and banking communication.
Security, ease of use and the availability of the Exalog teams are among the positive aspects of the project highlighted by the company’s treasurer, Gérard Garçon. OVH was convinced by Exalog’s transparency during the tendering process, and their customer experience today matches the business pledges made by Exalog at that time.
“During our discussions with Exalog’s sales department, we were won over by the clear and transparent explanations and non-aggressive approach of the staff we spoke to. Many software editors use sales methods which are difficult to explain, since the reality of using their products is often rather different to what was promised. Happily for us, we have now found that Allmybanks is indeed as good as the product we were offered.”
SaaS mode and in-house hosting: the OVH project had clear fundamental aims
“During the tendering process, we also appreciated being able to talk to technical advisors who were experts in their field. This allowed us to confirm the feasibility of our project quickly. Since internet hosting is what we do, we wanted our Allmybanks environment to be hosted on our servers, and to give our users access to the software in SaaS mode. In accepting our unusual request, Exalog showed a high degree of flexibility, and this allowed it to steal a march on its competitors.”
Payment security
Alongside imposing the technical prerequisite of hosting on its own servers, OVH also paid particular attention to security.
“We set ourselves a high level of security, and this is why we chose to use the EBICS TS protocol, which allows us to sign our payment files digitally. For the time being, we have saved a limited number of signatories in Allmybanks, who are able to use SWIFT 3SKeys. We can add more in the future if we wish, depending on how our organisation develops.
We have also put in place the “4 eyes” system for our database management. Several users have a role in creating and amending bank accounts and companies in the system. Therefore, any user action carried out in the database must be validated by a security supervisor who is designated in the Allmybanks parameters. By ensuring that several actors are involved in the processes and separating their roles, we have considerably reduced the risk of fraud. Allmybanks is very effective in this area, and allows us to configure user authorisations precisely.
Finally, we also make use of the option to produce summarised reports in Allmybanks, so that we can periodically audit the rights and authorities assigned to our users. The ability to monitor current authorisations closely and take immediate action to make any changes necessary as the company progresses is a solid guarantee of security.”
Functional coverage
The Allmybanks software offers functional coverage that is well suited to the needs of OVH.
Firstly, the forecast treasury function uses certain automatic actions within the software, such as the automatic generation of forecast transactions when payment files are sent to the bank.
Secondly, advanced cash pooling functions allow ZBA banking entries to be recognised, and also enable manual or assisted balancing operations to be performed (central account and balance targets).
Finally, OVH also uses the configurable reports in order to analyse its cash flows and its consolidated net cash position.
“We are planning to extend our use of Allmybanks in the near future by activating the function to generate accounting entries. This feature will enable us to export the Allmybanks treasury entries and import them into our accounting tool, thus avoiding all manual entries,” explains Gérard Garçon. “We would also like to set up a feature to monitor the way our banking income is distributed. This kind of function would allow us to break it down according to our various institutions, because the transactions would be codified automatically.”
Exalog is helping OVH promote their international development
Today, OVH has one of the largest networks of servers in the world, operating across 17 data centres. And to ensure the hosting company continues to develop globally, it recently announced it had raised a record 267 million euros in funds.
“In the area of international banking communication, we also have plans to connect Allmybanks to the banks of our subsidiaries using the SWIFTNet network.
When we invited companies to tender, we were looking for an editor that could stay with us as we grow. We wanted to establish a lasting partnership, and we are pleased to be able to build a long-term working relationship with Exalog.”
Exalog's perspective
Charlotte Leroy, Key Accounts Sales Manager
This project has been successful in large part because the Allmybanks software was able to meet the important security management challenges set by OVH. Data and payment security is a central concern, both for ourselves, and for all of our customers. This is why our software programs are regularly updated and adhere to the latest security standards.
Today, we are supporting OVH to roll out Allmybanks internationally via the SWIFTNet network, and we are delighted that our customer views us as a reliable partner with whom they can construct a long-term working relationship.