System Analysis for BACS Gateway
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Submitted by Admin on 17 Nov 2008, 10:12.
Summary
Description
System used by the fictitious Bristol and Bath Bank (BBB) to send data to and from the BACS.
This is a real-life system that has been fictionalised to preserve confidentiality.
Priority 1 recommendations
Priority 1 findings represent high likelihood of serious disruption.
These require very urgent action.
Priority 2 recommendations
Priority 2 findings represent the possibility of serious disruption, or high likelihood
of moderate disruption. These require urgent action.
Findings and Recommendations
| Ref |
Priority |
Finding |
Recommendation |
See |
|
R1
|
2
|
System recovery plans do not meet the needs of business recovery.
Business recovery plans have been defined, but there are no system recovery plans, or what plans there are do not meet the needs of the business recovery plans.
|
Improve system recovery plans to match business recovery plans.
Improve the system recovery plans so that they match the business recovery plans. Test the plans.
Test the system recovery plans after every major upgrade and regularly thereafter (for example, at least every two years).
|
|
|
R2
|
3
|
IT ownership is weak.
There is no named individual or an individual role that is responsible for the day-to-day management of the system, or there is an individual but they are unable to provide effective management. The overall service provided has weaknesses.
|
Consider appointing an effective IT owner.
Current IT ownership for this system is weak. Consider appointing someone to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the system, for example monitoring service levels, bug fixes, and change requests.
If there is currently someone in this role, but they are unable to carry it out effectively, for example because of pressure of other responsibilities, work with them to make the ownership more effective.
|
|
|
R3
|
3
|
The system contains highly sensitive data but may not be entirely secure.
The system contains highly sensitive data. The system has reasonable security, which is probably acceptable because this system is not accessed over the public Internet.
|
Consider tightening security.
Because of the nature of the data held within the system, consider implementing a more stringent security approach. This might include:
- Comprehensive access control within the system.
- Encryption of data as it passes over public networks.
- Comprehensive security of the underlying data, including securing it from systems administrators.
- Records kept of all accesses, and routine checks made for unauthorised access attempts.
- Appropriate security of facilities.
- Appropriate processes to maintain a very high level of security.
- Possibly vetting of staff
|
|
|
R4
|
5
|
The system is considered high priority.
The system is critical to the day-to-day running of the business. The analysis has therefore treated the system as a high priority. Many of the recommendation priorities have been upgraded to reflect this.
|
Be aware of high priority status.
Be aware that this system is considered as a high priority. If this is not correct, reconsider the business importance.
|
|
Detailed Analysis
Score
85.7%
× weight 3.6%
= contribution 3.1%
Entered, no grades.
The system is generally known as "BACGAT", which stands for "BACS Gateway".
The system acts as a gateway to BACS, and is in effect BBB's view of BACS. For this reason, BACGAT is sometimes simply referred to as "BACS".
Colloquially the system is also known as "Baguette".
Entered, no grades.
The system acts as a gateway between BACS and BBB's internal systems. It also routes data between BBB's internal systems.
.
The system transfers financial transactions such as payments. It also transfers more general information such as direct debit instructions and amendments (ADDACS and AUDDIS) and payment instruction information (AWACS and TODDASO).
BACGAT receives files from submitter systems. It routes items bound for internal BBB systems to those internal systems, and routes items for other organisations to BACS.
BACGAT receives files from BACS, and routes them to the appropriate internal BBB systems.
BACGAT also provides online facilities for the Payment Services department to monitor BACS payments, and make manual adjustments where necessary.
Entered, no grades.
The system is run on behalf of the Payment Services department, located in Avon Street, Bristol.
Around 40-50 other departments or groups use the system to submit or receive files.
Score 100% × weight 0.0% = contribution 0.0%
All users of the system are internal to BBB.
The system is only available on the BBB LAN.
Grading: The system is only used internally.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Business owner |
|
100.0 |
|
0.5 |
Score 100% × weight 0.5% = contribution 0.5%
The Payment Services group, based in the Avon Street offices in Bristol, own the system.
Payment Services provide effective guidance to the IT function on how the system should be run and changed.
Grading: Business owner is a defined individual or role and is effective.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| System vendor |
|
100.0 |
|
2.6 |
Score 100% × weight 2.6% = contribution 2.6%
This is a custom system, developed and supported by BBB staff.
Grading: This is a custom system.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| IT owner |
|
0.0 |
|
0.5 |
Score 0% × weight 0.5% = contribution 0.0%
The system is supported within the Application Support team, and this support is effective. However, the management structure above this team has many responsibilities elsewhere and is not clear where day-to-day IT management ownership of this system lies.
Grading: IT ownership is weak.
Recommendations:
Score 100% × weight 0.0% = contribution 0.0%
Many different parts of BBB use BACGAT to move payments to and from BACS. Although this is fundamental to the business of the bank, it is only the focus of the work of the Payment Services department, which is a relatively small function.
Grading: Medium: the system is the focus of work in a minor area, or is referenced in a major division.
Score
100.0%
× weight 42.9%
= contribution 42.8%
Score 100% × weight 0.0% = contribution 0.0%
The system is currently being run.
There are plans to replace the system as part of the recent strategic review, but no work has yet started on these plans.
Grading: The system is being run but will be replaced.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Task alignment |
|
100.0 |
|
12.2 |
Score 100% × weight 12.2% = contribution 12.2%
This system supports the movement of payments to and from BACS.
Because BACS is fundamentally automated, by definition BACGAT supports the entire task.
Grading: The system aligns closely with the task.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Business automation |
|
100.0 |
|
6.1 |
Score 100% × weight 6.1% = contribution 6.1%
Since BACGAT deals with BACS, and BACS is by definition and
automated service, there could be no direct manual replacement to BACGAT.
However, manual methods of payment transfer do exist within banking, the main one being cheque processing. In summary, this requires:
- Payer writes cheque and sends to payee.
- Payee pays cheque into own bank.
- Payee's bank sends cheque to payer's bank.
- Payer's bank debits payer's account.
- Payer's bank credits payee's bank.
- Payee's bank credits payee.
BACS processing, supported by BACGAT, is a significantly more cost effective method of transferring payments.
Grading: The system significantly replaces manual activity.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Business importance |
|
100.0 |
|
6.1 |
Score 100% × weight 6.1% = contribution 6.1%
BACGAT supports payment processing.
Payment processing is one of the fundamental processes of the bank. It is critical to the day-to-day functioning of the bank.
Grading: The system supports day-to-day operation of the business.
Recommendations:
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Automated interfaces |
|
100.0 |
|
6.1 |
Score 100% × weight 6.1% = contribution 6.1%
BACGAT automatically transfers files from 40-50 other systems within BBB, typically on a daily batch basis. It also transfers files to and from BACS. These files contain financial transactions such as payments, and other information such as direct debit instructions and amendments and payment instruction information.
There are minor manual inputs and output using the online parts of the system, for example to resolve queries and make adjustments. However, these are very much the exception. The vast majority of transactions (greater than 99%) are processes by the system without any manual intervention. Everything that can be automated is automated, only exceptions are processes manually.
Grading: Nearly all inputs and outputs are automated.
Score 100% × weight 0.0% = contribution 0.0%
BACGAT produces summaries of files submitted to it. It also produces response reports that detail rejections and other exceptions such as sort code redirection.
The main report change very infrequently. There are however occasional requirement for ad hoc data extract requests, usually somewhere between 4 and 12 such requests per year.
Grading: Report requirements change occasionally.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| User acceptance |
|
100.0 |
|
12.2 |
Score 100% × weight 12.2% = contribution 12.2%
BACGAT is the only method used at BBB for making BACS payments. It is accepted and trusted. On balance, the system is welcomed rather than merely accepted.
Grading: The system is welcomed by its users.
Score
84.0%
× weight 14.3%
= contribution 12.0%
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| System performance |
|
100.0 |
|
2.9 |
Score 100% × weight 2.9% = contribution 2.9%
Of itself, BACGAT never has any performance problems. There are occasional scheduling problems because input files, or files from BACS, are delayed. These are not problems with BACGAT performance per se.
Grading: System performance is not a problem.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Service availability |
|
100.0 |
|
2.9 |
Score 100% × weight 2.9% = contribution 2.9%
The system is highly available. Over the past few years, it has been unavailable within normal hours of operation on fewer than 4 times per year.
Grading: The system is highly available.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Information accuracy |
|
100.0 |
|
2.9 |
Score 100% × weight 2.9% = contribution 2.9%
BACGAT is basically a transfer system. It moves data, rather than acting as the definitive system of record for the data. However, it has many controls, both technical and procedural, to maintain data integrity. Some of the main features are:
- It uses a modern database management system (Oracle) which provides transaction handling to maintain the integrity of data in the event of a system crash.
- Files contain control totals which are checked to make sure transactions have not been corrupted.
- Payment totals are compared with independent figures on journals.
- Receipt files are returned to submitters, for their manual checking.
All things considered, information within BACGAT is considered highly accurate.
Grading: Information is accurate.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Service level agreement |
|
60.0 |
|
5.7 |
Score 60% × weight 5.7% = contribution 3.4%
There is an SLA for BACGAT.
The SLA is not monitored closely (it used to be). It is believed that the SLA is typically met.
Grading: Service levels are defined but not monitored, but service is reasonable.
Score
65.1%
× weight 10.7%
= contribution 7.0%
Score 100% × weight 0.0% = contribution 0.0%
The data holds details of payments. These are highly sensitive. Alteration to the data would cause loss and difficulty to both BBB and its customers.
Grading: The system contains highly sensitive data.
Recommendations:
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| System security |
|
80.0 |
|
5.4 |
Score 80% × weight 5.4% = contribution 4.3%
BACGAT is run within a secure banking environment and is believed to be secure. Security measures include:
- Secure facilities.
- System security which prevents unauthorised access and use of the system.
- Checking that money transferred through BACGAT matches that entered on the ledgers.
These measures are commensurate with the risk, and believed to be effective. They certainly secure the system from unauthorised external access. There are however some areas of internal security that warrant further investigation:
-
Security issues removed to preserve confidentiality.
For these reasons, the system can not be considered totally secure.
Grading: The system is believed to be secure.
Recommendations:
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Business recovery plans |
|
100.0 |
|
2.7 |
Score 100% × weight 2.7% = contribution 2.7%
The system supports the transfer of payments and other related financial information. This is mostly an inherently automated process. However, some management of this is carried out by the Payment Services department in Avon Street.
The Payment Services department do have a business recovery plan that allows them to recreate their service in an alternative location if necessary.
Grading: Business recovery plans are defined.
Recommendations:
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| System recovery plans |
|
0.0 |
|
2.7 |
Score 0% × weight 2.7% = contribution 0.0%
BBB maintains a disaster recovery (DR) site at Bath, with capacity specifically reserved for BACGAT. Regular data backups are made, from which the service can be restored at the DR site.
Here is an account of a recent recovery.
BACGAT had to be recreated at the DR site in 2005, because of hardware problems at the primary site. The hardware failure was sufficiently gradual that BBB has some time to prepare the move to the DR site.
The service took around 6 hours to recover (greater than the target 30 minutes). Because of configuration problems, many of the internal systems could not access BACGAT. It took about 2 weeks to recover the service fully.
Similar problems were found in a more recent recovery of related systems. This shows that the problems have not been fixed.
These recovery only involved a small number of systems, and BBB has some time to prepare the recovery. It would not be reasonable to suppose that recovery would be better after a more sudden or widespread failure.
Loss of parts of the service for up to 2 weeks has a serious impact on the bank's ability to make payments, which is a critical business process.
Grading: System recovery is inadequate.
Recommendations:
Score
80.8%
× weight 14.3%
= contribution 11.6%
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Functional stability |
|
70.0 |
|
2.4 |
Score 70% × weight 2.4% = contribution 1.7%
Minor changes are required to BACGAT about 6 times per year.
New systems are regularly connected to BACGAT. Although this does require some new data transfer scripts, this follows a defined process and is considered a configuration change rather than a code change.
Grading: The system is functionally stable.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Test quality |
|
30.0 |
|
1.2 |
Score 30% × weight 1.2% = contribution 0.4%
Some existing test plans are available. However, they are incomplete, and not suitable for regression testing. New tests plans are written to test changes.
Grading: New tests are written to test changes.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Test facilities |
|
100.0 |
|
1.2 |
Score 100% × weight 1.2% = contribution 1.2%
Test machines and databases are available for BACGAT, on which all required tests can be run. The test servers are shared with other systems.
Grading: Full test facilities can be configured.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| System autonomy |
|
100.0 |
|
4.8 |
Score 100% × weight 4.8% = contribution 4.8%
BACGAT transfers files to and from many internal systems and BACS. It also produces a number of summary and reference database extracts to send to other systems.
The system does not directly share its database or runtime components with other systems, can run independently of other systems, and can be changed independently of other systems.
Grading: The system is highly autonomous.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Ease of reporting |
|
50.0 |
|
2.4 |
Score 50% × weight 2.4% = contribution 1.2%
BACGAT provides no end-user reporting facilities.
IT staff use the Oracle Reports tool to develop new reports.
Grading: Reporting facilities are available, but not to end users.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Ease of interfacing |
|
100.0 |
|
2.4 |
Score 100% × weight 2.4% = contribution 2.4%
All the files transferred in and out of BACGAT use documented interfaces. The connection to BACS uses industry standard formats. The internal connections use in-house standards.
Grading: Effective interfaces are available.
Score
80.3%
× weight 14.3%
= contribution 11.5%
Entered, no grades.
BACGAT runs over two technologies.
The bulk of the system runs on Sun Solaris Unix server using the Oracle technology stack. It is written in Oracle development tools (Forms, Reports and PL/SQL), plus a bit of C. The Payment Services online user access the system using forms written in Oracle Forms.
For historical reasons, file transfers to other BBB systems are sent via the Bull mainframe. These programs are written in COBOL.
Entered, no grades.
The system is physically located at the offices in Filton, Bristol, with a backup site in Bath.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| In-house standards |
|
50.0 |
|
2.6 |
Score 50% × weight 2.6% = contribution 1.3%
The main technical components used by BACGAT are:
- Sun hardware.
- Solaris Unix operating system.
- Oracle, including database and development tools.
- Bull mainframe (not sure of OS).
- COBOL.
These technologies are commonly used at BBB, but their use is not obviously standardised.
Grading: There are no in-house standards.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Technology viability |
|
80.0 |
|
7.6 |
Score 80% × weight 7.6% = contribution 6.1%
The technical components that support BACGAT are considered highly viable.
Because BACGAT is written mostly using Oracle-specific development tools, there is no migration option when Oracle no longer supports those tools. However, since these are widely used tools, there is no concern that this will occur in the foreseeable future.
On balance, the technology is considered mainstream, but does not conform to industry standards because it can not simply be swapped to alternative suppliers.
Grading: Technology uses mainstream components.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Server sharing |
|
100.0 |
|
1.5 |
Score 100% × weight 1.5% = contribution 1.5%
BACGAT shares Unix servers and the Bull mainframe with other applications.
Grading: The system requires a more complicated server configuration.
|
|
Score |
Coverage |
Weight |
| Capacity and scalability |
|
100.0 |
|
2.6 |
Score 100% × weight 2.6% = contribution 2.6%
The system is run on shared hardware. The capacity and scalability of the hardware is not currently known. However, the main technologies (Sun hardware, Unix, Oracle) are known to be highly scalable. It should be possible to scale the system to meet BBB's needs for the foreseeable future, e.g. by running it on its own dedicated servers.
Grading: System capacity is acceptable, and system is scalable.
Each response is given a score between 0 and 100%.
The score is shown on the graphs.
|
Good
|
|
The score is shown in green |
|
Bad
|
|
The difference between the score and 100% is shown in red. |
|
Unknown
|
|
Questions that have not been answered are shown in grey. |
Each response has a weight. The height of the bars on the chart shows the weight.
The contribution of a response is the score multiplied by the weight.
Responses are arranged in groups.
The score for each group is the weighted average of the scores of all the responses in the group.
The contribution of each group is the sum of all the contributions of all the responses in the group.
The height of the bars on the charts show the weight of the response groups.
These are on a different scale to the bars for individual responses.
(If there are many levels of grouping, the scale of the bars across each level of grouping is consistent.)
Coverage
is the percentage of the responses for which answers are available, adjusted for
their weight. (It is the sum of green and red boxes.)
Priority
is a scale from 1 to 5, with one being the most important. It roughly summarises how likely the impact
is to occur, and how significant the impact is likely to be. The likelihood is likely (probability > 50%),
possible (probability 10-50%) and not likely (probability < 10%). The impact is significant (business
activities can not be continued), moderate (business activities are impacted but can continue) and
minor (business activities not impacted).
-
Requires very urgent action: significant disruption, likely.
-
Requires urgent action: significant disruption, possible; or moderate disruption, likely.
-
Requires action: significant disruption, not likely; moderate disruption, possible; or minor disruption, likely.
-
Requires consideration: moderate disruption, not likely; or minor disruption, possible.
-
Requires awareness: minor disruption, not likely.
This is only an indicative scale.
End