Argenta clients rely on secure e-banking

Argenta CIO Brigitte Buyle was a guest speaker at the 2022 edition of ThinkThings. The bank insurer retains all governance under its own management but relies on Proximus as a managed security service provider for the operational part of IT security.

A responsible bank insurer

“Can you really be a fan of a bank?”, a young woman asks herself in an advertisement for Argenta that can be seen online and on TV. If Argenta has anything to do with it, yes you can. The fact that customers describe themselves as ‘fans’ has everything to do with the purpose of the company. In an unpredictable world a responsible bank insurer is essential. Argenta stays close to its 1.7 million customers by providing them with simple and open support for their financial health, by strongly focusing on proximity and human contact, combined with digital support.

Risks evolving ever faster

“Customer expectations are high,” says Brigitte Buyle. “They rely on the app working anytime, anywhere. At the same time, the security of the app has to be guaranteed at all times. After all, customers work with GDPR-sensitive and confidential financial data in the app.” That puts a lot of pressure on the CIO. “In an unpredictable world, you can no longer do everything on your own and, within IT security, the complexity is only increasing. Working with partners allows Argenta to focus on its customers,” said Buyle. The challenge is particularly great in the field of cybersecurity.

Cybercriminals are finding increasingly creative ways to attack. So the risks are evolving at lightning speed, while customers continue to rely on a perfectly secure app.

Brigitte Buyle, CIO Argenta

Operational implementation of security policy

Argenta therefore chose to entrust Proximus with the network security operations of their online applications. Argenta remains responsible for everything in the area of security governance but engages Proximus as a managed security service provider for the operational implementation of the security policy. “Proximus is the unique partner that signs off on the SLAs we strive for,” said Buyle. In concrete terms, Proximus fulfils this role from its Security Operations Center (SOC). Should an incident occur, the CSIRT (Cyber Security Incident Response Team) is ready to take action.

For Argenta, the rollout of Proximus as a managed security service provider proved to be a complex and challenging project. “Don’t underestimate the technical complexity of the whole thing,” said Buyle. “As a company, you definitely need to invest the necessary time and effort to get this new approach in order.” And that’s not really surprising. “Within IT, the level of complexity is only increasing. There is often a high level of unpredictability.”

Brigitte Buyle, CIO Argenta

Integral part of the IT and security roadmap

In the meantime, Argenta can look back on a successful transition to Proximus as a managed security service provider. “It’s an approach that is now an integral part of our IT and security roadmap,” Buyle concluded. “Together, we have succeeded in taking our IT security to the next level. We will continue to optimize our operational cooperation with Proximus, with one clear goal in mind: Argenta wants to continue to focus entirely on its customers.”