• Overview
• Alpha One
• Biddeford Savings
• Goodwill Industries
• H.M. Payson & Co.
• Macdonald Page & Co.

System Engineering Financial Industry Case Studies

H.M. Payson & Co.

• Managed Security and Critical Care Coverage
  
• CIO Level Strategic and Compliance Planning
  
• Outsourced IT Services.

The Challenge
In the spring of 2007 H.M. Payson & Co., one of the nation's oldest independent investment firms, needed to revamp its Network infrastructure. Teresa M. Esposito, COO & CFO, knew that the company needed to ensure that their systems and applications continued to meet the growing demands of their clients and maintain adherence to increasingly sophisticated SOX and GLBA compliance requirements. In addition, the company wanted to devote more of its internal management focus to its core business and less on the business of technology. Based upon extensive research and consultation with industry regulators and auditors as well as recommendations from peers in the financial industry, H.M. Payson & Co. contacted Systems Engineering. After carefully evaluating three other vendor proposals, H.M. Payson & Co. chose Systems Engineering because they believed they could help them accomplish their Network transformation objectives. Much of their decision was based on System Engineering's experience, reputation, referrals and successful results with other clients in the financial sector.

The Solution
When it comes to handling ultra-sensitive financial data, trust is an imperative. Systems Engineering knew it had to build upon the confidence already shown in the competitive vendor selection process. and several challenges had to be overcome to earn that confidence. Among them was a complete system and infrastructure transformation with minimal downtime - critical in the fast-paced financial industry.

Systems Engineering designed and implemented a highly redundant network that maintained performance and security even as it expanded to incorporate the outsourcing of mission-critical systems. The network infrastructure and servers were all designed with several redundant features. Due to the critical nature of H.M. Payson & Co.'s business, fail-over to a hardened data center was part of the final design. To address security, a highly sophisticated 24/7 end-to-end Managed Security Solution was implemented. The Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System is at the heart of the design and significantly improves threat identification, mitigation responses and regulatory compliance.

Systems Engineering worked with H.M. Payson & Co. to research and audit several web-based applications and vendors. SE then designed and implemented an infrastructure to accommodate the secure data migration to these feature-rich applications. The cost-benefit analysis of the network upgrade project presented an easy decision for H.M. Payson & Co. Not only did the solution present a cost-effective network solution, but it positioned the financial services company with the ability to overlay their investment in the web-based products of their new vendors safely and effectively. In addition, Systems Engineering assumed several IT responsibilities, providing H.M. Payson & Co. with everything from Help Desk and Network Administration to a complete review of the Business Continuity Plan.

Results
With Systems Engineering's assistance, H.M. Payson & Co.'s Network services are now more efficient and responsive than ever. The needs of the H.M. Payson & Co. management team and staff are met consistently and reliably. Critical care service protection, along with Managed Security ensures that the wealth management company's assets are fully safeguarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The entire network and applications continue to meet or exceed the strictest regulatory guidelines. In a time of financial uncertainty, H.M. Payson & Co. clients can rest assured that their sensitive data is safe and secure.

http://hmpayson.com/

"We hired Systems Engineering because we knew that they were an organization that could keep us ahead of the curve. They brought over some very bright, hardworking trustworthy people to help us solve some highly critical IT issues. When it comes to client relationships, Systems Engineering conducts their business in a very similar way to the way we conduct ours. In other words, I feel as if I gained a partner." -- Teresa M. Esposito COO/CFO of H.M. Payson & Co.