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This is Sparda

On Wednesday, 6 May, 1896, the 'Spar- und Vorschuss-Verein der badischen Eisenbahnbeamten', Germany’s first Sparda-Bank, was founded in Karlsruhe. The railroad employees’ idea was to establish their own bank that would allow them to invest money on attractive terms and to take up soft loans if they required.

Today, the Sparda banks are a group of 12 regional cooperative banks. Their 6000 employees are spread out across more than 400 branches and serve a total of almost three million members. Traditionally, the needs of private customers have been at the heart of the bank’s business activities, true to the motto 'friendly and fair'. By purchasing cooperative shares the customers of the Sparda banks can become members of their bank and thus not only benefit from attractive conditions but also actively participate in the common business.

As a cooperative bank the Sparda Bank first of all serves the interests of its individual members. Customer satisfaction is the top priority. The yearly German consumer study 'Kundenmonitor Deutschland' has repeatedly and impressively shown that this goal is continuously achieved. Among the nine banks participating in the study in 2008, the Sparda banks again ranked number one for the sixteenth consecutive time.

The trading area of the Sparda Bank Regensburg comprises a total of 16 branch offices. Johannes Tegethoff, vice-chairman of the Sparda Bank Regensburg, explains: “The Sparda Bank Regensburg currently has more than 80 000 members. It is our main priority to satisfy their needs. That also includes a high-quality video surveillance system in order to have evidentiary image material in case of an emergency. That requirement was the reason for us to choose Dallmeier.”

The decision to use the Dallmeier systems was made following extensive testing of the devices. The bank was no longer satisfied with the image quality produced by its cameras. In particular, strong backlighting through glass façades or reflecting tiles had repeatedly caused problems in the past. Therefore, the management of the bank tested Dallmeier cameras with Cam_inPIX technology and was excited by the results. Martin Heidenreich, responsible for organisation/IT, explains: “Whereas in some instances we only saw a person with a black face, we now have high-quality image material which allows us to discern all the important details. That is a major advantage, particularly when it comes to clearly identifying people.”

Gradually, the existing cameras within the bank’s trading area are being replaced by Dallmeier cameras. Besides other cameras, the high-resolution colour box cameras of the DF3000A-DN model and vandal-resistant dome cameras (DDF3000AV-DN) are used. The module camera MDF3000A-M is ideally suited for the installation in cash dispensers, because despite the heavily tinted pane it delivers detailed image material thanks to its Cam_inPIX technology.

Recording on special bank recorders

Furthermore, the bank’s existing recording devices will be gradually replaced by the Dallmeier DMS 240 recorders. The DMS 240 is a standalone H.264 audio and video recorder with up to 24 analog channels. Its certifications and specific system parameters make the DMS 240 Bank an optimal device for the use in banks.

The various settings of the bank-specific software allow for the ideal configuration of the recorders for different applications and areas of use, whether in the cashier’s office, the vault or foyer. The integration of external data, for example from cash dispensers, cash registers or access control systems can optionally be carried out without any problems via the Dallmeier Network Interface DNI. The connection of the ATM to the recorder gives the user a variety of search functions, for instance by reference to bank account numbers. If an incident should occur, the recorded image material can quickly and efficiently be called up. Also, the Dallmeier SEDOR technology offers additional security through an automatic camera sabotage protection (turning, covering, focus change and spray painting).

Moreover, the DMS 240 also allows for ATM activity survey where the recorder checks whether transactions take place at the cash dispenser. Should there be no transactions during the selected period of time, a message will be sent. That mechanism prevents the accidental and unnoticeable failure of recording, for example during the conversion of ATM protocols (which happens every now and then), and ensures that important image data are available if needed.

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