The Co-operative Group in the UK has simplified its payments infrastructure with a fully outsourced Postilion platform from Transaction Network Services, read our case study to learn more.

1. Co-operative Group Chooses
TNS for Outsourced ACI
Postilion Solution
Transaction Network Services (TNS) is one of the leading providers of fast, secure
and cost effective data communication services for transaction-oriented applications
Background
The Co-operative Group is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned by more than seven
million consumers. It is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, the leading convenience store
operator and a major financial services provider, operating 4,800 retail trading outlets and
employing more than 100,000 people with an annual turnover of over £13 billion.
Business Challenge
The Co-operative Group’s payment processing platforms had evolved dramatically over the years due to the growth
in card payments, new stores and additional payment types. The Co-operative Group had been running its own
payments system in-house for a number of years and with the acquisition of Somerfield Supermarkets it also
acquired an ACI Postilion payments system.
The challenge of PCI DSS meant that significant effort and expertise was required to upgrade the payment
systems of both The Co-operative Group and Somerfield.
As with many retailers, unmasked card details were being stored locally in the store payment systems, which
necessitated a major upgrade of the entire payment infrastructure within The Co-operative Group. Data centre
facilities also had to be migrated for business reasons, which added to the scope of work, all of which had to be
resolved quickly to enable PCI DSS compliance to be achieved.
www.tnsi.com
One Connection – A World of Opportunities
CASE
STUDY

2. www.tnsi.com
Global Expertise
• TNS is a global provider of
payment services with over 20
years of experience in the industry.
• TNS is highly experienced in
managing ACI Postilion platforms,
having deployed one of the first
systems in Europe.
• Since then, TNS has deployed
Postilion platforms for ATM
driving, POS processing, card
scheme switching, etopup and
card issuing, using our expertise
to correctly engineer, implement
and manage solutions that meet
the demanding needs of our
customers.
• A team of experienced and highly
skilled Postilion systems analysts
and support personnel.
Simplified PCI DSS
Compliance
• The TNS solution provides PCI DSS
compliant payment processing,
network connectivity and file
settlement.
• The service is securely hosted in
PCI DSS compliant data centers
and is directly connected to the
TNS Secure Payments Network
for onward connectivity to leading
acquirers and processors.
• Overnight file settlement is
managed by TNS’ PCI DSS
certified file settlement service.
• Payment processing, network
connectivity and file settlement
are all fully managed and annually
PCI DSS certified.
Reduced Costs, Simplified
Payment Processing
• Bringing more than 14 years of
Postilion platform management,
TNS can manage the full process
from planning to implementation,
bringing a wealth of experience to
improve service, lower costs and
simplify your payment processing.
• Expandable and adaptable
service that can support future
technology enhancements.
Proactive Management
• Managed 24x7x365 from two
TNS Network Operations Centres
with a dedicated Postilion help
desk, the service is continually
monitored to ensure maximum
availability and performance.
• TNS’ proactive approach ensures
that systems remain secure
and compliant with PCI DSS
requirements, both now and in
the future.
• Comprehensive service level
reporting and management
information.
www.tnsi.com
Why Choose TNS
Solution
The Co-operative Group made the
decision to simplify its infrastructure
and processing systems by selecting
TNS to provide a fully outsourced
solution for its retail stores and
service stations using the ACI
Postilion platform.
The Co-operative Group was a long
standing customer of TNS, utilising
our PCI DSS certified Secure
Payments Network to securely and
reliably connect its existing
payment systems to UK acquirers
and processors. As a result of the
company’s expertise in the ACI
Postilion platform, TNS was a natural
choice for The Co-operative Group’s
latest payments challenge.
Working with The Co-operative
Group and ACI, TNS implemented a
new Active-Active Postilion solution
for the retail stores and petrol
stations, and managed the PCI DSS
certification process on behalf of
The Co-operative Group.
The solution resides in TNS’ core
data centres and TNS manages the
annual PCI DSS re-certification by a
Qualified Security Assessor.
End-to-end network connectivity
from The Co-operative Group
through to acquirers and processors
is included in the service, along with
overnight file settlement, all managed
by TNS’ PCI DSS certified processing
and network infrastructure.
The solution offers The Co-operative
Group a true one-stop shop,
delivered by a trusted payments
provider. TNS has responsibility and
visibility of the full life-cycle of the
transaction, from authorisation
through to file settlement. With no
hand-off to other suppliers at any
point, TNS is able to provide truly
accountable service levels to The
Co-operative Group.
The benefits of a Postilion
platform for a sizeable group
like The Co-operative are
numerous, particularly when
working with an industry
leader such as TNS. We
work with TNS on many
different levels through our
payment services and work
incredibly well with them.
TNS manages each element
of the Postilion platform with
great ease and maximum
effort which only an
experienced provider can do
given the extensive amount
of traffic we experience.
TNS’ commitment to PCI
DSS validation means we
in turn are able to offer our
customers a high level of
service. From configuring
merchant terminals to
constant support for The
Co-operative technical staff,
the TNS Postilion platform
covers security, compliance
and banking covenants
making it a worthwhile
and welcome addition to
our payment network.
“
”
Outcome
Justin Latham Project Manager
at The Co-operative Group said:

3. The PCI Security Standards Council Participating Organization
logo is a trademark or service mark of The PCI Security Standards
Council in the United States and in other countries.
Contact TNS
For more information,
please email solutions@tnsi.com
call: +44 (0) 114 292 0200
or visit www.tnsi.com
www.tnsi.com UK Feb 2015
About TNS
One Connection – A World of Opportunities
For more than two decades, TNS has been one
of the industry’s leading global providers of data
communications and interoperability solutions and a
trusted partner to thousands of financial organisations,
telecommunications providers and retailers worldwide.
We provide secure, mission-critical communications
platforms which enable customers to confidently
exchange information and handle billions of transactions
worldwide every year. TNS can access more than 400
acquirers, processors and banks across over 60
countries.
Built upon our fully resilient, PCI DSS certified backbone,
we operate some of the largest real-time, community
based networks in the payments, telecommunications
and financial services industries. These communities
count on us to provide solutions that ensure their
businesses run seamlessly.