BACScontingency

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Reliability Rating

The BACScontingency.com Reliability Rating System (BRRS) was designed in 2008 by a team of BACS system experts after the examination of a series of BACS problems across a broad range of organisations. The rating system aims to provide Accountants, Treasurers and system auditors with a simple means to verify the efficacy of a company's BACS systems and procedures.

To aid the development of the system please add your comments at the end in order that the wider BACS community may benefit through further development of the system. Many thanks for your participation.

NB. The information entered will be treated with complete confidentiality and will not be transmitted in any form to any third party. Bacscontingency.com will use the data purely for its own research.

Identify the BACS Processes in use by your organisation by monthly volume:

Payroll
PAYE/VAT
Suppliers
Direct Debits

What % of the Organisations Financial Transactions are internally generated BACS transactions?

0 to 10%

11 to 25%

26% to 50%

51% to 75%

75%+

How does your organisation Submit BACS Transactions to BACS

By Smartcard

BY HSM

By Bureau

By Smartcard & HSM

By Smartcard & Bureau

By Bureau & HSM

All of the above

How many Staff possess Smartcards?

1 Employee has a Smartcard

2 or 3 Employees have Smartcards

4 + Employees have Smartcards

We also possess reserve smartcards

Does your organisation have more than one means of access to BACS i.e. multiple ISPs and/or dial-up access?

Yes

Is the BACS submission software available on more than 1 computer?

Yes

Is there an offsite BACS system available in case of an onsite system failure?

Yes - Regularly proven and tested every 3 months

Yes - But not regularly proven and tested

Is there a strict split of responsibilities between BACS Data Creation, Data Validation and Submission?

Yes - A minimum of 3 separate persons are involved in the process

Yes - 2 people are involved in creating and submitting the BACS Data

No - Only 1 person is routinely involved in the entire process

Is the use of Smartcards strictly controlled e.g. no delegation or sharing of passwords?

Yes

Is it possible to alter data between its creation in an application and its validation in the BACS submission software?

Yes

Is Network and PC security procedures including password use, sharing and password retiral enforced in your organisation?

Yes - Rigidly

Yes - But occassional sharing of password and logins condoned

No - No policies or procedures in place

What is your organisation's approach to the maintenance, replacement, upgrade of hardware and software and to related user training?

Hardware and software is replaced when it fails or replacement is forced upon us. Training is very occassional or never.

We replace hardware and software on an ad hoc basis without any plan. Training is provided as and when requested.

Hardware and software is replaced on a planned basis and is routinely tested. Software is supported by maintenance agreements. Staff are encouraged to underatke relavant training and opportunities sought to develop and improve knowledge and systems.

Suggestions :

Do you have any additional questions or comments regarding BRRS?


		"BACScontingency is the same as equipment insurance, I wouldn’t run my business without insurance and I feel the same about paying my employees. I have to be certain they will get paid on time, they are the company’s most valuable resource and BACScontingency is my insurance they will remain so."


		© 2008 BACScontingency. BACScontingency is a division of Scarista Limited trading as Eagle Consulting registered in Scotland No. 152660. We are an Investors in People Company and an accredited BACS Bureau since 1998. Registered address – 15a Harbour Road, Inverness, IV1 1SY