A guide to successful payment switch migrations
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The document is a comprehensive guide for successfully migrating payment-switch systems, addressing the growing demand for better payment services across various channels. It outlines factors influencing migration strategy selection, compares phased and big-bang migration approaches, and emphasizes the importance of thorough planning, testing, and best practices to mitigate risks. Additionally, Opus Consulting offers expertise in this area, helping organizations navigate the complexities of payment-switch migrations effectively.
A guide to successful payment switch migrations
- 1. 1 A GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL PAYMENT-SWITCH MIGRATIONS
- 2. 2 Contents Introduction................................................................................................................ 3 The Hunt for a New Switch.......................................................................................... 3 Migration Approach.................................................................................................... 4 Table 1. The Business Impact of the Switch Migration Decision...............................4 Factors Influencing Migration Strategy Selection ..........................................................5 The Phased Migration Approach ....................................................................................6 Table 2. Phased Approach Advantages/Disadvantages .............................................6 The Big-Bang Migration Approach..................................................................................7 Table 3. Big Bang Approach Advantages/Disadvantages...........................................7 Key Migration Project Milestones ............................................................................... 8 Best Practices: An Overview...................................................................................... 10 About Opus Consulting.............................................................................................. 11
- 3. 3 Introduction It’s hard to maintain a legacy switch given the growing market demand for better payment services. The growing popularity of online shopping -- and online banking -- is driving the demand for better payment services, and mobile-payment technologies are further raising consumer expectations for additional payment systems features and functionality. The ability to provide a unique and seamless customer experience is the key goal for next-generation systems. Regulatory compliance and regional- provider mandates are additional factors to be addressed by new payment systems. A fiercely competitive market for acquirers also requires bank issuers and payment processors to tailor their systems to meet business needs in a timely and cost-effective manner. The Hunt for a New Switch With the launch of every new payment product or function, the legacy-switch performance is impacted by increases in transaction volume, customer demands, narrowing profit margin and increasing manual operations. Vendors who cease support for their older products (aka product "sunsets") also drive switch-migration decisions. Every new payment product builds on the availability, technology, scalability and reliability of a switch, which means it constantly requires maintenance support. There is, consequently a growing need for a multiplatform solution, which can acquire transactions across many different channels; manage electronic payment devices, and also perform high-volume switching, routing and authorization services. In retail payments, the dividing lines between card payments, mobile payments, electronic funds transfers, and new alternative payments methods are narrowing. Providing a seamless payments experience depends on an open and flexible switch that can deliver an integrated experience across all these channels. Real-time processing, speed of response, and round-the clock availability are also vital in order to meet customer expectations. To summarize, the drivers for switch migration include: New payment channels More Payment types Technology Lifecycle Customer expectations Increased competitions Globalization Compliance requirements
- 4. 4 Migration Approach Once the decision to either buy an Off the Shelf (OTS) product or build a custom solution is made, an important question remains: how will the migration be accomplished? How does the organization choose the correct migration services provider? What confidence do we have that the provider can complete the migration to the new switch on time and within budget? As described in Table 1, switch migrations are crucial decisions for organizations. Systems with higher complexity need a totally different migration approach as compared to common complex systems. Considering the increasing functions -- and the heavier transaction load -- which a switch has to support today, the experience of the migration-services provider must be proportionately greater to qualify for selection. Table 1. The Business Impact of the Switch Migration Decision Business Area Switch Migration Avoided Switch Migration Enacted Hardware and Software cost No incremental implementation costs for hardware or software (maintenance costs are high, but can be budgeted/managed) Need to spend on hardware and software licences to scale up Business Continuity Stability of operations and continuity of high availability Need to realign operational activity according to migration strategy and business continuity may hamper Revenue No growth on revenue front May achieve growth in revenue and lower maintenance costs Functionality May have to customize alot to gain a little new functionality Support new payment channels and functions with less development/implementation cost Technology support Product support "sunset" limits legacy switch improvements Continuous technology support to new payment switch Business Benefits No new business benefit Open new business streamlines and revenue opportunity
- 5. 5 The options for data- migration have changed in recent years. Migrating from an existing switch requires careful consideration to ensure a seamless migration with minimum or no impact to ongoing business operations. It is crucial to obtain a clear understanding of the existing business, operation and application environment. This information is required to develop a successful migration strategy. With proper planning, an existing switch application can be either migrated or upgraded to become the new switch system. Perhaps the most important decision -- one that can directly impact the success or failure of the switch-migration project -- is whether the transition from the current platform to the new platform should be (1) an instant switch-over, that is a 'Big Bang' (all at once) Approach, or (2) a phased approach. The factors to be considered in making this decision follow. Factors Influencing Migration Strategy Selection A logical segregation of data sets based upon terminal volume helps in deciding the best switch- migration strategy. A description of the major factors and related data sets follows. Total Number of Terminals to be Migrated It is crucial to obtain a clear understanding of the number of terminals to be migrated and their operational behavior. This information is required to develop a successful migration strategy. Total Number of Terminals by Volume, Vendor and Model/ Type A logical segregation of terminals will play a vital role on deciding a migration strategy, this information is an integral part of migration planning. ATM/POS Groups Grouping of ATM/POS can segregate your technical requirements such as keys exchange, terminal- profile configurations, etc. The result of this grouping activity may suggest, for example, that all branch ATMs may be migrated first to reduce the impact on business continuity. Acquiring BINs by Volume, Vendor and Model/Type An understanding of the institution’s operational environment leads to a successful migration, avoiding failures that occur due to last- minute changes. Acquiring BINs Multiple Acquiring BINs is an indicator that the safer strategy is to migrate terminals in a phased manner. Merchant Turnover Merchant turnover is a critical factor that can reduce risk and maintain business continuity during migration.
- 6. 6 The Phased Migration Approach A Phased data migration has a number of names -- iterative data migration, trickle-feed data migration, synchronized data migration and so on. In essence, they all mean the same thing - the data will be migrated in smaller increments until there is nothing left to move. Depending on the nature of the data, phasing the data migration is always less of a risk to a migration project, not only from a data migration process view, but also from a business transformation view. Some of the actions to be taken during a phased- approach migration: Identify deployment architecture End-to-end planning of testing and UAT stages- Identification of data set for various phases Data validation and data integrity checks Concurrent connectivity for both the platforms Operational activity (BAU) process re-engineering for working with two end- of- day systems Performance consideration- monitoring and measuring Roll- back approach finalization and testing Stakeholder approval and moving with the next- phase data Security considerations Certification planning Table 2. Phased Approach Advantages/Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Less risk Longer implementation time to fully convert Employees learn as they go – there is no dip in performance caused by the need to learn the new system Not as focused as the Big Bang approach More time for users to adapt to the new system A state of continuous change can sometimes be disruptive Small details or issues can be fixed as you go Can have missing information because each module relies on info from others, so in a transitional period there may be some gaps Skills and experience are gained with each phase which can help smooth the process as you get further along Temporary bridges need to be made from old to new
- 7. 7 The Big-Bang Migration Approach A "Big-Bang" data migration is where an entire dataset is moved from the source to the target switch in one operation. This should typically be carried out over a weekend or planned down-time period. Large Big Bang migration projects should be avoided if possible, but it is noted that some situations do require the Big Bang approach. There is no absolute guarantee that, after a Big Bang migration, everything will be working the next day when you come in and use the system. Roll-back procedures must be in place to correct any "wrong events" that occur. Some of the actions to be taken during a big bank migration: Identify deployment architecture End to end planning of testing and UAT stages 'Dry run' planning--conduct a 'dry run' of the big bang migration with a few terminals and a roll-back option Verification and fixing of issues identified during dry run Planning for final go-live with all terminals Avoid roll back unless there are multiple P1 issues Monitoring performance of migrated switch Addressing security and compliance need Table 3. Big Bang Approach Advantages/Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Shorter implementation time High risk Lower costs Small details or issues can be overlooked in the rush Pain and frustrations are condensed into one time period, not drawn out Users have to learn the new system immediately – this could result in a dip in performance No one has to operate their business in two different operating systems Testing of migration and post migration processes is even more critical Everyone in the company moves forward on the same day Failures in one part of the system can cause problems and failures in others Training needed only on the new system, not a changeover
- 8. 8 Key Migration Project Milestones The migration project plan includes all the tasks which are to be carried out before the actual data migration to the new switch system takes place. Factors such as product features, operations, business processes, downtime, cardholder impacts and communication, impacts on ancillary systems, and scheme-certification planning impacted during migration. Below are the major tasks and project milestones to be accomplished during the migration project. Data Analysis Data analysis is one of the first and most important activities undertaken to gain an understanding of the legacy switch source data. The relationships between data elements, primary keys, and the target- system data- model requirements need to be determined. Business Transformation and Impact on Data Requirements Migrating to a new or upgraded switch may require the business to either adapt their operational process or create additional processes to support the system. Each of these processes may require data to be read from, or written to, data presentation and data formatting. These requirements are important, as the legacy- source data may not be in the correct format and/or some of that data may no longer be required for the migration. A lot of time can be wasted validating, cleansing and transforming irrelevant legacy data. Understanding how the legacy data is going to be used ahead of its migration could save time and effort. Data Validation and Mapping Rules Configuration The outcome of the data analysis activity is needed before the rules for data validation and mapping can be defined. Source-data validation may be required as some of the target attributes in the target- system data model may be mandatory. The resulting rules must be present to preserve the integrity of the target system. Data Cleansing Data accuracy is important, since most data attributes are used by the switch to trigger an event or operation. Cleansing of the legacy-switch data may be required before migration to ensure that the mandatory target fields are populated. In addition, a data-quality initiative audit maybe required. Quality and Success Criteria The migration process must be monitored to determine if it is achieving its purpose. Once all the project tasks have been defined, each task should be checked to ensure that the quality and success criteria are defined. Allocating Responsibility and Ownership
- 9. 9 The migration project plan should include a process to define the accountability and responsibility for each task, and that this component of the plan is available for reference during migration. The owner will be accountable for the task and ensure that it is accomplished and meets the specified quality standard(s). Each task process -- and the related rollback procedures -- should be fully tested and approved for the related function(s). Data- and System-Freeze Times The data-freeze time can be defined as the duration (scheduled date/timeframe) of the Production phase; no changes to the source data can be made during this time. Depending on the nature of the data, the actual freeze time is planned to be as brief as possible, since all system operations that impact the data must cease. Automated Testing The risk profile of your migration project can be reduced through automated testing. A real-time, automated, transaction-based test environment simulates network connections and end-to-end transaction behavior to ensure all infield scenarios can be tested effectively. Once all the related tasks have been identified and the task owners have been assigned, the end- to- end process is ready to be tested. The testing of the complete process is important and should be carried out a number of times until the process achieves the quality and success criteria/requirements consistently. Support Your Customers Successful migrations require the continued support of external parties throughout the process. The project plan should include the requirements of terminal integrators and merchants or other payment- channel providers. If you are providing switching services for other banks connected to your switch, then your migration plan will need to consider how to support their migration.
- 10. 10 Best Practices: An Overview Employing best practices for payment switch migrations increases the likelihood that your project will be successful. The first and foremost requirement is to develop a comprehensive project plan for the migration, specifying the goal and defining the objectives in the project definition document. Your organization’s business strategy might also play a vital role in switch migration. If you want to take significant cost, risk and time out of the migration equation, it is essential to: identify the right migration approach, identify the factors influencing switch migration, and identify the appropriate tools. Emphasizing the testing and data validation tasks as key components of your migration strategy will significantly reduce project risk, as well as lower overall costs. The right quality checks and success criteria will help you to design and deliver a migration in a way that meets the needs of your business. It provides the assurance you need to guarantee performance at every step, from evaluation to certification and live production. Adopting this best practices approach will keep your organization on the path to a successful switch migration, as well as deliver significant competitive advantage on an on-going basis. Switch migration is an intensive and complex project, involving a broad range of internal and external stakeholders. Even the best-prepared payments business can find unforeseen difficulties in migration. We trust this Guide will help your project team avoid the more costly pitfalls.
- 11. 11 About Opus Consulting Opus Consulting has experience with complex and highly complex payment switch migrations with all leading third-party products. Opus has the prerequisite payments- domain expertise for consulting, customization, implementation and support services that suit the dynamic needs of the customers. We have been an implementation partner for banks where both switch migration approaches -- Big Bang (instant switch over) as well a phased migration -- have been employed as per business need. We help customers decide migration strategy by analyzing the likely impact of various approaches to the migration process. Opus has a track record of success with payment-switch migration, domain consulting, implementation and support. This experience includes migrations to and from BASE24 products, electraSWITCHTM ,Postilion, etc. switches. Opus is committed to utilizing industry best practices for switch migration projects and achieving 100% successful switch migration based on predefined performance requirements. Our proprietary toolsets expedite switch migration tasks and reduce the overall duration of the project. Opus also has compiled more than 3000 test cases to verify and validate the new switch environment, further reducing project risk, as well as time- to- market.