ALVARA Interactive Cash Control manages the cash cycle between financial, commercial, and cash-in-transit companies. In focus: efficient processes and secure documentation. And that's been the case for over 17 years. In 2006 and 2007, we developed the idea of a platform that transparently manages the entire path of cash from deposit at any cashpoint to booking at the Bundesbank—and immediately set out to implement it. The result was our ICC solution for modern and digital cash management.
ICC – The Beginning of Modern Cash Management
Do you remember the unprecedented fraud scandal of a leading cash transport company in Germany? In 2006, it dominated the headlines. " wrote DER SPIEGEL. " reported the Rheinische Post. The background: A million-dollar fraud was traced back to the Heros corporate group. And this happened in an industry where customers should be able to rely on 100 percent reliability and security.
What does that have to do with us? Numerous commercial companies were directly affected by this scandal, with damages reaching many millions of euros in some cases. It was a wake-up call for the industry. The need for security and transparency became immensely important overnight. Many commercial enterprises turned to ALVARA with a request for a solution; even then, we were among the leading software suppliers for cash-in-transit companies.
The idea matured, not just to provide advisory support on this topic but to develop and offer a real solution for our customers. That's why in the same year we started the project to develop ALVARA ICC. The goal was clear: The software should monitor and protect cash cycles in Germany. Early milestones and awards quickly showed us that we were on the right track:
– 2007: Founding of ALVARA AG, presentation of ALVARA Interactive Cash Control (ICC) at the ALVARA INNOVATION DAYS 2007
– 2007: CashEDI certification by the Deutsche Bundesbank as one of the first companies
– 2008: First pilot customer and award for ALVARA ICC with the Security Innovation Award 2008
– 2009: ALVARA INNOVATION DAYS finally establish themselves as the forum for cash logisticians in Germany + first productive CashEDI cash order
– 2012: "Best Cloud Service" award by SAP for the ALVARA ICC platform
– 2013: Merger of CMS Cash Management Systems GmbH into ALVARA Cash Management Group AG
– 2015: The first "Cash Dialogue" – a working group of experts for discussion and creation of standards
– 2016: ALVARA Logistic App with live connection to ALVARA ICC for digital receipts and shipment tracking in real time
– 2018: Digital driver authorization – safe, efficient, and intuitive
– 2020: Integration of the Safelogy Smart Monitoring Platform to connect smart safes and cash recyclers
– 2021: ICC App for mobile devices as a digital solution for the PC- and paperless branch of tomorrow
At a Glance: Our ICC Highlights
Commercial embezzlement was the starting point for our development. System-detected anomalies in cash handling, such as discrepancies in counting or deviations from the specified denominations, triggered alarms. Inconsistencies with contractually fixed aspects at Bundesbank deposits, such as depositing at the Bundesbank one banking day after pickup at the branch, were also considered in the software. Thus, ICC was initially primarily a technical control instance.
But times changed, and so did the requirements of our customers from the retail, banking, and cash-in-transit sectors for a supporting software solution. Particularly increased costs and more time consumption in cash processes led us to optimize our solution and expand with new functions. This resulted in software that replaced analog procedures with digital cash management.
Today, ALVARA ICC stands even more for security through comprehensive automation and monitoring functions. It stands for efficient processes, for example, through optimized cash orders, and it places the highest priority on ensuring transparency from deposit at the cashpoint to booking at the Bundesbank.
ICC Today
With these benefits in tow, Interactive Cash Control has finally developed into one of the leading and established industry solutions for controlling the cash cycle between financial, commercial, and cash-in-transit companies. The ICC modules are also flexible and customer-specific—usable via the platform solution or the ICC App—and enable tailor-made solutions for our customers. What this means in day-to-day business is shown by some numbers, data, and facts about the software:
– Over 15 million safebags are recorded annually through ICC.
– Currently, around 60 customers work with the system.
– Over 120 cash and POS systems are already integrated into the application today.
– With usage, branch employees and headquarters achieve a good 50 to 70 percent time savings.
– ICC benefits from data protection-compliant server hosting in Germany and in-house development.
Conclusion and Outlook
However, no final point has been put under the development of the ICC platform. Our system continues to grow steadily with customer requirements and increasing digitalization. New, innovative features are already in planning. The vault inventory of coins via smartphone photo, document management in the ICC App, or AI-supported demand-oriented routing are just three outlooks into an optimized ICC future.
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