Bank tech-trends News
 

November 20 - November 24, 2006

• Hardware News
• Software Updates
• ATMs/Kiosks
• Biometric Digest Highlights
• Wireless World
• Security Section
• Leaders Roundtable
• Technology and Marketing
• Online Banking/E-Commerce/
  Website Design
• Internet Access
• Call Centers

Hardware News

Hewlett-Packard is now offering a dual-processor server using Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processors, a system that combines a slim design with reliability features for business-computing tasks. The ProLiant DL365 includes integrated remote-management abilities, as well as backup fans and power supplies to help the system weather hardware failures. A version with a single 2.6GHz processor and 1GB of memory costs $4,311, while one with a 1.8GHz Opteron and 1GB of memory costs $2,319.

“Triage” is a French word that means “sorting” and is often associated with medical emergencies. It also is used by some IT Departments to help them categorize problems to ensure that important issues receive faster service than less important problems. We will provide some examples of Help Desk triage strategies in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

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ATMs/Kiosks

A Diebold study has found that consumers would view financial institutions more favorably if they offered more advanced features at ATMs. Their research found that consumers would be more impressed with banks with ATMs that could offer them a range of high-technology security and convenience features, such as biometric identification capabilities, movie ticket or postage stamp dispensing, and the ability to get printed statements and more detailed deposit receipts. Consumers also looked favorably on check-imaged receipts and itemized receipts for cash deposits.

NCR made quite a few announcements at last week's BAI conference. They introduced the NCR EasyPoint 42 which can provide several important non-cash services, including advertising the bank’s latest product information in branch, automating the account sign-up process and migrating low-value transactions, such as change-of-address, statement request and electronic payments, away from the teller or customer service desk. They also announced the release of ImageMark Deposit Review, an application designed to detect, isolate and evaluate “suspect” check deposits early in the check processing process — before posting or image exchange occurs. Finally, they said that they lead the ATM Industry with “No Envelope” deposit deployments with over 2,200 ATMs in the US which are capable of accepting both checks and cash.

Wincor Nixdorf and Alogent have entered a check-processing partnership that the firms say features the industry’s first smart-client ATM. The deposit-automation solution provides a real-time dialogue between the deposit channel and the check processing back-end using Web-services technology. This allows a specialized check-processing platform to be implemented in the branch, item processing center, or data center.

Looking to increase Brand Recognition and provide members with surcharge free ATMs?

Nationwide Money Services, Inc.’s Branded Cash Program is the answer. Fully endorsed by the VA Credit Union League and the CU 24 Network, our Branded Cash Program provides the ATM equipment, great locations, processing, maintenance, insurance, marketing rights and surcharge free transactions for your members, you only provide the cash and cash services for the ATM just as you would if you owned them. The ATMs look and act like your own, extending your reach or filling out your current market.

Our current CU partners include: AEDC, Beacon, Bronco, Carolina Collegiate, Educators, Freedom First, Food Lion Credit Association, Heritage Trust, Martinsville Dupont, NSWC, Old Hickory, Peoples Advantage, Southeast Financial and US Courthouse.

NMS also offers their ‘ATMs Made Easy’ Program for full service ATM management and placement services if you like the idea of having ATMs, but don’t want the hassle of day to day management and the associated costs for maintenance and unplanned expenses like triple DES.

For more information about the Branded Cash Program contact Bob Colabrese, EVP of Sales & Marketing at:

904-395-1147 or

bob.colabrese@GLXS.biz

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Sargent and Greenleaf, a subsidiary of Stanley Security Solutions Inc., is now offering a biometric safe deposit system. The TouchVault system is a fully automated safe deposit banking solution that employs biometric fingerprint technology to authenticate customers and control day-gate access.

Cogneto, the developer of a two-way, multi-factor authentication platform called UNOMI, is partnering with Cognitec Systems, a leading developer of facial recognition software, to integrate facial biometrics into UNOMI. By integrating this physical biometric into UNOMI, Cogneto says that they are the first company to bring facial recognition to the online banking market. Using their own webcams, users can receive a higher level of identity assurance for their online bank accounts. Cognitec’s software matches images of users with photos taken by UNOMI during the normal log-in process. This application will be integrated into UNOMI’s consensus model, which uses information from multiple factors to determine a user’s security and risk rating.

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Mobile banking and payments enabler Firethorn Holdings has formed a strategic alliance with Cingular Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, which will bring mobile banking and payments services to Cingular Wireless customers. From a single, secure, Cingular-signed application, consumers will be able to view account balances, transfer funds, receive and pay bills, and quickly clear contents if their mobile device is ever lost or stolen. And because Firethorn is a downloadable application, consumers can perform functions on all supported Cingular handsets, even when the device is offline.

Mobile payments were a hot topic at last week's BAI’s Retail Delivery Conference & Expo and Richard Crone, CEO of Crone Consulting, covered the topic and noted that they can provide banks with new opportunities to generate revenue and acquire customers. Crone said that phones will become a preferred device for payment because more people typically carry a mobile phone with them, making it easier to access for quick payments. He noted that financial institutions should be proactive in signing up consumers for such new forms of payment.

Samsung executives are offering a look into the future for their cell phones, and that vision includes more powerful processors and more storage. By 2010 or so, handsets will use flexible or holographic displays; could have processors that run at clock speeds up to 5 GHz; and may pack up to 10GB of flash memory or hard disks that can hold 20GB of data or more, according to the company. They also predict that their cell phones will offer a wide range of entertainment and online services, such as shopping.

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Digital Resolve, a top security company and a leader in risk-based authentication solutions, has been named by Bank Technology News as a top bank technology innovator for the second consecutive year. In the November 2006 issue, Bank Technology News recognized Digital Resolve for its innovative Trusted Server Technology.

At the recent Computer Security Institute’s annual conference, much of the focus was on security measures such as data classification and encryption, end-user access and authentication, and usage monitoring and auditing. Some attendees noted that after focusing for years on installing technologies such as firewalls and intrusion-detection systems to better secure their networks, they are now focusing on providing stronger protections for the data in their systems. One attendee said that their goal was to take a holistic, risk-based approach to securing data and understand that it involves “people, process and technology.”

Armorpoint, a leading provider of on-demand identity theft management solutions, has introduced a web-based resource center as well as proactive tools and services to provide personal data protection for ID fraud mitigation and risk management. Armorpoint's on-line resource center offers subscriptions to e-alerts on industry threats and announcements, phishing attacks and data breaches. Subscribers also can obtain ID theft and credit education as well as access tools for ID theft management and resolution assistance. In addition, Armorpoint's Blanket Protection Service provides 24/7 victim assistance, one-on-one resolution service and $25,000 in identity theft insurance.

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Stay Tuned for Upcoming Leaders Roundtables! 

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A new kind of home loan, called a mortgage accelerator, has migrated to the United States from Australia and the United Kingdom. This loan should not be confused with biweekly programs that shorten a mortgage through extra payments. Learn more about how these innovative programs work in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe today.

According to IBM, "advocates" are people who recommend their financial institution to others, are receptive to additional products and services and stay with their institution even when offered competitive products by other institutions. IBM research shows that just 22% of customers at banks with national franchises are advocates for their banks, compared with 23% of regional bank customers and 30% of community bank customers. IBM found that beyond good service, consumers want a bank that appreciates their business and understands their financial goals. 

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Corillian announced the availability of Corillian TrueStamp, a new website verification technology embedded in Corillian Intelligent Authentication v2.1, the next version of the company's strong authentication solution. TrueStamp adds an additional component of security to a user's online banking experience by securely verifying the banking site to the user before they ever have to enter sensitive information such as a user name and password. TrueStamp does not require users to browse, select or upload pictures, and eliminates the need to maintain a library of binary picture files. The solution generates a unique visual identifier for each user and is active on all the computers the user chooses to "stamp" with their personal images.

CheckFree has launched CheckFree Small Business, an integrated electronic bill payment, invoicing and receivables solution that banks can offer to their small business customers. A critical component of the new solution is the Payment Center, which provides users with a consolidated, real-time view of their cash flow positions, including recently paid and pending bill payments, as well as customer receivables. It also includes multi-tiered authority levels and extended remittance capabilities.

Online Resources has opened a stored value card store on the Web called CardHQ that enables consumers to purchase retail gift cards through their secure online banking and bill payment applications. Available in time for the holiday season, the new service provides Online Resources' bank clients access to the $40 billion gift card market. CardHQ provides a virtual transaction account for the purchase and re-loading of stored value gift cards, which are provided in either physical or virtual form. banks receive fee income for the distribution and funding of gift card purchases. CardHQ currently lets consumers order cards from or create virtual prepaid card accounts with 10 merchants that include: Marriott, J. C. Penney, Starbucks, Best Buy., SpaWish, and several restaurant and clothing merchants.

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE!

ARE YOU DELIVERING THE BEST ONLINE EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Advanced Features: Corillian provides industry-leading online features for Consumers and Businesses which have been rated best in the industry

Unmatched Usability: Corillian has invested years of best practices in delivering the most compelling and user-friendly online experience

Industry-Leading Performance: Corillian customers are recognized for their high performance and reliability

Proactive Security: Increase user confidence through proactive protection of financial assets and support FFIEC guidance for strong authentication

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CORILLIAN ONLINE EXPERIENCE AT:

 WWW.CORILLIAN.COM

OR CONTACT US DIRECTLY AT:

INFO@CORILLIAN.COM

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Internet Access

About 15 million households, plus an untold number of small businesses, cannot get broadband from their phone or cable provider because the companies have been slow to expand their high-speed networks into rural areas. Because wide-area wireless services (WiMAX) and broadband over power lines are still in their infancy, some people turn to satellite access. For example, the number of households and businesses that use them is expected to hit 463,000 this year, up 34.5 percent from 2005, according to NSR, a telecom research firm. WildBlue, Hughes Network Systems (HughesNet), and Spacenet (StarBand) are all working to fill the biggest gaps in the country's digital infrastructure.

Nortel is targeting small-to-medium-sized organizations by introducing an array of stackable switches and by adding big-business phone features to its small-office IP PBX. The Nortel Business Ethernet Switch 210 series includes the ability to stack multiple boxes together to create a larger virtual switch, which can be more easily managed as one device. Meanwhile, Nortel’s Business Communications Manager 50 for small offices — fewer than 50 users — includes call center, advanced messaging and international support features. BCM 50 version 2 improves on the previous small-office IP PBX appliance with a small call-center feature that lets small groups in an office act as a contact center team; call routing and queuing; and customer call detail reports are some of the things that can be set up for agents on the BCM 50.

While many IT managers would prefer to implement a VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) system from a single vendor, sometimes this is not feasible. What is driving multivendor VoIP networks, and how should banks prepare to effectively manage them? We will cover these topics in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

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Call Centers

Intervoice has now launched Banking 3.0, a packaged voice application that provides solutions to meet the specific needs of both large and small to mid- sized banks. Some of the new capabilities include:

- Multi-factor authentication
- Rate Information
- English and Spanish language touchtone
- Routing Application
- Check Withdrawal

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