BANK tech-trends News
 

December 10 - December 14, 2007

• 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

Fujitsu Siemens Computers just released a new virtual tape appliance that they say is the first to introduce ‘dual target’ to allow data back-up to disk-based cache or tape. The CentricStor virtual tape appliance (VTA) V4 considers the importance of the data and uses rules to define which storage tier to place data on. The CentricStor VTA V4 also offers thin provisioning to allocate disk storage only as needed which makes disk utilization more efficient.

In many offices, and especially along the teller line, there is virtually no room to spare. Fortunately there is a new generation of small computers that can free up lots of space. These tiny computers are a fraction of the size of traditional PCs and can be easily tucked away. We will cover some affordable options in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

MagTek®’s ExpressCard 1000 is the industry’s first “ALL-IN-ONE” instant issuance and complete card personalization platform forCredit, Debit, ATM, and Financial Gift Cards designed to fit securely and comfortably within a branch location.

For the first time, card personalization features such as color card-printing, magstripe encoding, smartcard encoding, card embossing, indent printing, and foil tipping have been combined into a single device which provides both the physical and logical security features required to meet the demands of a branch or retailer’s card issuing environment.

Equipped with MagnePrint® card authentication technology (www.magneprint.com), the ExpressCard 1000 offers the capability to capture the card's reference MagnePrint at the time of card issuance so that reference value may be used in conjunction with complementary risk management analytics with card present transactions. The ExpressCard 1000 can be connected as a peripheral to MagTek’s IntelliCAT and MCAPS 3000 PIN selection and instant issuance software suites creating a complete and secure card issuing platform.

For more information on ExpressCard 1000, go to www.magtek.com or call your MagTek sales representative at 800-788-6835.

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ATMs/Kiosks

At last month's BAI Retail Delivery Show, Chinese ATM manufacturer GRG Banking Equipment Co. Ltd. was showcasing an array of lobby-style ATMs in their booth. They also offer a line of through-the-wall units, including the new H46 island ATM. The company was touting that their biggest advantage is reliability, and that their units feature industrial PCs tested for extreme conditions.

A British firm by the name of TestLink Services Ltd. has added a track-and-trace service to its ATM offerings. TestLink says it is offering a unique way to identity each ATM cassette with a low-overhead process to track a cassette’s passage to and from the cash in transit vendor's depot. TestLink’s automatic Cassette Function and Configuration Tester ensures that each cassette’s operation and set-up is correct, eliminating incorrect cash dispensing.

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There were some interesting developments at the European Voice Biometrics Conference, held in London last month. Many banks reported on their voice verification rollouts - one has been so successful that they are packaging it to resell to other organizations. We will cover the details in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe today.

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MobiClear is a card security company that has developed technology that enables consumers to uses mobile handsets to authorize transactions and "switch off" credit and debit cards. The MobiClear card security system requires customers to enter a four digit code on their mobile phone to authorize transactions on the Internet, in stores and at ATMs. If the code is not correctly entered, the payment doesn't go through. The system also features an on/off card security tool which enables consumers to use their mobile phones to 'switch off' credit and debit cards. MobiClear says that by turning off their cards when not in use, users reduce the risk of fraud. Recently Bank of America introduced a somewhat similar service dubbed SafePass where users receive a single-use six digit code in a SMS text message to authorize online transactions. 

Indian mobile payments company PayMate is targeting the growing cross-border remittance and unbanked markets in North America by opening a new office in California. PayMate, which was founded in May 2006 and now has over 3000 merchants signed up in India, is an SMS based payment service that allows consumers to use their mobile phone as a credit or debit card. Earlier this year PayMate formed a partnership with Infonox, a provider of systems for the delivery of financial services to kiosks and ATMs. PayMate says the alliance will allow merchants and financial institutions that currently use the Infonox platform to offer branded transaction services via mobile phones.

Pyxis Mobile, a provider of wireless applications for the financial services industry, announced the availability of their product for Retail Banking, part of the Banking Mobility Platform (BMP). The firm says they allow users to access more than just "balances and bills in a browser," and most importantly, provide secure, Java-client access to data while in or out of wireless coverage. With Pyxis Mobile Retail Banking Mobile Application, mobile users can:

• Access all accounts, with ability to drill into account detail 
• Transfer funds and manage payments 
• View personal financial reports 
• Manage personal investments 
• Track the financial landscape with access to real-time market data and news

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The Information Security Forum has performed a detailed study of 887 leak incidents and found that many leaks are caused accidentally, often through non-technical means. Lost laptops, emails sent to the wrong address, sensitive documents left on photocopiers, employees walking out of the building with confidential papers or storage media - these are not new sources of leaks, but they remain the most common, the study finds. Security awareness remains the best method to prevent these sorts of leaks, and the report recommends that organizations strongly enforce security policies so that there are consequences for leakage.

Cisco has rolled out TrustSec which is an architecture that is intended to determine, through policies, the role of users and devices in the network before granting access to resources. This has been practiced in applications for years, Cisco officials say, but is only now being enforced at the network level. TrustSec differs from Cisco’s 6-year-old Self-Defending Networks architecture in that Self-Defending Networks is intended to mitigate threats via intrusion-detection systems and firewalls, while TrustSec is designed for “hop-to-hop” integrity and confidentiality of users and their role in the network. TrustSec can work with Cisco Catalyst 6500 switches equipped with the Supervisor Engine 32 Programmable Intelligent Services Accelerator (PISA) as an overlay, but does not require PISA.

Security firms are receiving literally thousands of samples of new malware daily. That is why some of them are turning to "cloud-based, collective intelligence services." We will describe how this works and how it affects desktop security software in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

MAGENSA™ is a trusted verification authority (TVA) that provides real-time remote-hosted credential authentication services. These services enable banks, businesses, and government agencies to integrate PCI DSS and FFIEC multi-factor authentication and end-to-end data encryption capabilities into their existing processing environments without the need for substantial financial investments or massive changes to the existing infrastructure.

Specifically tailored to enhance the security of internet banking and ATM applications, MAGENSA delivers unprecedented security and authentication using the familiar magstripe card credentials (secure tokens) that a bank has already issued to its customers. MAGENSA is powered by the trusted and proven card authentication technology known as MagnePrint® (www.magneprint.com). MagnePrint differentiates a customers’ authentic magstripe card from an altered or counterfeit version, transforming the traditional magstripe card into a powerful security token.

MAGENSA’s Secure Data Center (SDC), a reliable 24x7 operations center that is maintained 365 days a year, simplifies the integration of data decryption and MagnePrint scoring into existing websites, and allows for data federation across institutional domains.

For more information on MAGENSA, please visit www.magensa.net or call 877.MAGENSA.

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ONLINE BANKING: 

Embraced by Customers - The Next Steps

Digital Resolve - http://www.digital-resolve.net Read Dennis Maicon's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/DigitalResolve.pdf

First Internet Bank - http://www.firstib.com Read David Becker's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/FirstInternet.pdf

Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com Read Greg Haislip's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Microsoft.pdf

Open Solutions - http://www.opensolutions.com   Read Michael D. Nicastro's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/OSI.pdf

TowerGroup - http://www.towergroup.com   Read George Tubin's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TowerGroup.pdf

uMonitor - http://www.umonitor.com   Read Dinesh Sheth's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/uMonitor.pdf

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Merced PowerCoach is a Web-based performance management application from Merced Systems that is designed to track employee coaching. The firm says that with their Web-based “dashboard,” managers can get updates on employee performance and then use that information to deliver coaching or additional training automatically. They can also monitor and track coaching sessions – whether delivered via e-learning or otherwise – to ensure that the coaching is being implemented effectively and consistently.

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Most people are familiar with online websites that offer live chat services, but now there is a company that has come out with virtual chat technology. Even more unique, it works on a pay-for-performance basis. The company is working with financial institutions to help them with online loan and credit card applications - learn more about it in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

MasterCard Worldwide has launched of MasterCard smartdata.gen2, a proprietary, Web- based expense and information management solution. MasterCard smartdata.gen2 provides businesses with integrated expense spending analysis tolls accompanied by reporting options so they can better manage their expenditures. MasterCard also says that the new reporting solution offers card issuers a customizable, modular, scalable design that they can easily configure to fit their card programs and market segments. 

A new report released by Javelin Strategy & Research reveals that consumers are primarily turning to person-to-person lending because of the potential savings on an interest rate or profit on a loan. The main consumer groups turning to person-to-person lending are young adults and higher income groups. Both consumers age 25-34 and those with incomes over $150K are equally willing to offer or accept person-to-person loans. While person-to-person lending circumvents banks and presents a loss of deposits to them and a loss of interest income to credit card issuers, Javelin analysts do not recognize it as an immediate threat.

Revolutionary Convergence of Security Technology for Secure Internet Banking!

MagneSafe^TM P55 is a portable card reader/authenticator with four key technologies for secure online banking: Cardholder Data Encryption, MagnePrint^® card authentication technology, Website Authentication and Track 1, 2 and 3 card reading capabilities. In conjunction with MAGENSA^TM, the MagneSafe P55 is designed to offer secure, multifactor authentication for Internet banking, empowering consumers with the freedom and confidence of knowing that their transactions are protected anytime, anywhere.

MAGENSA, a Trusted Verification Authority that provides real-time, remote-hosted credential authentication services, allows credit unions to integrate PCI DSS and FFIEC compliant multifactor authentication, data encryption, website authentication, and data federation capabilities without the need for substantial financial investments or massive changes to the existing infrastructure.

For more information about the MagneSafe P55 or MAGENSA, visit www.magensa.net, or call 877.MAGENSA.

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Internet Access

New York-based SimulScribe claims to be the U.S. leader in voicemail-to-text services and visual voicemail applications. What this means is that SimulScribe converts your voice messages into words so that you can read it via e-mail and/or SMS. You’ll also receive an audio file of the original message. They say that they have a transcription accuracy of over 95 percent. SimulScribe gives you a log of all your messages that you can easily search by keywords, and you can manage all of your messages from the SimulScribe website. From some smartphones, you can even click the sender’s phone number on the message and immediately return the call. SimulScribe offers a 30-day free trial.

Cymphonix delivers WAN data stream management to small and mid-sized, and distributed organizations. The company says that their Network Composer is the only solution that addresses both browsing and application activity. Network Composer uses a balance of URL categorization, keyword scanning and dynamic content analysis. Network Composer scans deep into the packet payload, and:

* Filters SSL encrypted browsing traffic
* Stops anonymous proxies and other content filtering bypass approaches
* Logs instant messaging traffic
* Prioritizes bandwidth by URL or URL category 

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Call Centers

Most call center experts agree that call monitoring is very important but it can be an onerous task for call center managers. Offering call monitoring that is not time consuming for managers of the call center who are tasked with a number of other responsibilities, third party remote call monitoring helps call centers by listening to already recorded calls or records the calls remotely so the valuable information provided within the recorded calls can be applied to the business improvement. Call monitoring, when done frequently, is also beneficial to organizations as it increases the times agents are coached and presents them with feedback in a more timely manner. BPA International is one firm that offers third party remote call monitoring services.

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