BANK tech-trends News
 

December 17 - December 21, 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

With environmental damage an increasing concern worldwide, organizations are being motivated to reduce energy usage. For example, IBM is redesigning its own data centers as it attempts to double its computing capacity within three years without increasing energy consumption. Big Blue is coming out with an x86-based systems that “will essentially require zero air conditioning” by using liquid cooling and putting thermal sensors inside servers, allowing fans inside the server to move at different speeds depending on need. If you use server racks, you can place your heaviest servers at the top of the cabinet (since heat rises and heavy servers are usually the hottest). You can also use a product like Enviro Watch, which keeps track of power consumption for each server, and set the temperature in your data center or server room to 68 instead of 55.

With so many moving parts and opportunities for paper jams, printers can be a time sink for IT Departments. Because costly repair bills can add up quickly and replacing printers before their time is an expensive endeavor, a preventive maintenance plan for your printers should lengthen any printer’s lifespan. We will cover some maintenance tips 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.

Back to Top

Back to Top

ATMs/Kiosks

German ATM manufacturer Wincor Nixdorf has released a new version of its cash-management software, ProCash Analyzer. The new version, ProCash Analyzer 3.0, is designed to ensure end-to-end optimization of all network cash points, such as ATMs, teller positions, cash-recycling machines and branch safes. The software processes a large number of variables, and focuses on cash logistics, such as different replenishment and disposal concepts that incorporate multiple cash-in-transit operators.

Phoenix Interactive Design is touting that their VISTAatm terminal software allows banks to capture, display and print check images and to accept bulk-cash deposits from a variety of hardware makers including NCR, Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf. The VISTAatm Deposit Automation module supports IQA image inspection, quality analysis and scoring and image transfer with the ability to utilize a consistent industry standard technology across multiple vendor platforms and back-end image transfer systems.

Back to Top

Fidelica Microsystems, a developer of fingerprint imaging and authentication technology, announced the availability of the company's Biometrically Authenticated Smart Card. The company claims that their smart card is the first in the industry to provide fingerprint imaging, enrollment and authentication contained entirely within an ISO 7810/16-format smart card. They say that their card eliminates the need to transfer fingerprint templates between the reader and the card, and protects the cardholder's privacy because an authentication decision is the only data released from the card.

Back to Top

Electronic payments association NACHA has formed a new work group that will develop an ACH payment platform strategy and guidelines for mobile banking. The m-banking work group will initially focus on four primary objectives: 

• Assess the NACHA operating rules for the accommodation of mobile banking and payments; 
• Identify authorization and authentication considerations; 
• Identify unique security characteristics and requirements; 
• Assess systemic opportunities and barriers in the ACH Network. 

AirDefense recently unveiled a list of ‘best practices’ for consumers to use to protect their personal information while using wireless devices at locations offering public Wi-Fi Internet access. Their tips to minimize risk include: 

- Turn off the wireless card when not in use. 
- If shopping online, ensure that all wireless devices have their internal firewall and antivirus/malware turned on. 
- Only log onto known wireless access points and do not bank or shop online with any frequency from a hot spot such as an airport lounge, coffee shop or library. 
- Beware of slow networks, browser error and/or transactions not working because many of these could show signs that someone is trying to take over the hotspot. 
- Use your corporate VPN to setup a secure tunnel when connecting at risky and open wireless networks before going on the Internet. 
- Enable phishing filters on your browser. Make sure you use the latest and patched version of Internet browsers. 
- Use prepaid wireless cards or accounts and register before you use the hotspot. 
- Avoid busy hotspots, as these are locations most desirable to setup attacks.

Back to Top

TraceSecurity unveiled their newest software as a service (SaaS) offering, TraceSecurity Risk Manager. TraceSecurity says that their Risk Manager combines qualitative analysis with quantitative measurement, which allows users to prioritize risk and identify vulnerabilities, as well as to determine the risk's magnitude of impact which can help identify the cost-benefits associated with recommended controls.

More and more vendors are now offering Network Behavior Analysis tools. Network behavior analysis fills the gaps left by policy- and signature-based point solutions such as firewalls, intrusion-detection systems, intrusion-prevention systems, and security information and event management that miss threats for which they are not specifically configured to detect. Sourcefire offers some products starting at $30 per host. Other packages include StealthWatch, QRadar, and NitroView.

Protecting bank laptops is fairly straightforward with encryption software like TrueCrypt and PGP Disk's Whole Disk Encryption. Setup only takes a few minutes, and the performance degradation is negligible. Some experts recommend that you encrypt your entire disk, and not just key files, because you won't have to worry about swap files, temp files, hibernation files, erased files, browser cookies, etc. If you are a Windows Vista user, you might consider BitLocker which comes with Vista. But it only works on the C: drive, so it won't help with external disks or USB tokens if you use those devices. 

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.

Back to Top

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

Back to Top

Corporate Insight believes that while banks have become adept at using "traditional" media such as statement stuffers to cross-sell to consumers, they have neglected the online channel. They say that some of the best cross-promotional techniques are quite simple – graphic ads on the homepage that highlight products or product directories. Application pages are another useful way to cross-promote accounts by alerting users to what products are currently offered and linking users directly to those applications.

Back to Top

The Federal Reserve Bank just released their tri-annual payments study, which actually comprises three separate research projects comparing payments in 2006 and 2003. In it, they found that PIN debit transactions are growing significantly faster than signature debit payments; checks processed electronically are approaching half of all checks paid; and ACH transactions are growing faster than any other form of payment. 

Celent believes that payment network-branded prepaid cards represent the "next big thing" in consumer payment cards. However, banks have yet to pursue the growth potential of general purpose reloadable cards for the unbanked population, which represents an untapped $192 billion market. According to Red Gillen, senior analyst at Celent, "Branded prepaid card programs constitute 'gateway' financial products that could support the conversion of the unbanked population to become bank customers. Banks have a lot to learn from the nontraditional/nonbanks."

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.

Back to Top

Internet Access

Some telecom experts are recommending branch optimization devices instead of boosting bandwidth. They point out that you can add another T1 access line for about $2,000 a year, or buy an optimization device at the branch for slightly more - in addition to a more costly device (varies widely depending on capacity) at the data center. However, they argue that you would generally see an 18- to 24-month payback on network-optimization products, which compress data, accelerate traffic, and enable organizations to do more with the same or less bandwidth. Finally, they say that optimization products are the most cost-effective approach to the rising demand for capacity, and they also offer monitoring data about traffic patterns across the network.

Hosted VoIP solutions provider Junction Networks has launched its new onSIP hosted PBX for small to medium-sized businesses. While most hosted PBX solutions are sold in features-heavy bundles with users billed up to $40 per line per month, Junction Networks decided instead to offer onSIP on a pay-as-you-go, (rather than fee per seat) basis. One flat rate of $39.95 covers the entire package, with no per-seat fees. The company charges only for off-network voice minutes usage. In addition to the basic features included with onSIP, Junction Networks offers a variety of advanced features (e.g. auto attendant, dial-by-name directory, hunt/ring groups and call routing) on an a la carte basis, so clients pay only for what they need. 

Verizon Business is enhancing their VoIP portfolio. Their VoIP services allow customers to utilize their existing infrastructure, enabling them to mix and match services, whether network or premises-based. Their new Managed IP PBX option joins Verizon's comprehensive portfolio of VoIP services, including IP Flexible T1, IP Integrated Access, IP Trunking, Hosted IP Centrex and Managed IP PBX.

Back to Top

Call Centers

TouchStar, a provider of contact center solutions for the collections industry, has been named to Collection Advisor magazine's list of “Top Collection Technology Products.” The TouchStar Collections solution includes a contact center software platform (which can be deployed either on a hosted or on-premise basis), predictive dialer, IP-PBX, as well as long distance voice and data services and voice messaging - all geared specifically for collectors.

Back to Top