Bank tech-trends News
 

January 22 - January 26, 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

In an effort to make fault tolerant servers more appealing to a broader range of customers, NEC launched their Express5800/320Ma server that promises 99.999% uptime at a cost of just under $12,000. The server includes multiple system components that operate in lockstep so that if one component fails – a hard disk, for example – the second component picks up and the system keeps running. NEC partnered with Stratus to bring the fault tolerant design to lower-priced, Intel-based servers. 

Lots of news in the hard disk arena: Seagate introduced a hard drive that it claims is the fastest hard drive available; ProStor announced a new high-capacity removable disk drive as a replacement for tape media; and IBM introduced the DS3000 series disk array line for small businesses. The Seagate Savvio 15K drive is a 15,000rpm serial attached SCSI drive in a 2.5 inch enclosure, and is 70% smaller than other 15K drives on the market and has 30% less power consumption. ProStor Systems' new removable cartridges have a capacity of 160GB and are designed to allow users to substitute them for tape media. The RDX cartridges and drives can back up more than 125GB of data per hour and archive data for as long as ten years. Finally, IBM's new series comes in two models, the DS3200 ($4,495) and the DS3400 ($6,495), and runs IBM's Storage Manager software. Big Blue claims that IT employees can set up the devices on their networks in six easy steps and be up and running in less than an hour.

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ATMs/Kiosks

Fiserv's ACCEL/Exchange Network announced that it will begin offering its financial institution clients preferred access to surcharge-free ATMs through Allpoint, America’s largest surcharge-free ATM network. The expanded surcharge-free access is expected to complement ACCEL/Exchange’s own surcharge-free alliance, No SUR!, by extending an FI’s reach to Allpoint’s nationwide network of ATMs. 

Mid-tier ATM manufacturer Tranax Technologies and Nautilus Hyosung have ended the partnership that they had formed back in 1998. Nautilus Hyosung plans to start selling ATMs directly into the American market next month. Tranax will focus on their Mini-Bank 4000 line and its new Check Cashing Self-Service Terminal.

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Microsoft announced the release of its latest fingerprint reader, promising the convenience of replacing passwords with fingerprints and managing this access across multiple computers. With the addition of DigitalPersona software, Microsoft is enabling management of password changes, the saving of passwords to a CD or thumb drive, and import/export to other computers. On its own, the new fingerprint reader is available now for about $39.95.

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The Wi-Fi Alliance announced its Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) specification, which lays out an easier process for setting up a secure wireless LAN (local area network). Intel, Microsoft, Cisco's Linksys division and other vendors helped develop WPS. With WPS, the access point automatically generates a network name. Users can add clients to the secure network by either entering a PIN of four or eight digits or pushing special buttons built in to the access point and client. The first wave of WPS products, which will carry a special logo in addition to the standard Wi-Fi insignia, will be available this summer.

Contactless payment processing through mobile phones is moving forward in the U.S. through numerous pilot programs, even if mobile operators, financial institutions, and card companies have yet to agree on how to split or even share the revenues. Some analysts see the major barrier to cell phone-enabled payment and processing is not technology, but negotiating industry-wide agreements to bring together all the interested parties, including the card company, merchant, mobile operator, and payment processor. One interesting development: Discover is testing a mobile network processing e-wallet system that would unite a Discover cardholder with a mobile phone company to facilitate a number of functions on a separate mobile platform, including payment processing and secure messaging.

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Rootkits continue to proliferate and remain difficult to detect. There are basically two options for detection and removal: professionally written tools and independently authored tools. Rootkits date back to the days of Unix where an intruder could use a kit of common Unix tools, which when recompiled, allowed them to have administrative or root access without leaving traces behind. Here are six Rootkit Detectors: 

• F-Secure BlackLight

• IceSword

• RKDetector

• RootkitBuster

• RootkitRevealer

• Rootkit Unhooker

Symantec's Norton products will have a new tool to help them avoid unpatched software flaws. Called the Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response (SONAR), the new security software will look at the behavior of programs running on the computer in order to decide whether they are malicious. This is a departure from Symantec's traditional signature-based antivirus protection techniques, which compare the program's code to a database of known malware. SONAR will be a free add-on to Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2007 and Norton Internet Security 2007 products.

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SECURITY: 

Finding a Balance between Security and Convenience

Arcot - http://www.arcot.com   Read R. 'Doc' Vaidhyanathan's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Arcot.pdf

Code Green Networks - http://www.codegreennetworks.com   Read Chip Hay's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/CGN.pdf

Comodo - http://www.comodogroup.com   Read Andrew J. Pynes' comments:     http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Comodo.pdf

Corillian - http://www.corillian.com   Read Greg Hughes' comments:    http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Corillian.pdf

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

e-DMZ Security - http://www.e-dmzsecurity.com   Read Kris Zupan's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/e-DMZ.pdf

Intrusion - http://www.intrusion.com   Read Jay Barbour's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Intrusion.pdf

MagTek - http://www.magtek.com   Read Kiran Gandhi's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/MagTek.pdf

Network Armor - http://www.networkarmor.com   Read Stephen Goldsby's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/NetworkArmor.pdf

Perimeter Internetworking - http://www.perimeterusa.com   Read Kevin Prince's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Perimeter.pdf

RSA Security - http://www.rsasecurity.com   Read Marc Gaffan's comments:     http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/RSA.pdf

SecureWorks - http://www.secureworks.com   Read Jon Ramsey's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/SecureWorks.pdf

TriGeo Network Security - http://www.trigeo.com   Read Michelle Dickman's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TriGeo.pdf

WhiteHat Security - http://www.whitehatsec.com   Read Jeremiah Grossman's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/WhiteHat.pdf

WinMagic - http://www.winmagic.com   Read Joseph Belsanti's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/WinMagic.pdf

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Marketing Departments need business intelligence to make good decisions, but implementing a BI system is a daunting task. In the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends, we will cover seven steps to rolling out BI systems - subscribe today.

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Some analysts believe that prepaid cards, contactless payment options and new rewards programs will be major areas of change in 2007. While these products aren't new, card issuers are retooling them and marketing them more than before. The major card networks - Visa, MasterCard and Discover - have added reloading capability to their "open system" prepaid cards which can be used at many types of businesses and stores. Prepaid cards may be the next area of growth because these cards can come with all kinds of fees, e.g., initiating, reloading, dormancy, etc. As for rewards programs, look for them to grow in the debit card arena and become more elaborate for both credit and debit cards due to fierce competition for attracting affluent cardholders.

Seattle-based Online Banking Report awarded five "Best of the Web" winners in 2006:

- Prosper for its eBay-like take on person-to-person lending 
- billQ for its Web 2.0 bill payment reminder service 
- USAA for the first in-home remote deposit capture service 
- Wells Fargo for fully embracing blogging with the launch of four blogs in 2006 
- Verity bank for being the first to blog in December 2004 
- Bank of America for its full featured online personal finance service, MyPortfolio 

According to the Boston-based research firm the Aite Group, small businesses are looking for more options online. Aite forecasts that by the end of 2008, 60% of small businesses will be banking online, up from about 45% currently. Find out what kind of services they are looking for in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

Safeguard Internet Banking against Authentication Attacks and Phishing

Today's consumers are demanding financial institutions, and for that matter any organization of any size that provides a logon page to personal and business information, deliver unquestionable security whilst maintaining an ease of use balance.

myBiometrix efficiently meets and exceeds these criteria and that of FFIEC guidelines through our proprietary interface that addresses the needs of both Consumer and Provider in securing transacting online:

   • Authenticating the consumer (verifying who is accessing information by who they are not what they have)
   • Verifying the providers site (ensuring a Phishing episode is not being perpetrated).
   • Confirming the source of the transaction (originating PC)
In other words, all aspects of the transaction are secured.

myBiometrix leverages an array of foreground and background technology presented through an intuitive user interface that provides multi-factor “personal trait” authentication.

   • irrefutably authenticates “personally” to a website using traits including
   • prevent others from falsely using the owners credentials to log on
   • eliminating the growing incidence of Phishing and Pharming attacks
   • eliminating Key Logger exposure as the keyboard is not used
   • eliminating the need to remember or write down pass-phrases

myBiometrix authenticates through a range of methods including:

   • Finger recognition
   • Voice recognition
   • Face recognition
   • Biometric Smart Card
   • Geometrical code
   • Others…

myBiometrix is a scaleable solution that can be hosted by us as a Managed Service or run In-House. Delivering irrefutable authentication and security and monitoring mechanisms, whilst maintaining a practical usability balance, myBiometrix conveys a holistic approach that is a world leader in irrefutable Authentication and Verification.

Collaboration and Reseller enquiries are welcomed for our range of proprietary Biometric solutions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT myBiometrix:

 www.myBiometrix.com

OR CONTACT US DIRECTLY AT:

busdev@myBiometrix.com

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Internet Access

According to research firm In-Stat, hosted VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) telephony has experienced another year of steady growth, as the small business market continues to be the sweet spot with most deployments in the 20-to-50 seat range. Cost savings remains the primary attraction to hosted VoIP solutions, especially for multi-location organizations. However, the value associated with business-grade solutions that include powerful desktop communications capabilities is also a strong draw for smaller organizations.

Nortel and Microsoft expanded on their Innovative Communication Alliance with the announcement that they will deliver a hardware appliance for branch offices in 2007 that ties together Nortel WAN and IP telephony technology with Microsoft messaging software. The companies also plan to insert parts of Nortel's Multimedia Conferencing platform into Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Also, Microsoft said its Exchange Server 2007 Unified Communication server (an e-mail platform with presence and IM) will be SIP-compatible with Nortel's Communication Server 1000 (the company's IP PBX) this year.

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Call Centers

Working in a call center can be very stressful for customer service representatives. That is why it is critical to provide them with incentives, rewards and respect. Learn about some best practice call center motivation techniques in the upcoming issue of BANK tech-trends - subscribe now.

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