BANK tech-trends News
 

March 10 - March 14, 2008

• 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

USB drives are convenient but inherently insecure. If you must carry confidential data on them, you will want to utilize a secure drive like the Corsair Flash Padlock. The Padlock looks like a traditional flash drive with a pull-off cap, except for the numeric keypad down the front. Corsair recommends at least four digits for your PIN, but the drive allows up to a 10-digit PIN. There's no need to lock the padlock once you remove it from your PC because it will lock itself after a few seconds. If you register your PIN at Corsair's site you can retrieve it from there if you forget it. A 1GB model runs about $30.

Getting locked in a vault is a scary situation for anyone to have to endure, so Diebold is trying to make this unlikely event a little easier with their "vault survival kit." The kit can be hung or placed inside a vault and includes:

• Shake flashlight
• Small claw hammer with a variety of screwdrivers in the handle
• #2 Phillips screwdriver
• Pliers
• Bottle of water
• Granola bar
• Packet of tissues
• Mini first aid kit
• Vault kit bag with emergency contact card
• Thermal blanket

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ATMs/Kiosks

Mesa, AZ-based Better ATM Services announced that it will be the exclusive ATM industry distributor for electroluminescent signage in the United States. The technology, dubbed Better ATM Lights, uses thin layers of conductive and non-conductive plastic to create a durable panel that becomes a print medium that lights up like a backlit sign. ATM deployers can configure them in frames, displays, custom-designed fixtures or even wrapped around hardware.

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Nuance Communications, a provider of speech solutions, unveiled its Automatic Password Reset module which is designed to reduce the burden of time-consuming password resets on IT workers. With Nuance's Automatic Password Reset, employees can reset security passwords for any networked device or application by using their voice and the organization's telephony system. Automatic Password Reset utilizes voice biometrics that securely identifies the caller in the system and allows for computer and other passwords to be changed, thereby eliminating many of the simple calls to the help desk and allowing them to focus on more complex issues. 

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Last week, Sprint followed rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile with a flat-rate voice plan costing about $100 per month. However, Sprint’s offering includes unlimited Web surfing, e-mail, text messaging, push-to-talk services and GPS navigation - services you pay extra for with the other carriers. Even businesses are interested in Sprint's offerings for disaster recovery purposes or for remote access in areas where DSL and cable services are either nonexistent or exorbitantly priced. While Verizon’s data plan includes terms and conditions that allow the carrier to limit data usage at will, Sprint's plan is truly unlimited and delivers about a T-1’s worth of bandwidth for under $100 per month.

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According to a recent Ernst & Young survey, regulators view anti-money laundering as one of the most important issues of our time, and the current emphasis on AML is here to stay. The financial services executives that responded to the survey said that the most critical factor to the success of an AML program is a risk-based approach. A risk-based approach allows banks to focus their resources on the people, accounts and transactions that are most at risk of money laundering. While technology is critical in fighting money laundering, IT Departments are looking for ways to make AML alerts more specific and effective so that they can produce fewer suspicious activities reports (SARs), the report noted.

Mimosa Systems has launched software that allows IT Departments to identify potentially risky or illegal behavior in e-mail systems. The NearPoint Content Monitoring Option software identifies data leaks and can be set up to monitor all Exchange calendars, contacts, tasks and mailboxes. Three kinds of reports are available, including Compliance Reports, Review Action Reports and Policy Reports.

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Security:

Perimeter, Host and Endpoint Security – Finding the Right Mix

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

Astaro - http://www.astaro.com Read Alex Quinonez's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Astaro.pdf

Code Green Networks - http://www.codegreennetworks.com   Read Brian Czarny's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/CGN.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

HEIT - http://www.goheit.com   Read Dan Holt's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Heit.pdf

Integrated Computer Solutions - http://www.icsinc.com   Read Stephen Goldsby's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/ICS.pdf

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

Netsecuris - http://www.netsecuris.com   Read Leonard Jacobs' comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Netsecuris.pdf

Network Box - http://www.networkboxusa.com   Read Pierluigi Stella's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/NetworkBox.pdf

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

Proofpoint - http://www.proofpoint.com   Read Sandra Vaughan's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Proofpoint.pdf

Sydel - http://www.sydelcorp.com   Read Antonio Gonzalez's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Sydel.pdf

TraceSecurity - http://www.tracesecurity.com   Read Jim Stickley's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TraceSecurity.pdf

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

ZixCorp - http://www.zixcorp.com   Read Dena Bauckman's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Zix.pdf

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Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would like to get rid of the penny, but says it's not "politically doable." However, the administration would like to give the government the authority to change the metal content of all the nation's coins as a way to save money. That proposal, which was introduced in Congress last year, was prompted by the sharp jump in the price of copper and other metals in recent years. The Mint produces between 7 billion and 8 billion pennies annually and officials said if they were allowed to alter the metal content in just the penny and the nickel it could save taxpayers up to $100 million.

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A new research report from the Aite Group says that free equipment that reads magnetic-ink-character-recognition lines while capturing check images could be the key for banks to drive remote deposit capture adoption among small businesses. Fifty-eight percent of small businesses that are not using remote capture say free scanners from their banks would make their adoption of the technology more likely. A leased scanner from the bank, or a list of approved scanner vendors from the same source, has much less appeal, garnering scores of 22% and 14%, respectively. “While their adoption of remote deposit is still somewhat low to date, small businesses are showing a keen interest in it despite its only recent availability to them,” states Aite analyst Christine Barry in the report.

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Internet Access

AT&T just announced a converged voice and data service called "Business in a Box" that, as a managed service, provides either hosted or premise-based options. The service targets organizations with between five and 50 employees, and clients can choose from AT&T's enterprise-grade Voice DNA (a hosted VoIP offer) or IP Flexible Reach (a SIP trunking service with integrated access for PBX and key systems) for their voice service. IP VPN services are provided through AT&T Managed Internet Service (MIS) Plus. The associated network services are connected with a T-1 WAN link and include options for a range of managed capabilities, such as managed security and call quality monitoring. An analog phone connection is included for emergency back-up. The network-attached box comes with:

* VoIP functionality through AT&T Voice DNA
* Internet access routing with built-in firewall protection
* VPN capabilities
* Wi-Fi data access capabilities
* LAN connectivity with Power over Ethernet connections

Meanwhile AT&T competitor Qwest Communications recently upgraded two of its hosted VoIP solutions under their OneFlex product suite. Business customers can get more out of their converged solution by being able run more concurrent voice calls over the same bandwidth using compression. In addition, enhanced features and tools made available via Qwest's Office Administrator portals allow customers to take advantage of applications that allow them to manage their communications to fit their business needs.

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Call Centers

According to a Cornerstone Advisors' survey, for every 100 teller transactions performed, there are 32 calls made to an IVR and 10 made to a live call center agent. More statistics from the consulting firm: there are 1.6 calls made to an IVR or a call center per checking account per month, which totals twice the number of Internet banking log-ins reported. Illustrating the importance of the IVR, 80% of those are to the IVR, and the firm says that this ratio hasn’t changed much since they began measuring calls.

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