BANK tech-trends News
 

October 5, 2009 - October 9, 2009

• 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

Data center managers should turn server temperatures up to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and adopt more aggressive policies for IT energy measurement, Gartner says in a new report. In general, Gartner says that data center managers are not paying enough attention to measuring, monitoring and modeling of energy use. They note that even if more energy efficient servers or energy management tools were available, data center and IT managers are far more interested in internal projects like consolidation, rationalization and virtualization.

Dell is releasing a new laptop for business customers that contains notable features not seen in any other laptops - the Latitude Z charges wirelessly. An inductive pad that is built into a laptop stand can accomplish a full recharge in "about the same amount of time" as a standard-issue cabled charger, according to Dell. It is part of what Dell is terming its new "wireless eco-system." Besides being able to recharge without wires, the Latitude Z will also be able to dock without them. A smaller separate adapter can hook up the laptop with any accompanying monitor, whether it be one in a cubicle, or in a conference room..

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ATMs/Kiosks

According to the results of an Aite Group survey, fraud control and data security rank at the top of ATM executives’ concerns. Sixty-one percent of Aite’s respondents said they were concerned or extremely concerned about fraud management, and 57% were concerned or extremely concerned about data security. Those two issues ranked at the top of nine cost concerns in the next two years that Aite presented to the respondents, with regulatory compliance coming in third at 50%.

Some analysts believe that believe multifunctional terminals that offer prepaid cards, billpay, check cashing, and money orders are the future of the ATM industry. A Texas-based ISO called Merchants First Choice, which owns and operates a network of about 800 ATMs, is taking their kiosks a step further. Merchants First Choice's custom-built financial kiosk, expected to deploy in the next 30 days, will also offer payday cash loans in retail locations with high densities of unbanked consumers.

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Laptop manufacturers are getting more sensitive to security needs for business users. For instance, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a secure cryptoprocessor added to enterprise class laptops by many manufacturers, while many others offer fingerprint readers. While some industry observers say that TPM and biometric support are ordered on laptops far more often than implemented, some customers, especially larger enterprises, demand them. They also predict that price will keep TPM and biometrics off netbooks for the foreseeable future.n say, getting your eye scanned or gently moving your finger across a reader to get yourself identified.”

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ClairMail announced Version 4 of its mobile banking platform. They now have a "Smart Client Technology Application" which combines three modes of mobile banking - mobile web, client application and multi-level alerting - into one interface. They also added "Premier Content for Personalized Mobile Conversations" which is contextual alerting capabilities that enable customers to conduct transactions, and respond to or resolve account activity within the mobile channel, and "Multi-Channel Enrollment and International Capabilities" which makes it easier for all customers, not just online banking customers, to enroll in mobile banking.

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The FBI's annual report on bank robberies shows that they recovered only a small portion of stolen money and identified just 40 percent of the perpetrators in the 6,700 financial institution heists last year. Of the $61.6 million in cash stolen, only about 19 percent - $8.9 million - was recovered. Although the report does not reveal the arrest rate, it does show that just 3,342 of the 8,393 criminals known to be involved in the robberies were identified. The South saw the most robberies - 2,100 - followed by the West, with 1,857. The good news: FI-related crime in 2008 was slightly below that reported in 2007.

Researchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just pilfer your log-in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance. The bank Trojan, dubbed URLZone, has features designed to thwart fraud detection systems which are triggered by unusual transactions. For instance, the software is programmed to calculate on-the-fly how much money to transfer from an account based on how much money is available. The executable can come via a number of avenues, including malicious JavaScript or an Adobe PDF. The specific Trojan Finjan researchers analyzed targeted customers of unnamed German banks, and the researchers claim that "this is part of a new trend of more sophisticated Trojans designed to evade antifraud systems."

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Core Systems:

Helping Banks Focus on Opportunities

Fidelity Information Services - http://www.fidelityinfoservices.com   Read Anthony Jabbour's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/FIS.pdf

Fiserv - http://www.fiserv.com Read Fiserv's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Fiserv.pdf

Fiserv - http://www.opensolutions.com Read David Mitchell's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/OSI.pdf

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According to a Microsoft sponsored survey, banks seeking to build trust among young "millennials" should tap blogs and social networks to improve communication with them. Twenty seven percent say the use of online blogs where they can pose questions and get answers would be a "very important" step, while 42% say it would be "somewhat important". Furthermore, 23% say using technology such as social networking, two-way blogs and Twitter to improve dialogue is "very important" and 37% think it is "somewhat important". Seventy five percent of millennials are in favor of monthly e-mail updates. Online live chat with staff is considered useful by 67% while 64% are in favor of having a personal Web portal with their account information. Just over half also want text message updates with the same percentage calling for financial applications for smartphones. Finally, streaming Webcasts from financial experts received positive feedback from 51% with podcasts favored by 44% and real-time Twitter feeds and responses from customer service staff are backed by 43%.

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Intuit announced that banks can now offer TurboTax for Online Banking. The software platform is being offered free to Digital Insight’s retail Internet banking clients, and can be added with or without FinanceWorks.

BillShrink, an online service that gives users personalized recommendations on reducing their bills, has added a tool pointing people in the direction of the best savings accounts. The site tracks more than 300 constantly changing rates for the most attractive savings accounts and CDs. Its proprietary technology also analyzes a number of additional criteria corresponding to an individual's usage preferences to generate personalized account recommendations.

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Apparent Networks, maker of network performance management software, recently made available a free product that will help IT Departments see the performance of complete network paths. PathView Cloud is a hosted network management tool that the vendor says can measure the performance of network paths from source to destination. That includes segments that pass through service provider and carrier networks, or cloud computing environments. With the free version, network teams can monitor up to five total paths at no cost for an unlimited time. The commercial version is priced via subscription at $99 per month.

INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine has recognized 36 companies for outstanding achievements in IP Communications solutions. They are:

Company - Product

AccessLine Communications - AccessLine Digital Phone System
ADTRAN, Inc. - Netvanta Routers and 3G Wireless NIM
Agito Networks - RoamAnywhere Mobility Router v3.0
Allworx - 9224 IP Phone & Tx Expander
Aruba Networks - adaptive 802.11n Wi-Fi solution
AT&T - AT&T Connect
Benbria Corporation - BlazeCast
Brocade - FastIron CX Series
CallFire - Cloud Call Center
Cypress Communications - C4 IP
DIGITALK Ltd - Prepaid MVNO
Digium - Switchvox SMB 4.0
Ifbyphone - Outbound IVR
IneoQuest - IQDialogue SDV Server Edition
Integrated Research - PROGNOSIS IP Telephony Manager
IPC - Max Access 1000
M5 Networks - M5Connect
MetaSwitch - MetaView Network Management System (NMS)
Microsemi - PD9000G
Mitel - Unified Communicator Advanced
Mu Dynamics, Inc. - Test Suite
Narus, Inc. - NarusInsight
Netformx - DesignXpert
NICE Systems Ltd. - VoIP Recording Solution
PAETEC - Fixed Wireless
Patton Electronics, Co. - SmartNode 4638 Multiport BRI So VoIP Gateway Router
Pronexus - IVR ToolKit
RadiSys - Promentum ATCA-4500
Radware - SIP Director
Radware - AppDirector
Sangoma Technologies - Netborder Express Gateway Cards
SevOne, Inc. - PAS (Performance Appliance Solution)
Telesphere - Complete
Virtual PBX - iVPBX
Wyde Voice, LLC - VM1000/VM3000
XCast Labs - Digital Voice & Video Platform
Zultys, Inc. - Unified Communications Solutions

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If only one or two top achievers receive rewards every quarter in your call center, other agents may become discouraged. Some call center experts recommend that you implement a "network" of rewards. You could have short term rewards (on the spot, daily, weekly) and long term rewards (monthly pay for performance bonuses, annual merit raises, etc). They also say that you should have individual and team awards. One methodology utilizes free rewards (certificates, notes, parking spot, special privileges), low cost rewards (movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates, bank branded items, etc) and costly rewards (cash bonuses, drawings for big items like televisions or iPods). They argue that by varying the type of rewards, how and when they are delivered, the criteria they are based on, you are more likely to cast a wider net and appeal to more employees.

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