BANK tech-trends News
 

November 23, 2009 - November 27, 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

Intel is releasing a $120 solid-state disk (SSD) drive positioned as a server "boot drive" with only 40GB of capacity. Intel is also planning a new line of enterprise-class SSDs with 50GB, 100GB and 200GB capacities, which would more closely mimic the capacities of high-end hard disk drives used in servers today.

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ATMs/Kiosks

According to the ATM Industry Association, skimming remains the industry’s No. 1 global security concern. ATMIA defines skimming as the unauthorized capture of magnetic-stripe information by modifying the hardware or software of a payment device, or through the use of a separate card reader. Now the trade group is calling for tougher sentences for ATM skimming attacks with the hope that scammers will be deterred by the prospect of longer prison sentences.

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UPEK announced the launch of the EikonTouch USB fingerprint readers, the touch version of their swipe readers. There are two varieties of EikonTouch fingerprint reader: the EikonTouch 700 and the EikonTouch 300. The EikonTouch 700 is designed for government applications requiring FIPS 201 certified image quality as well as for multi-user applications where high biometric performance and easy usability are both critical. The EikonTouch 300 with SteelCoat protective coating is designed for rugged environments and for cost sensitive applications requiring one-touch authentication.

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MasterCard announced the MasterCard Mobile Payments Gateway, a mobile payments processing platform that the company says "enables financial institutions and mobile network operators to deliver end-to-end mobile payments solutions through the MasterCard Worldwide Network." MasterCard is working with Smart Hub to leverage its mobile payments technology to develop the MasterCard Mobile Payments Gateway. MasterCard says that their system will permit consumers to use their mobile phones to make purchases, send and receive money between family and friends, transfer funds between accounts, pay bills, top up mobile airtime, load value to prepaid accounts, get cash from ATMs, and keep track of their balances and activities with mobile alerts. The card company also announced that they plan to use mobile phones to improve security for online transactions. The added layer of security comes from a one-time password that the user is asked to enter when approving a transaction. The password is either sent via an SMS (Short Message Service) or created by an application that runs on a smartphone or a phone that supports Java. The first services to use the improved security will become available during the first half of next year.

In Gartner's top 10 predictions for how consumers will use their mobile devices in the year 2012, money transfer tops the list. Gartner's top 10 consumer mobile applications for 2012 are:

1. Money transfer
2. Location-based services
3. Mobile search
4. Mobile browsing
5. Mobile health monitoring
6. Mobile payment
7.Near-field communication services
8. Mobile advertising
9. Mobile instant messaging
10. Mobile music

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Security vendor Tufin Technologies announced it has released a set of 12 plug-ins, extending support of its solution set to a wider set of network devices. Tufin has released plug-ins for switches and routers from industry leaders including Cisco, Juniper and HP. Each plug-in provides Tufin's SecureTrack and SecureChange Workflow packages with the ability to granularly track changes and generate automated reports that improve policy management for each device.

A new company called InZero Systems has launched a security service that promises to protect PCs from possible malware, intrusions, and other types of attacks. The InZero Secure PC service features what the company calls a "little black box" that, when plugged into a PC and attached to Ethernet cable, offers a "hardware sandbox" with its own CPU, read-only memory and stateful inspection firewall and encryption engine. There is also a version of the hardware that would fit inside a PC. The InZero Secure PC service also includes an encryption capability for protecting applications on the PC and a VPN. InZero Systems says it has about 37 clients, with pricing around $70 per month, and lower based on volume discounts.

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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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Portland, OR-based Psst Marketing helps financial institutions build awareness through word of mouth viral marketing. They develop some fun campaigns that involve local businesses, e.g., they work with local wait staff, bartenders, cart vendors, hair dressers and barbers to get the word out about their client's various three to four week mini-promotions.

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Visa announced the North American rollout of its new transaction alert service allowing card issuers to provide near real-time alerts to Visa account holders. Alerts are sent on behalf of participating issuers directly from VisaNet, Visa’s global processing network, typically within seconds of a transaction occurring. Alerts are triggered when the transaction meets certain criteria the account holder has selected and are delivered directly to the account holder via email or SMS text message.

United Kingdom-based HSBC is testing a combined debit and credit card in conjunction with Visa. The combined card offers both debit and credit functionality and enables the consumer to choose their preferred payment method at the point of sale using a single PIN. HSBC has worked with smart card manufacturer Oberthur to develop the cards which use Visa's SimplyOne platform to mash up the debit and credit functionality.

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A new free tool, dynaTrace AJAX Edition, can be used to diagnose website slowdowns. dynaTrace AJAX Edition gives you a quick high-level view of where the time is being spent to load a page, including XMLHttpRequest calls and timer callbacks. Giving away dynaTrace AJAX Edition provides dynaTrace an opportunity to plug its commercial edition which is an end-to-end, browser-to-server transaction-centric APM system.

Unified Communications Magazine announced their Excellence Award Winners for 2009:

Company - Product

Agito Networks - RoamAnywhere v3.0
Avaya - Avaya Aura
Brocade - Brocade and ShoreTel Eradicate Communication Bugs for Terminix
Cypress Communications - C4 IP
Ensa Technologies - Telephony Office LinX 7.1
IBM - Converged communications services for Lotus Sametime Unified Telephony
Ifbyphone - Store Locator and Call Routing
IPC - Max Access 1000
Junction Networks - OnSIP hosted PBX
Juniper Media - eCRM
Microsoft - Office Communications Server 2007 R2
Monolith Software - Monolith Software Platform
Nortel - Converged Office Solution
PanTerra Networks - WorldSmart Unified Communications
RADVISION - SCOPIA VC240
Roundbox - Mobile Broadcast Suite 5.0
ShoreTel - ShoreTel 9
Varolii - Interact Platform
Voiceserve-Voipswitch - Voipswitch platform for ITSP

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Some IP-based contact centers are doing away with a costly piece of hardware: the headset. For example, Interactive Intelligence’s new Interaction SIP Station is a simple VoIP network end device that contact center agents plug their headsets into, yet which delivers full telephony features and functionality by way of the PC desktop. The company says that it is “an affordable, reliable and simple alternative to IP desk phones.” It’s also an alternative to softphones, which can be less reliable and tend to be harder to use. Interaction SIP Station sits on an agent’s desk, and has no hand set, display, or dial pad. It works in conjunction with Interactive Intelligence’s Interaction Client, a PC-based call control software application offering call recording, call rules, conferencing, presence management, company directory look-up, queue monitoring, call history and other features.

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