BANK tech-trends News
 

 January 19, 2009 - January 23, 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

Fujitsu announced its S1500 scanner, which replaces the top-of-line S510 desktop document scanner. However, Fujitsu also released its SnapScan S300 Scanner, which is a step below the S1500 but still an excellent scanner at $295. This slim line scanner can handle a stack of documents at time, and features two cameras that scan front and back simultaneously. It automatically reads text and flips scans to portrait or landscape mode, and it can quickly turn your whole stack of documents into a multi-page PDF, with document-level encryption and password protection if needed.

The LaCie 4big Quadra is an external storage unit available in capacities of 2 TB, 4 TB and 6 TB (utilizing hard drives that store 500 GB, 1,000 GB, and 1,500 GB each, respectively). You can connect the 4big Quadra via USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 or eSATA. Although classified as a Direct Attached Storage (DAS) product, internally the device works with RAID technology. The entry-level model costs $849.

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ATMs/Kiosks

VSoft announced the release of its Centrum Gateway ATM 5.20 software with interfaces to NCR's ImageMark ATM Passport software solution and Diebold's Opteva ImageWay ATM. The company says that NCR or Diebold ATMs that support image transmission can integrate with their Gateway ATM software, which captures images at the ATM location for processing and image exchange. The software provides gateway functions for captured deposits, including collecting the captured images and data from multiple ATMs at a central location, virtual sorting, deposit reviewing, and providing inputs to VSoft's Digital Dashboard for enterprise-wide monitoring.

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Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), a leading supplier of electronic and biometric signature solutions for business process automation in the financial industry, announced it has been named to Forrester Research's "Hot Banking Tech Companies To Watch In 2009" Report. The research firm noted that CIC's SaaS-based electronic signature solutions help speed up and secure loan applications.

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According to a study from Juniper Research, over 150 million people in developed markets will be using their mobile phones as an additional banking channel by 2011. The report says mobile banking will gain in popularity because people, especially the young, always carry their handset with them, making the service convenient. The report concludes that "mobile banking is a key element in banks' distribution channel strategies as they compete to attract and retain customers."

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BitArmor announced what they are calling the industry's first and only no-breach guarantee. The BitArmor No-Breach Guarantee is available for its DataControl software solution which delivers a combination of full disk encryption for laptops and persistent file encryption using their Smart Tag technology to continuously protect information. The Pittsburgh-based firm will refund the purchase price of their product if BitArmor-protected data and BitArmor controls are breached.

Some security experts are pointing to a trend among cybercriminals to avoid ‘smash and grab’ attacks where they would quickly see what they could get, for a ‘low and slow’ targeted attack. In this type of methodical attack, the fraudster covers their tracks as they penetrate the network, sometimes ceasing the attack for days at a time to avoid raising suspicion. Some basic characteristics are: after typically initially gaining access through a Web application vulnerability, or via a successful spear-phishing attack on an employee, they may wait a few days after this first stage of the attack. Once inside, the attacker can create his own account, install Trojans or other malware to steal sensitive data, or turn off logging. But the key is that they take each step slowly and quietly, rather than in one fell swoop. Their goal is to not raise suspicion or sound any network alarms. Unfortunately, defending against these stealthy types of attacks isn't easy. Some defenses include careful and long term log monitoring, whitelisting to help flag unauthorized or unusual application activity, and securing user credentials.

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Security:

Protecting Customer Data at Rest and in Motion

CheckFree - http://www.checkfree.com Read Christopher Beier's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/CheckFree.pdf

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

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

Gladiator Technology - http://www.gladiatortechnology.com Read Danny Johnston's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Gladiator.pdf

Guardian Analytics - http://www.guardiananalytics.com Read Tom Miltonberger's comments:     http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Guardian.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 Keith Young's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/ICS.pdf

Intrepidus Group - http://www.intrepidusgroup.com   Read Rohyt Belani's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Intrepidus.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

Reclamere - http://www.reclamere.com   Read Kevin Doyle's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Reclamere.pdf

Simpler-Webb - http://www.swinc.com   Read Jeff Simpler's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/SimplerWebb.pdf

SkyRecon Systems - http://www.skyrecon.com   Read Sean Martin's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/SkyRecon.pdf

Software and Management Associates - http://www.smausa.com Read Michael W. Taylor's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/SMA.pdf

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PowerObjects, a vendor of Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management products, announced PowerLaunch, described as a CRM deployment product designed to help get a CRM system up and running, and includes configuration, training and consulting. The product includes a business review consulting session to identify the information and processes that will be supported, system customization and configuration based upon the findings of the business review session. Part of PowerLaunch’s marketing pitch is that the product is designed to get an organization up and running with CRM in as little as five days, and the price for the basic PowerLaunch product is $4,995. 

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The FFIEC has issued new guidance entitled Risk Management of Remote Deposit Capture. It is designed for to be used by examiners, banks and technology service providers to identify risks, evaluate controls and assess risk management practices related to remote deposit capture (RDC) systems.

According to researchers at Trusteer, fraudsters are using a sophisticated new method of phishing that targets users while they are banking online - sending phony popup messages pretending to be from their financial institution. The security firm said that their research team has not spotted full-blown attacks like this in the wild as yet, but they have seen precursors to it. The malware exploits weaknesses in the browser that lets the attacker "see" the banking site URL where the victim is logged in, and then the phisher automatically generates a popup. Dubbed "in-session phishing" attacks, the victim is prompted to retype their username and password for the banking site because the online banking session "has expired," or is asking for the completion of a satisfaction survey or to fill out a special promotion via a popup. Trusteer offered a few tips for users to protect themselves from an in-session phishing attack: deploy browser security tools; log out of banking and other sensitive online apps and accounts before going to other Websites; and be suspicious of any popups during a Web session if you haven't clicked on a hyperlink.

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Internet Access

New Edge Networks announced Voice Connect, a private Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway service integrated with the company’s Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network offerings. The company’s nationwide MPLS enables their clients to converge voice, video and data on a single, secure network. MPLS provides a number of advantages: it is highly scalable and less complex than its predecessors; it is capable of prioritizing traffic - offering users up to five classes of service for tagging and prioritizing application data traffic; and it makes it easy to reroute traffic priorities on the fly or add new locations to the network.

Many IT organizations currently have a three-year contract with their wide area network (WAN) provider(s), and some observers believe that you should start the negotiation process with about one year to go on the contract. Your bank has two primary goals: to improve the quality of the service that you get and to lower the costs. Larger banks may want to consider hiring a firm that can identify what WAN pricing similar organizations have been receiving over the preceding months. The firm can also identify if IT organizations are receiving signing bonuses if they move from one WAN service provider to another, or analogously, if IT organizations are receiving loyalty bonuses for not switching WAN service providers.

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Call Centers

ContactBabel has released a study, entitled, "The US Contact Center Operational Review (2nd edition)" that finds that organizations that have switched from a traditional premise-based call center solution to a fully-hosted solution experienced a lower TCO and improved functionality that were in the 90 percent range. The report also highlighted that 80 percent of respondents discovered that making critical system changes is easier in a hosted environment. The report concludes that "one of the biggest advantages of hosted solutions is the savings related to minimizing or eliminating capital expenses. Most respondents stated that operating expense funding was easier to get than capital expense funding."

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