BANK tech-trends News
 

March 30, 2009 - April 3, 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

Dell has come out with a whole slew of new products including: new Dell M-series blade servers, 11th-generation PowerEdge servers, Precision workstations, EqualLogic PS6000 storage arrays, and a host of revamped services. According to one analyst's calculations, one of Dell's Nehalem server blades will give you the power of the fastest supercomputer in the world in 1992: 93 gigaflops, costing $130 million. Intel and Dell executives said that a single Nehalem server can replace nine single core servers, and up to 18 servers if you turn on its virtualization technologies. While at the same time reducing power consumption by 20 per cent. A server can also come with the image preconfigured, nullifying the need for your in-house IT people to install each image manually.

Not to be outdone, IBM has rolled out its own server redesign based on Intel's Xeon 5500 Series. The new line is being touted by IBM for its ability to help reduce management costs and overall energy use. Here are the highlights:

• Systems with 92 percent energy efficiency

• Blades that offer twice as many transactions per minute at 1,333 GHz

• Yearly energy savings up to $100 per server

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ATMs/Kiosks

In response to last week's announcement about the malware affecting Diebold ATMs, Solidcore Systems said that its patented runtime control software would have prevented this attack. Solidcore says that their endpoint security prevents unauthorized changes and allows device manufacturers and enterprise IT organizations to enforce established software change policies. Solidcore's system allows multiparty authorized updaters and keeps a detailed log of all changed items.

Nexxo Financial Corporation operates more than 100 Nexxo Cajeros which are ATM-like machines that offer consumers an easy way to send money to a large network of more than 21,000 bank branches and pick-up centers throughout Mexico, Central and South America. The company is looking to partner with banks, retailers, kiosk operators, or other financial services companies who are looking for an automated solution for their remittance needs.

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Sonavation announced what they are calling the introduction of the biometrics industry’s thinnest, most durable and highly accurate fingerprint sensor for the wireless and smartcard markets. Called the SonicSlide STS3000, the sensor is about the thickness of a postage stamp, and is constructed from polymers similar to those used to build wings of commercial aircraft. Because it is not a semiconductor, the sensor eliminates the electrostatic discharge issues that have hampered the incorporation of semiconductor-based sensors into notebook PCs, mobile phones and other consumer electronics.

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According to a new report from ABI Research, consumers are increasingly using their cell phones for financial transactions, and users are expected to spend $1.6 billion via mobile commerce this year. In the report, titled "Mobile Money Services And Contactless Payment Forecasts," ABI said the growth is primarily being driven by SMS, mobile Internet, and mobile app forms of payment.

Nokia announced that it has taken a minority stake in Obopay, a mobile-payment company that enables people to pay for items from Obopay accounts tied to their mobile phones. Nokia has long been a big believer in using phones as credit cards or wallets. The company has tried near-field communications technology to allow some phones to be swiped at cash registers, but this is the first time the company has invested in a payment service such as Obopay.

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Visa is piloting two new initiatives to reduce payment card fraud. One of the pilots involves MagTek's technology which uses magnetic stripe technology to create unique digital fingerprints for cards. Each stripe contains unique characteristics that can be captured and used to verify the digital identity of the card. The goal is to stop the creation and use of counterfeit cards based on stolen payment card data. Another pilot involves the use of a challenge-response technique at the point of sale. The project is aimed at testing the efficacy of asking consumers to respond to specific questions - such as their ZIP code, the last four digits of their phone numbers or the first three digits of their area codes - as part of the transaction approval process.

A new report from Aite Group that examines likely changes to fraud management strategies over the next three years finds that the most important channel for fraud losses in the period is expected to be the ATM, while ACH fraud is expected to see the greatest increase. They expect fraud attacks to increase, and they note that "fraud management departments are centralizing, investing in monitoring technology and continuing to place a strong emphasis on the human element as the most critical component in fraud mitigation."

Panda Security is offering Panda USB Vaccine, a free security solution designed to block malware which spreads through removable drives such as pen drives, CD/DVD drives, and other data storage devices. They say that their Panda USB Vaccine protects removable drives from this threat and keeps systems safe from malware infection. This free tool can be downloaded from: http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/downloads/usbvaccine/

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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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Sage announced "Sage SalesLogix Today," a CRM offering for small organizations. The Sage SalesLogix system runs on an intelligent server from Applianz Technologies, plus Online user training, continuous backup and disaster recovery, one year of hardware assurance and up to 30 hours of access to a dedicated Sage SalesLogix administrator during the first 90 days for remote implementation are all included as well.

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Visa is developing an early warning system that notifies cardholders in real-time when their cards are being used. The system notifies cardholders via e-mail or mobile phones when their cards are being used for a purchase. The consumer can personalize alerts, asking for notification by transaction size, online purchases, or foreign currency transactions. Visa also is developing another program dubbed Targeted Acceptance that permits consumers to set personal limits on how their cards can be used, e.g., by dollar amounts, geographic limits, or merchant segments. Transactions that fall outside these limits would be automatically declined.

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Internet Access

IP fax solutions provider Sagem-Interstar is rolling out their XMediusFAX Release 6.0, which it claims is the IP fax industry's first system to offer "survivability." The XMediusFAX fax server is a T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) solution with a boardless approach to fax-enabling VoIP networks. Running on Windows 2000 and 2003, it allows employees to compose, send and receive faxes directly from their email clients. The firm says that the system is capable of withstanding single or even multiple failures when peered with the Cisco AXP platform with the Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR).

Integra Telecom, a facilities-based, integrated communications provider for business, has introduced Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) enabled Virtual Private Network (VPN) and private network services. The company provides voice, data and Internet communications to thousands of business and carrier customers in 11 Western states. The telco claims that when combined with MPLS technology, their fiber network provides customers the security and reliability of private line with the simplicity, speed and scalability of packet-based networks.

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Call Centers

Nortel has introduced Contact Center 7.0, a session initiation protocol (SIP)-based solution with integrated unified communications (UC) capabilities, and it also features integration with Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. With Contact Center 7.0 and Microsoft OCS integration, agents have a single, unified desktop interface for inbound/outbound voice, email, web chat, and instant messaging. Contact Center 7.0 also features predictive outbound dialing. In addition, Nortel also announced enhancements to its interactive voice response (IVR) solution, the Interactive Communications Portal (ICP) and added functionality to Agile Communication Environment (ACE) platform.

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