BANK tech-trends News
 

April 20, 2009 - April 24, 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

Lexmark has introduced a series of printers designed for smaller working groups. The company has unveiled nine monochrome laser multifunction products (MFPs) that are designed to provide users with a small profile device that is optimized for use with small and midsize workgroups. The Lexmark X460 Series features the company's customizable e-Task color touch screen, which offers access to a range of features such as two-sided scanning, advanced copying and user authentication for enhanced security. Lexmark designed all these new models to be more environmentally friendly. They come standard with built-in two sided printing to reduce paper waste in addition to Eco-Mode and Quiet Mode to save energy and reduce noise.

Samsung announced it is shipping its first self-encrypting solid-state disk (SSD) drives, and claims its SSD is the first to come with FDE (full disk encryption). Samsung's news drives, which come in 256GB, 128GB and 64GB capacities, use AES encryption along with management software from Wave Systems. Samsung said its SSD performance is not affected by FDE, a drawback sometimes seen with hard drives.

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ATMs/Kiosks

NYCE has announced that it will offer balance inquiries by text message to its financial institution participants as a standard feature of full participation in the NYCE Network. The basic text message transactions will be an extension of the balance inquiry functionality commonly available at NYCE Network ATMs, with no additional fees for mobilization. The new service, powered by Monitise Americas, will allow consumers to use text messaging to request and receive real-time balance information on their primary accounts. Text message balance inquiries will work for virtually all mobile phone users regardless of their mobile carrier or the type of handset they use.

DASH ATM LP has released a new ATM security product that offers security benefits similar to the ATM sleeve it released last year. According to DASH, the new ATM base-safe shroud is an armored shroud that fits only around the ATM's safe. It is currently being used on Wincor Nixdorf ProCash 1500 ATMs, and the firm says that they will release one for the NCR Personas 77 ATM line shortly.

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San Francisco-based 3VR Security and Diebold are partnering to delivers intelligent video management solutions to help reduce fraud. 3VR’s technology combines multi-analytic capabilities, facial surveillance capabilities, license plate recognition and advanced motion analytics. The company says that their facial surveillance technology enables users to capture, index and catalog faces; search for and track suspects using face similarity searching; build, manage and share watch lists of faces; and intelligently store optimized face images. Diebold is testing the performance of the solutions through a pilot deployment at Bank of Hawaii.

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Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed Eclectyk, a system to replace credit and consumer loyalty cards with a handset outfitted with near field communication (NFC) technology. Eclectyk stores credit card data in the phone, and automatically chooses the correct customer loyalty card information for the user's purchase, according to which store the user is in. Eclectyk also comes with a "remote wipe" feature that lets users erase their card data from anywhere should the phone get stolen or lost.

MasterCard recently approved the LAKS Smart Transaction Watch 2, a black and stainless steel analog timepiece with an embedded antenna coil that functions as a contactless PayPass device once a tiny SIM-like M/Chip is inserted. LAKS introduced its first Smart Transaction Watch in 2006 as a limited edition FIFA World Cup sports watch. The watchmaker then improved upon its original design by adding a slide-in slot below the 9 o'clock position that enables users to quickly and easily insert their M/Chip and turn their timepiece into a tap-and-go credit card.

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Verizon investigated 90 confirmed data breaches in 2008 and found 91% of all breached records were linked to organized criminal gangs. Nearly all breaches (98%) shared at least one of three characteristics: thieves were aided by the target's error in security practices (67%); the target's network was hacked (64%); and malware was used to collect data (38%). The minority of breaches were the result of the misuse of privileges (22%) or direct, physical attacks (9%). To help prevent breaches, Verizon recommends that organizations find, track, and assess data; collect and monitor event logs; audit user accounts and credentials; and test and review web applications.

In a related story, Symantec's Annual Internet Security Threat Report found that criminals are now buying full personal identities (names, addresses dates of birth, and credit card details) for less than a dollar. The report notes that it's not just the technology and code that is getting better, but also the approach and the strategy behind the attacks. Plus the prevalence of DIY kits online has fuelled the growth in malware and phishing, as the tools for creation and modification of attacks are readily available to anyone.

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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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For the first time, U.S. credit card reward program customers outnumber airline frequent flyers. COLLOQUY’s 2009 U.S. loyalty marketing census shows that customership in U.S. financial services rewards programs has reached 422 million, a 77% increase since COLLOQUY’s 2007 census, vaulting financial services past airline frequent flier programs as the economy’s largest market for loyalty programs. “Just a few years ago, the industry regularly talked about how 50% of all credit cards had reward programs tied in. Today, estimates range from 75% to 80%. For debit cards, 2006 estimates were 10% to 15%, but the latest industry analyses put the numbers at 25% to 50% due to the explosion of merchant funded network programs,” COLLOQUY Partner Kelly Hlavinka said.

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According to a study by PayItGreen, if employees signed up to use Direct Deposit, individually they would save almost a pound of paper every year. Plus, if every employee who had access to Direct Deposit used it, it would save 11 million pounds of paper, 4 million gallons of gas, and avoid releasing 32 million pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. PayItGreen was formed in 2007 to educate consumers about the positive environmental impact of choosing electronic bills, statements and payments over paper alternatives.

Fiserv is working with more than 25 financial institutions across the country to encourage their account holders to make the switch to online bill payment by planting a tree in a national forest for each bill paid online during April and May. This is the third year in a row that Fiserv has partnered with financial institutions and the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees. They say that the average household that replaces traditional payments with online bill payments could save more than $50 per year on postage and five hours of time writing checks and stuffing envelopes, while simultaneously reducing the need to purchase checks, envelopes and gas to drive to and from the post office provides additional cost savings.

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Internet Access

Siemens Enterprise Communications announced the availability of new Siemens OpenScale Operate service packages, claiming that they will help organizations better manage their communications infrastructure. Siemens says that organizations can take advantage of their global service delivery network to cover multi-vendor environments, and also hybrid environments comprising legacy, time-division multiplexing (TDM)-based voice and converged session initiation protocol (SIP)-based voice and data networks. OpenScale Operate service packages consist of three standard offerings: OpenScale Essential, OpenScale Essential Plus, and OpenScale Assurance. OpenScale Essential provides basic 24x7 remote break/fix service. OpenScale Essential Plus offers managed services with service level agreement (SLA)-based delivery and monitoring as well as dedicated service desk and service management. OpenScale Assurance provides complete, end-to-end Managed Services to maintain, monitor and operate an entire enterprise communications infrastructure - voice, data and security.

D-Link introduced its next-generation PowerLine adapter kit that connects computers in home and small offices. The PowerLine HD Ethernet Adapter Starter Kit (DHP-303) allows the user to take advantage of existing electrical wiring to create or extend a network by turning “every power outlet in the home into a wall-to-wall network for connecting” when connected to a switch. (The kit includes two wall plugs/adapters.) The PowerLine Adapter uses Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) for one-button security and uses Quality of Service support to help prioritize data in the pipeline.

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Call Centers

In order to assist companies in selecting an IP contact center vendor, Datamonitor has published “Decision Matrix – Selecting an IP Contact Center Vendor.” The report provides a three-pronged framework for evaluating IP contact center vendors. According to the report, core IP contact center features and functions continue to be the most important consideration when selecting a vendor. The report features a “shortlist” category that covers two different vendors: Avaya and Alcaltel-Lucent/Genesys.

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