BANK tech-trends News
 

August 17, 2009 - August 21, 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

Vendors have been moving to liquid cooling on servers to reduce heat in datacenters, but Hewlett-Packard said that it is expanding use of liquid cooling on its workstations to tackle noise issues. HP will give customers the option of using liquid cooling on two of its workstation models, the z400 and z800 to cut back, but not eliminate, the need for fans. The liquid cooling is a closed system where a non-toxic coolant flows from one processor to the other and circulates back into a reservoir where a 3.5 inch, slower moving fan dissipates the heat.

Dell announced the latest additions to its Vostro portfolio of computer for small businesses, the Vostro 1014, 1015 and 1088 laptops. The new 14.1 and 15.6 inch systems are intended for entry-level, everyday computing needs, and offer Intel Core 2 processors, improved battery life, and built-in 5-in-1 media card readers. The new laptops will start in the $500-600 range.

For less than $500, a simple unified gateway device can protect even small banks from threats. For locations of up to 25 people, an inexpensive unified threat management (UTM) appliance like the ZyXEL ZyWALL USG 100 deploys in minutes, even without the assistance of a professional network administrator. Its browser-based interface makes it easy to configure for one Internet connection or two, and supports LAN, WAN, and DMZ connections right out of the box. It also includes VPN support for both SSL and IPSec VPNs.

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ATMs/Kiosks

According to Retail Banking Research, deposit automation is one of the fastest growing new ATM technologies in the world. Diebold can testify to that research - they just announced that their envelope-free deposit technology for ATMs is being used by financial institutions in all 50 U.S. states. The company notes that with deposit automation, savings realized from the migration of routine transactions away from the teller line are only equaled by the savings from fewer deposit sweeps and the sharp reduction in costly back-end processing.

SNS Bank in the Netherlands is introducing a new store concept that will use kiosk applications on a grand scale. In every store there are five interactive pillars that house kiosks with a system where the customer can get information on all of their products and services. Each visitor will be welcomed by a sales consultant who can assist with self-service transactions at the kiosks if needed.

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Authentec, a popular provider of fingerprint solutions, is introducing a family of hardware and software solutions for netbooks. The solution combines Authentec’s tiny new sensor, called Marcy, with its TrueSuite software, which the company says has been optimized for use with Microsoft Windows 7 and the new operating system’s Windows Biometric Framework (WBF). In action, each finger can be assigned a different application or two, e.g., simply swipe your right index finger and have Gmail launch and sign you in automatically.

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A new report from IDC Financial Insights emphasizes that banks need to prepare themselves today for the imminent wave of mobile adoption to avoid being left behind by competitors. The study, "Market Analysis: Retail Mobile Banking Vendor Survey Results - Mobile Banking Will Have Its Day, Just Not Today," states that "mobile banking for retail customers will become a staple no different than online banking. Just like online banking, the justification for offering a mobile solution will be based on customer retention and cost reduction. The convergence of technologies into the mobile phone will continue to attract customers to the technology, and financial institutions will need to offer a solution." IDC Financial Insights also believes that payments might just be the "killer" application that propels mobile banking as mainstream, and recommends that banks take a more strategic look at mobile banking rather than view it as simply an extension of online banking and bill payment.

IT workers with iPhones may want to look at the WinAdmin app in the iTunes App Store. It allows for remote server administration - of course a full screen experience is preferable to the mini-screen on the iPhone, but WinAdmin may be handy when you are on the road. There are other RDP client applications available for the iPhone, including the iTap RDP Client, but WinAdmin is quite popular.

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Virus Bulletin, an independent testing organization, made news recently when they reported that 12 out of 35 anti-malware products failed their latest round of tests. The basic requirements for a product passing the test is detecting, both on demand and on access, in its default settings, all malware known to be "In the Wild" at the time of the review, and not detecting any false positives when scanning a set of clean files. The products were pitted against about 3,000 unique samples of malware that fall into four categories: WildList viruses, Worms and bots, Polymorphic viruses, and Trojans.

Global DataGuard, a provider of network behavior analysis-based (NBA) Enterprise Unified Threat Management, has enhanced its Firewall/Syslog Module (FSM) technology with the release of version 3.4. The company says that the new version provides increased storage up to 1.5 terabytes of onboard storage; advanced search capabilities for locating and analyzing specific log events over longer periods of time; and more sophisticated log parsing and alerting. With FSM technology, all log files from disparate third party routers, switches, firewalls, IDS/IPS, AV, Windows, UNIX and Linux systems are continuously analyzed by customer-specified rule sets and then retained for reporting and forensics.

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Online & Mobile Banking:

Saving Costs and Increasing Marketshare

eEminder - http://www.eeminder.com   Read Thomas Utsch's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/eEminder.pdf

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

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

Harland Financial Solutions - http://www.harlandfinancialsolutions.com   Read Jeff Marshall's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/HFS.pdf

MShift - http://www.mshift.com Read Pamela Livingston's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/MShift.pdf

Syphr - http://www.syphronline.com Read Chris Langeley's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Syphr.pdf

TowerGroup - http://www.towergroup.com Read Charul Vyas' comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TowerGroup.pdf

uMonitor - http://www.umonitor.com Read Dinesh Sheth's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/uMonitor.pdf

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Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project failures rates are notorious. Although relatively few projects become complete write-offs, partial failure is all too common. All too often a project delivers some expected benefits, but still leaves many employees unsatisfied and business sponsors wondering what went wrong. Some observers point to three major pitfalls that plague many CRM initiatives: 1) installing technology without a business strategy; 2) paying insufficient attention to user needs and benefits; and 3) using ambiguous (or non-existent) measures of project completion and success.

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According to research from TowerGroup, debit cards are far more resilient in the current recessionary economy than credit cards. In less than 15 years, debit card transactions in the U.S. grew from 1 percent of noncash transactions to more than 50 percent. TowerGroup predicts that debit card transaction volume and card spend will grow through 2015, through the current recession and ensuing economic recovery. In their report "Shuffling the Cards: The Migration of Frugal Consumers and Cautious Lenders to a Debit Card World", the research firm states that "card issuers will have to embrace the debit card platform to keep up with a new financial world in which debit and prepaid cards become the dominant payment methods."

The fourth annual Consumer Online Banking Survey found that consumers increasingly want simple, secure person-to-person (P2P) payment services and they prefer to get these services from their financial institution, rather than an independent service such as PayPal. According to the 2009 survey:

• 81 percent of respondents would use a P2P service if offered by their financial institution
• 77 percent of respondents would prefer to use a P2P service offered by their own financial institution over an independent online P2P service
• 73 percent of respondents felt that a P2P service offered through their financial institution would be more secure than an independent P2P service
• 69 percent of respondents felt that a P2P service offered through their financial institution would be more convenient than an independent P2P service

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Network operator XO Communications has expanded its operations to serve all 50 states and has improved redundancy for its VoIP customers with a new Automatic Call Routing feature that allows incoming calls to be routed to an alternate phone, landline or mobile device in the face of an unplanned event. The new feature ensures employees are reachable and responsive in the event of a disaster, regardless of their location. It complements XO Connect, a multi-modal mass notification service which the company introduced last year that allows customers to deliver urgent communications to thousands of recipients simultaneously via telephone, text message or email. The company also offers XO Anywhere, a unified communications tool for customers deploying IP Flex and IP Flex with VPN that allows employees to work remotely just as of they were in the office.

With a VoIP system in place, call recording via software or appliances becomes simpler. SIP Print has developed an affordable VoIP call recording appliance that they claim is superior to software. SIP Print says that they offer all the features of other software-based solutions, but actually deliver a faster return on investment because of their lower installation and maintenance requirements.

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Some call center experts contend that too many call centers have implemented multi-hurdle hiring processes featuring advanced screening and assessment tools to ensure that they attract and acquire the best agents possible, but too few have done the same to ensure that they have the best supervisors leading those agents. They argue that more often than not, supervisors rise from the agent ranks as stellar, ambitious frontline performers, and that not enough attention is given to supervisor assessment and hiring. They note that in top performing call centers, the supervisor selection process usually starts long before an actual supervisory position opens up. Some centers offer training opportunities for aspiring supervisors as part of a formal career path. This training may take the form of classroom instruction, self-paced e-learning modules, or job-shadowing (where experienced agents take time off the phones to work closely with a supervisor). There are tools available as well to help: Employment Technologies’ Team Leader Readiness Simulation helps hiring managers create interview questions, evaluate candidates' responses, and develop customized performance plans for each candidate, while FurstPerson, a leading call center human resources consulting firm, offers a Supervisor Hiring Assessment service.

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