BANK tech-trends News
 

August 3, 2009 - August 7, 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

Windows 7 is the first Microsoft OS to include native enhancements for SSDs (solid state disks). Windows 7 disables disk defragmentation, which is unnecessary with a SSD and shortens the device's life expectancy. It also disables Superfetch and ReadyBoost, which were designed to improve performance on traditional drives where random read performance is a serious bottleneck. Perhaps most importantly, it supports Trim, which significantly improves write performance.

Meanwhile traditional hard drives continue to advance; for example Samsung just announced a new line-up of high-density hard drives that operate at 7200RPM with capacities of up to 1 terabyte, thanks to fitting 500GB on each platter. The Spinpoint F3 offers a 3.0Gbps SATA interface, Native Command Queuing features, a 16 MB/32MB buffer memory, and “SilentSeek” and “NoiseGuard” low noise operation technology.

Exterior surveillance cameras can be protected from the harsh elements by a DIGITUS camera housing. The housing protects cameras from rain, snow and solar radiation, plus it comes with both a heating and cooling system. The temperature inside the camera housing therefore remains permanently with the range of 15 - 95 degrees.

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ATMs/Kiosks

The Hercules+ wireless communications device, which converts landline ATMs to wireless ATMs, has been upgraded to offer dual connectivity. The new units default to Internet connectivity, unless there is an interruption in service in which case it will automatically change over to the wireless service. Once Internet connectivity is re-established, the unit will default back to the Internet. The unit, which allows two-way communication, still functions on either connection with no interruptions.

A small group of scam artists recently netted up to $1 million with their simple ATM operation. They didn’t employ ATM skimming devices or produce counterfeit ATM cards. Rather, they would set up accounts at various financial institutions, then disguise themselves when visiting ATMs to withdraw money. Later they would claim that they were victims of ATM theft and demand their money back. The group was finally caught by investigators who compared video surveillance footage.

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XCard Systems, in partnership with IBM Global Engineering Solutions, has developed the XCalibur card which is a biometric card that can function as a single debit, gift and loyalty card. A fingerprint biometric touch sensor authenticates the user before activation, while certain key functions allow the cardholder to choose which account they want to use for a particular transaction.

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Mitek has entered into an OEM agreement with Fiserv for Mitek's Mobile Deposit solution, an application that enables members to deposit their checks using a cell phone camera. Mobile Deposit is based on industry remote deposit capture standards and is available on iPhones and select BlackBerry and Windows Mobile handsets. Fiserv also announced that their Mobile Money and Mobile Money FastTrack solutions now incorporate RenderRight from M-Com, a new rendering engine that customizes the mobile banking interface to a user's specific mobile device. RenderRight accesses a database of information about specific mobile devices and their respective features and functionalities to automatically populate pertinent service attributes onto the mobile device. This helps ensure that the user has an accurate view of the application, with text or icons located in the correct area of the screen, and that all functionalities displayed are supported by the device.

ING is testing technology from Serverside that enables people to see what a customized card would look like on their mobile phones. The tool, used with a Nokia phone for the trial, enabled prospective cardholders to view how their card design would appear. Serverside says the application is ideal for generating ID cards in-branch and outdoor marketing events.

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Malware posing as antivirus software is spreading fast with tens of millions of computers infected each month, according to PandaLabs. The security vendor found 1,000 samples of fake antivirus software in the first quarter of 2008. In a year, that number had grown to 111,000. And in the second quarter of 2009, it reached 374,000. PandaLabs researchers, who have been tracking the spread of this latest trend in cybercrime, say rogueware is easier for the scammers than traditional banking Trojan attacks. Social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, are the latest vehicle for spreading this type of rogueware.

According to a new Aite Group report, it could cost $100 billion to fix card security in the United States. The report entitled "Card Data Security: In Search of a Technology Solution" suggests that a migration from magnetic-stripe cards to smartcards is the most viable cure for card security threats. However the report acknowledges that a move to a smart card architecture would only address the threat of counterfeit card fraud, leaving the threats of card-not-present fraud and malware unresolved. The report concludes that a decision to make the use of smart cards a standard practice in the US is five to seven years away – or may never take place at all.

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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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SwiftKnowledge, a provider of web-based business intelligence (BI) software, announced pre-configured BI solutions for the banking industry. The 100 percent Web and browser-based technology is designed to manage, track and report on profitability, risk, customer and prospect metrics, and other key performance indicators in real-time. The platform comes with an array of reporting/analytics, proactive notification, and predictive modeling functionality for deposit management, financial management and loan management solutions.

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The Aite Group estimates that poorly executed remote deposit strategies are costing the U.S. financial services industry more than $700 million per year in lost revenue. The report states that even as the number of remote deposit deployments by U.S. banks continues to grow, end-user adoption remains low, especially among small businesses. They say that FI's failure to clearly communicate the value proposition of remote deposit has resulted in low product knowledge among small businesses. Approximately 47% of small businesses do not know what remote deposit is, while an additional 43% have heard of it, but aren't aware of many details. Aite's Christine Barry said "by adopting a more strategic remote deposit marketing strategy that consists of better educating customers through product demonstrations, offering the right types of promotions, creating more targeted and effective marketing campaigns, and better utilizing the relationship manager model, financial institutions will begin to enjoy increased revenues as well as the improved efficiencies that result from customer adoption of remote deposit."

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Zultys, which makes IP PBXs for small to medium sized businesses, is partnering with Phybridge, which offers a VoIP deployment alternative in its UniPhyer appliance, to make it easier for smaller organizations to deploy VoIP. Phybridge’s UniPhyer appliance keeps voice on the existing telephone lines, while at the same time allowing for convergence on the data side of the network. In addition the plug-and-play appliance delivers Power over Ethernet (POE) over existing CAT5 telephone lines. As a result of this partnership, organizations that deploy Zultys’ IP PBXs have the option of connecting their IP phones to the IP PBX by way of Phybridge’s UniPhyer which the firms say will significantly speed up and simplify deployment.

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Contactual’s “OnDemand Contact Center” software is accessible from anywhere through a Web browser. Their multimedia framework integrates voice, email, chat, and desktop collaboration. Contactual officials say that they are able to provide 99.99+ percent availability, equating to less than five minutes of unplanned downtime per month. They also claim that their Advanced Virtual Tenant Architecture remains available even during scheduled maintenance, and upgrading is as easy as logging out and logging back in.

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