BANK tech-trends News
 

January 18, 2010 - January 22, 2010

• Hardware News
• Software Updates
• ATMs/Kiosks
• Wireless World
• Security Section
• Leaders Roundtable
• Technology and Marketing
• Online Banking/E-Commerce/
  Website Design
• Internet Access
• Call Centers

Hardware News

Via Technologies announced a compact server that will be powered by low-power processors, which are traditionally designed to run in laptops and netbooks. The company's Mserv S2100 device will run on the Nano processor in a desktop-size box that is 10.2 inches long and 4.7 inches high, and the processor will operate at speeds between 1.3GHz and 1.6GHz. Compared to traditional server chips, laptop chips require less energy and cooling. Via's Mserv S2100 server includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports and can store up to 4TB of data. The system includes hardware-based virtualization support, and a hardware-based engine that encrypts data on the fly.

Hewlett-Packard has become one of the first PC manufacturers to ship computers with USB 3.0 technology. Commonly referred to as SuperSpeed USB, USB 3.0 offers transfer speeds of up to ten times what we have come to expect from USB 2.0. The company is now shipping certain Envy 15 configurations with USB 3.0 ports.

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ATMs/Kiosks

Tidel announced the release of the newest customer of their Sentinel Cash Management system: the Sentinel Bulk Coin Dispenser with Coin Recycler. The BCD-R has three components:

- A coin recycler that accepts, validates, counts, sorts and dispenses coins
- A note dispenser that dispenses flat notes, versus rolled
- A bulk-note accepter that accepts, validates and counts notes

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Swagg is a new brand from Qualcomm's Firethorn unit, which supplies banks with mobile banking applications. Swagg is a software application that lets the bar code on a gift card be displayed on a cell phone screen so it can be scanned by merchants. Qualcomm envisions gift cards as another move toward a mobile wallet that is run by chips incorporated into the handset. Firethorn says the Swagg platform's mobile gift card portion should become available before the 2010 holiday season.

Korean IT giant Samsung has unveiled a contactless ID card with an OLED display that shows a rotating digital image of the owner's face when placed by a RFID reader. The screen requires no additional battery power, instead drawing power from a nearby RF-powered source that is AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) adapted. Samsung says the technology could be used to provide a "dynamic security feature" for online banking and e-commerce transactions as well as government identity cards.

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Antivirus and security firm Thirtyseven4 announced the availability of its' flagship product line, Thirtyseven4 Antivirus, a five-in-one protection suite that includes antivirus, antispyware, antimalware, antirootkit and data theft protection. Thirtyseven4 offers a 30 day evaluation license and a free online malware scanning tool on their website.

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Security:

Managing Risk and Security Efficiently and Affordably

Cyveillance - http://www.cyveillance.com Read James Brooks' comments: http://www.banktt.com/Cyveillance.pdf

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

Guardian Analytics - http://www.guardiananalytics.com Read Terry Austin's comments:     http://www.banktt.com/Guardian.pdf

HEIT - http://www.goheit.com   Read Dan Holt's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/Heit.pdf

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

Hyland Software - http://www.onbase.com Read Steve Comer's comments: http://www.banktt.com/Hyland.pdf

Innovative Strategic Solutions - http://www.issone.com Read Jon Rhodes' comments: http://www.banktt.com/ISS.pdf

Millennial Vision - http://www.mviusa.com Read Scott Cowan's comments: http://www.banktt.com/MVI.pdf

Network Box - http://www.networkboxusa.com   Read Pierluigi Stella's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/NetworkBox.pdf

Ongoing Operations - http://www.ongoingoperations.com   Read Kirk Drake's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/OGO.pdf

Perimeter E-Security - http://www.perimeterusa.com   Read Kevin Prince's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/Perimeter.pdf

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

Trusteer - http://www.trusteer.com   Read Rakesh Loonkar's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/Trusteer.pdf

WhiteHat Security - http://www.whitehatsec.com   Read Anurag Agarwal's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/WhiteHat.pdf

Xceedium - http://www.xceedium.com   Read Cheryl Traverse's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/Xceedium.pdf

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The KIVA Group is targeting mid-sized and larger banks with their Respect 7 software suite. Built upon a common Microsoft .Net infrastructure, KIVA’s Respect 7 helps banks more strategically manage customer interactions at all touch points – branch/teller, Internet, call center, IVR, email and mobile devices. The company’s CRM package can be implemented as point solutions or as the foundation of a bank-wide, unified customer relationship management strategy.

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Misys has rolled out a new Personal Finance Portal. According Misys, the software enables banks to let their customers check balances, pay bills, transfer funds, and view online statements, as well as stop payments, check payment status, review transaction histories, manage lists of payment recipients, schedule recurring payments such as direct debits and standing orders, set up SMS and email alerts, report lost cards and change passwords. Misys Personal Finance Portal integrates with the other Misys core-banking and portal applications, including Misys Trade Portal, Misys Cash Portal and Misys Mobile.

Star, which is second only to Visa’s Interlink network in transaction volume, will implement on March 1 changes in its interchange pricing for point-of-sale transactions that in some cases will include dramatic increases and an elimination of fee maximums. The network is also introducing on April 1 a new fee category that will offer even higher interchange income for issuers that commit all of their volume to Star. The move follows a decision by the rival NYCE EFT network to add 1.1 cents in interchange for issuers in a "Premier Issuer" category. To enjoy the high “All-Star” rate, all of the bank’s BINs must participate in Star, be included in the All-Star BIN table, and the bank would need to route all PIN-based transactions through the Star Network.

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As more organizations understand the benefits that Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, services provide, adoption of the technology is on the rise. A recent report from Infonetics Research found that SIP trunking will likely become the second most commonly deployed telephony service this year. SIP proponents say that the ability to combine voice and data on one line and have it integrated gives organizations more flexibility and lower costs. Additionally, other features can be offered with SIP services than were traditionally only available under some more advance networks carriers offered.

Wainhouse Research predicts that the unified communications or “UC” industry will grow to $30 billion worth of annual revenue by 2013. They expect to see declining revenues for traditional PBXs and audio bridges, while revenues will grow for presence and instant messaging servers, Web conferencing servers, team workspaces, video endpoints and infrastructure. The research firm says that they expect managed and hosted UC services to grow tremendously, while team workspaces and on-premises Web conferencing servers are expected to see double digit growth.

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Call center hiring solutions provider FurstPerson has released a new white paper entitled “Five Things You Should Know About Contact Center Recruitment and Compensation.” It reveals that referrals continue to produce the largest percentage of new hires, followed by national job boards, the organization’s website, and print ads. About 25 percent of respondents said they get 20 to 49 percent of their new hires through referrals. The least productive strategies were radio/TV, community recruiting, college or other school recruiting, career services, and job fairs. Hourly pay for all call center roles in North America averaged $12.05.

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