BANK tech-trends News
 

January 7 - January 11, 2008

• 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

Hewlett-Packard is set to rollout four new desktop series that include 10 new desktop machines. HP Pavilion SlimLine s3300 Series (includes the s3300f, the s3320f, the s3330f) are small form factor PCs. The HP Pavilion Desktop a6300 Series (includes the a6300f, a6330f) remains HP's everyday PC. The HP Pavilion Media Center PC m8330 Series (includes m8300f, m8330f) is for home use, while the final series is the HP Pavilion Elite PC m9100 Series (includes m9150, m9160, and m9180).

Even though networking gear makes up a much smaller portion of IT power consumption than do servers or storage, Cisco is making a big push for energy conservation. Cisco wants to go beyond just making its own products more efficient. The company plans to develop software on their routers and switches that would collect information such as power consumption and operating temperature, and then take actions or forward it on to separate building management, energy management or virtualization control systems.

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ATMs/Kiosks

Wireless technology is being used in Australian ATM scams. Police say wireless keypad overlays that are custom designed for specific types of ATMs are being used on Australian ATMs. The new technology means skimmers no longer need to install spy cameras on ATMs to record PINs. The fraudsters can simply grab card data and PINs on their laptops while sitting up to 300 feet away. 

IBM is helping a community bank in Nebraska roll out a high tech branch that includes various kiosks. The branch features a "digital koi pond" with a digital projection system that displays product options on the floor. Users can step on an icon projected onto the floor that points the user to the appropriate kiosk in the branch. The kiosks cover such things as loans, new accounts and small business advice. The system even lets visitors print their own brochures.

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A Florida-based company announced that it has successfully incorporated doorway wireless frequencies into its credit card sized portable biometric fingerprint reader card. The firm says that organizations can now secure entry to doorways, offices and even computer systems with the all-in-one biometric card.

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According to Forrester Research, Apple's iPhone signals the beginning of the end for the mobile Web in its present form, which currently offers “stripped-down sites crammed into tiny mobile screens.” Apple's Safari browser interface gives users access to full Internet sites, including the standard version of Google and the full versions of online banking sites, while some existing m-banking services rely on application downloads for connections to mobile Internet sites. As a further incentive to mobile browsing, the iPhone comes bundled with flat-rate Web access, removing the cost barrier to mobile web usage. One bank in Europe reported that it only took a few hours of development time to make its online banking service iPhone-friendly.

Currently most banks with mobile banking services are concentrating their mobile marketing efforts on converting online banking users. However the TowerGroup says that this approach could cause banks to miss many opportunities, since mobile banking should be open to users who don’t have computer or Web access. To bolster their argument, the research firm is predicting that by 2012, 25 percent of consumers who use mobile banking will not be online banking users.

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Microsoft’s support of the IP Security (IPSec) standard was enhanced with the release of Windows Vista this year, and interest in the technology will likely grow with the introduction of Windows 2008. IPSec could be especially valuable for smaller organizations as a more affordable alternative to other network access control (NAC) technologies. 

While a good desktop security program can go a long way toward keeping you in control of your system, many security experts believe that today's for-profit malware distributors increasingly have the upper hand. For example, PC World's recent tests of security suites found that new malware easily evaded the applications. In their tests of how well leading security packages blocked unknown malicious programs, the best performer detected only one in four new malware samples. In response, some vendors are focusing on additional layers of security, including firewalls and behavioral scanners, which detect malicious software based on its behavior rather than on a signature match.

- Detect and prevent internal and external attacks on your network
- Meet compliance standards and guidelines such as FFIEC

Banks are mandated to implement controls for ensuring the integrity of customer data and information systems. Log Management solutions that consistently monitor, store and analyze log data are essential components of a defense in depth program for protecting these critical assets.

EventTracker from Prism Microsystems secures IT networks from cyber attacks and insider-threats by automating the real time collection, analysis and storage of event logs from all sources. EventTracker provides a unique capability that integrates real-time log correlation and in-depth analysis capabilities with change management. This comprehensive security management approach allows you to quickly detect vulnerabilities and remediate them before costly data breaches occur. EventTracker comes integrated with over 1000 targeted reports to prove to auditors that internal processes are in tune with policies and appropriate safeguards are in place.

Deployed at dozens of credit unions and over 600 companies worldwide, EventTracker is a powerful, cost-effective solution that is highly scalable yet easy to implement and maintain.

Download a free trial and get further information at www.eventlogmanager.com

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Security:

Perimeter, Host and Endpoint Security – Finding the Right Mix

Arcot - http://www.arcot.com   Read R. 'Doc' Vaidhyanathan's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Arcot.pdf

Astaro - http://www.astaro.com Read Alex Quinonez's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Astaro.pdf

Code Green Networks - http://www.codegreennetworks.com   Read Brian Czarny's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/CGN.pdf

Digital Resolve - http://www.digital-resolve.net Read Dennis Maicon's comments: http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/DigitalResolve.pdf

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

MagTek - http://www.magtek.com   Read Kiran Gandhi's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/MagTek.pdf

Netsecuris - http://www.netsecuris.com   Read Leonard Jacobs' comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Netsecuris.pdf

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

Proofpoint - http://www.proofpoint.com   Read Sandra Vaughan's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Proofpoint.pdf

Sydel - http://www.sydelcorp.com   Read Antonio Gonzalez's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Sydel.pdf

TraceSecurity - http://www.tracesecurity.com   Read Jim Stickley's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TraceSecurity.pdf

TriGeo Network Security - http://www.trigeo.com   Read Michelle Dickman's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/TriGeo.pdf

ZixCorp - http://www.zixcorp.com   Read Dena Bauckman's comments:   http://www.banktt.com/roundtable/Zix.pdf

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Pitney Bowes MapInfo research shows that the median U.S. branch is open 42 lobby hours a week. While various studies have shown that longer hours typically equate to higher deposits and loan production for that branch, labor and other costs certainly rise. Pitney Bowes MapInfo research notes that "it appears that allowing consumers to access the branch’s drive-up service on the way home from work during the weekday or to access the full sales and service capabilities of the branch while running weekend errands is the most beneficial utilization of extended hours."

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The U.S. Department of the Treasury is launching a prepaid debit card to give millions of unbanked Americans the option of using the card to receive Social Security and other federal benefit payments. The government says that the "Direct Express" card provides a safer and more convenient alternative to paper checks. The Treasury estimates that four million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) check recipients do not have bank accounts, placing them at greater risk of check delivery delays due to poor weather, national or local emergencies, and other check related problems, such as lost or stolen checks. Card holders will be able to access their money at ATMs and financial institutions nationwide. Comerica Bank will be the financial agent in the new initiative, but the government has not provided any information about which card network brand will be on the new cards. 

Although the top alternative payment options today can hardly be called mainstream, the adoption rate of the top three has continued to soar. The top alternative payment players are Bill Me Later, PayPal and Google Checkout. A new study from Brulant reveals that almost one out of every three major e-tailers are accepting at least one of these forms of payment.

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Internet Access

End-to-end Ethernet (aka metro Ethernet) is gradually becoming more readily available. End-to-end Ethernet offers a very affordable way to connect LANs to a wide area network. The major telcos — including AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest — plus cable companies such as Optimum LightPath, Cox, and Time Warner are all offering Ethernet services. 

Silicon Valley-based Xangati offers an appliance named Falcon that performs what the company calls rapid problem identification (RPI). The goal of RPI is not only to determine the cause of performance problems, but also to let IT be the first to know that a problem is occurring. The appliance taps into flow information from protocols such as Cisco's NetFlow, sFlow or cFlow, plus packets from other relevant applications. The technology discovers all IP endpoints and the applications running on them. This enables it to profile the endpoint, be it a desktop, server or storage device. Xangati also is targeting VoIP performance management, an application that can't afford to suffer slow performance.

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Call Centers

Call recording provider Telrex is making it more cost effective for hosted IP PBX and hosted call center service providers to offer call recording and monitoring with a new "Pay-As-You-Grow" service. Their new offering will make it possible to deploy CallRex, the firm's suite of IP call recording and call center optimization solutions, with no upfront cost for the software and only monthly payments for the number of licenses in use.

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