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Your source for the latest technology information of interest to community banks across America.

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May 26, 2014

Complimentary Webinar

The Check is NOT in the mail: Easy to use, cost effective payment collection tools that reduce delinquencies & offer customers multiple payment options

How many times have you heard delinquent customers say, "THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL!"? If you are interested in learning how they were able to solve this time and money consuming issue you need to attend this informative webinar.


What You Will Learn:

• How any computer with Internet access can be used to accept payments by phone
• Emailing payment receipts to comply with NACHA rules
• Easy reporting tools to reconcile payments
• Charging convenience fees: Are you eligible?
• Easy website and IVR payments for 24/7 payment collection

Who Should Attend: Any community bank looking to reduce delinquent payments.
 

Date: Schedule a 30-minute live demonstration at your convenience!

To Register: http://www.banktt.com/webinars.htm  
 

Hardware News

HP unveiled its new Z Virtual Workstation at the recent Citrix Synergy conference. The HP DL380z is based on the same technology as the HP ProLiant server and leverages both Nvidia and Citrix technologies to provide remote access to applications from various devices. The HP DL380z Gen8 is a 2-socket virtual workstation in a 2U form. With a single processor, the workstation can support 12 DIMM slots for a maximum of 192GB RAM.

Minuteman’s Enterprise UPS line has protected communications systems, network equipment and security devices for years. The newest edition, the EnterprisePlus LCD, has been upgraded to include an LCD status display, additional outlets, and new models with both standard and extended runtime capability. EnterprisePlus LCD features Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), an SNMP communications slot, a 3-year warranty that includes non-prorated battery coverage and sizes ranging from 750VA to 3000VA.
 

Hardware Section Sponsored by
MVi

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Software Updates

FlowHeater is a simple-to-use, graphical Windows application that can translate between CSV files, MS Excel spreadsheets, MS Access databases, MySQL databases, MS SQL Server, Oracle databases, SQLite databases, PostgreSQL databases, ODBC data sources, OLEDB data sources, dBASE databases, and .NET Data Tables. The package can also transform the data along the way via “adapters” and they can be graphically wired together either directly or via “functions.” The free version can only process a limited number of records, while there are various paid versions ($89 - $789) with different levels of functionality.

Metadata can be found in many types of files such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and audio files. It can include information such as details on the file authors, file creation and modification dates, document revision history, and comments. Microsoft offers the free Document Inspector for removing "personal or sensitive information" before you share an Office file. Likewise, Adobe's Help site explains how to remove metadata from PDFs in Acrobat X Pro and Acrobat X Standard. A thread on B4Print.com's forum provides step-by-step instructions for excising metadata, or "hidden content," from PDFs using the Examine Document tool in Acrobat 9. Finally, Windows Explorer allows you view and delete metadata from a file via the Properties dialog box. The quickest way is to click Properties > Details > Remove Properties and Personal Information > "Create a copy with all possible properties removed."

Software Section Sponsored by
Raddon Financial Group (RFG)

 

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ATMs/Kiosks

NCR permits personalized ATM transactions via their APTRA Connections software. ATM users can be greeted with custom messages and/or offers and users can customize their ATM menu by pre-selecting favorite options that include their usual cash withdrawal amount, language, etc. Users can also choose their own theme as a personalized ATM menu background. 

Some observers see future ATM designs blurring the distinction between cash dispensing, Internet banking and advanced marketing. One example is Fujitsu's new ATMs that have been deployed in Spain that include a double screen, which is used to communicate both general and personalized marketing information; a two-dimensional barcode reader, used for bill payment; and an optional biometric palm reader capability, by which the transaction is authenticated.

ATMs/Kiosks Sponsored by
Heritage Industries

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Wireless World


One in five mobile handsets will have mobile wallet functionality by 2018, according to a Juniper Research study. The report says that wallet launches across North America are increasingly expected to feature contactless payment functionality. The sector is forecast to receive a boost both from the anticipated launch of an Apple iWallet later this year and through HCE (Host Card Emulation)-based NFC (Near Field Communications) services. According to the report, more than 1 in 3 mobile wallets – and over 50% of wallets in developed markets - will feature contactless payment by 2018.

Bills Forecast is an app from the Australian-based Minus4° that is designed to help users look ahead to bills that need to be paid in the next few months. With Bills Forecast, users can input the bills manually, add the dates when the bills need to be paid, and the app will do the rest, constantly monitoring monthly bills for the foreseeable future and breaking down each month, bill by bill.

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Security Section


Symantec's latest product, Norton Small Business, features "Virus Removal Assurance." Symantec is offering free phone support as part of the guarantee, saying that if its support technicians can't remove the malicious software, customers can get their money back for the product. The package is aimed at organizations with fewer than 20 employees that are unlikely to have a full-time IT specialist. For general antivirus protection, Norton Small Business uses Symantec's Insight and Sonar technologies, which are designed to spot unknown malicious files and programs and classify them based on their reputation and behavior, a more effective method than relying on signatures. The subscription service starts at $99 for an annual subscription covering five devices, and goes on to $199 for 10 devices and $399 for 20. 

SanDisk has released its first self-encrypting SSDs, a line of drives aimed at larger organizations. SanDisk's new X300s SSD uses both the Trusted Computing Group's Opal 2.0 specification and Microsoft Encrypted Hard Drive hardware-based encryption to protect data on the drive. The 2.5" SSD, which fits in a standard laptop's hard drive bay, is available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities.

The FFIEC announced it will soon be implementing new vulnerability and risk mitigation assessments, as well as a regulatory self-assessment of supervisory policies and processes. According to the group, after a short pilot phase, the tests will be in place by later this year. The regulatory agency says that this move will help address gaps and prioritize necessary actions in order to fortify the strategies smaller FIs already have in place when it comes to risk management.

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Leaders Roundtable

Security:

Addressing the Big 3: Compliance, Fraud & Cyber Security

Cyveillance
Cyveillance - http://www.cyveillance.com
Read Eric Olson's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/Cyveillance.pdf

 

D+H
D+H - http://www.dh.com
Read Jeff Marshall's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/D+H.pdf

 

DirectRM
DirectRM - http://www.directrm.com
Read Donald E. Malloy's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/DirectRM.pdf

 

Easy Solutions - http://www.easysol.net
Read Daniel Ingevaldson's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/EasySolutions.pdf

 

GMV
GMV - http://www.gmv.com
Read Andres Escobero's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/GMV.pdf

 

Horsetail
Horsetail Technologies - http://www.horsetailtech.com
Read Mark Berman's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/Horsetail.pdf
IMM
 
Integrated Media Management - http://www.immonline.com  
Read John A. Levy's comments:

 

Incapsula
Incapsula - http://www.incapsula.com
Read Marc Gaffan's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/Incapsula.pdf

 

LogRhythm
LogRhythm - http://www.logrhythm.com
Read Mike Reagan's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/LogRhythm.pdf

 

Mimecast
 
Mimecast - http://www.mimecast.com  
Read Mounil Patel's comments:

 

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

 

ProPay
ProPay - http://www.propay.com
Read Dr. Heather Mark's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/ProPay.pdf

 

RPost
RPost - http://www.rpost.com
Read Zafar Khan's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/RPost.pdf

 

SilverSky
SilverSky - http://www.silversky.com
Read Andrew Jaquith's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/SilverSky.pdf

 

TrustCC
TrustCC - http://www.trustcc.com
Read Andy Robbins' & Brandon Henry's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/TrustCC.pdf

 

Verafin
Verafin - http://www.verafin.com
Read Brendan Brothers' comments:
http://www.banktt.com/Verafin.pdf

 

Wombat Security Technologies
Wombat Security Technologies - http://www.wombatsecurity.com
Read Joe Ferrara's comments:
http://www.banktt.com/Wombat.pdf

 

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Technology and Marketing

Social media can be very effective channels for brand awareness, public relations and testimonials. However some marketers argue that you must have a tracking system in place to see how many of social media contacts actually become customers. They argue that you must make sure that any analytics tools that you use must connect to your customer relationship management (CRM) system. They actually measure the number of new inquiries they get from social media, how those progress through their sales process, how many of them become customers and what revenue receive from them.

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Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design


The percentage of consumers using personal finance tools did not grow between April 2013 and May 2014, according to a recent study by Novantas. However, interest in PFM has grown by 19%. Their survey found that:

- 46% of those surveyed under the age of 30 are interested in PFM tools

- 36% between 30-39 are interested in PFM tools

- 35% between 40-49 are interested in PFM tools

- 21% 50 and above are interested in PFM tools

Frost Bank is one of the first financial institutions to rollout two-way actionable debit card alerts. In action, cardholders simply reply back to a text message to freeze their debit card against further charges based on their previously set thresholds. This action will also warrant a personal call from Frost's call center.

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Internet Access

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex endeavor, but one thing that is certain is that high quality content won't help your search rankings if your site has structural or other technical issues. Most SEO professionals cite duplicate content as a top technical concern. Many believe that successful SEO is one third clean website structure that is free of technical issues, one third is on-page optimization, and one third off-page optimization (such as backlinks).

The FFIEC recently issued a new bulletin on financial institutions and DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks. By some accounts it is a wakeup call to all institutions to realize that DDoS is something that must be recognized as a major threat. Some experts have boiled down the guidance to these three items:

1) make sure that you have tools in place to recognize attacks

2) make sure that you have methods in place to mitigate attacks

3) ensure that you have processes in place allow for continuing improvement

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Call Centers

Some contact center experts argue that incentives can be powerful tools for increasing sales and improving service levels. Incentive pop ups inform agents of the current incentive program, their standing and where they rank amongst their peers. They can help increase agent motivation, improve productivity and eliminate the need to manually track one’s progress. Proponents say that they also keep the incentive front-of-mind and make it easy for agents to participate in the program.
 

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