logo

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

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and stay on top of the latest technology trends in Hardware, Software, ATMs, Biometrics, Wireless, Online Banking, Marketing, Security, Internet Access and Call Centers.

December 26, 2016

 

~~~

This Week's News Sponsored by
AlienVault


Alien Vault

 

AlienVault USM, which includes 5 products in one - host intrusion detection, asset discovery, vulnerability assessment, behavioral monitoring, and SIEM – simplifies security with rich functionality, low cost, and ease of use. But don't take our word for it - read what Bank of Marin says about AlienVault USM in this Case Study.

 

Read Bank of Marin Case Study


Hardware News

Nimble Storage's systems combine predictive analytics with flash storage. The company claims that their Predictive Flash Platform achieves over six-nines availability (99.9999%), a new standard for uptime in the infrastructure industry that translates to an impact of fewer than 25 seconds of downtime annually. They say that through predictive analytics and machine learning capabilities that they are able to successfully overcome the bottleneck between data and the application – also known as the app-data gap – to help ensure users can operate their businesses at peak speed, without worrying about the burden of downtime.

Unitrend's Recovery Series appliances are designed to simplify local backup and offsite compliance requirements with an all-in-one box that delivers enterprise backup and business continuity. Their new lineup delivers improved performance in a smaller physical footprint that saves on rack space and operating costs. The new models feature 100 percent storage I/O bandwidth increase, 25 -50 percent higher density, up to 10x increase in network performance, 4x increase in backup copy I/O storage bandwidth, and updated tiered flash/solid state storage. 

~~~

Hardware Section Sponsored by
Millennial Vision, Inc. (MVi)

Back to Top


Software Updates

Vera for Microsoft allows IT and security administrators to apply specific security rules, such as who can open documents and what they can do with them, on specific folders, and any Office 365 document placed in that folder automatically inherits those policies and permissions. For example, their smart policy engine lets IT Departments customize permissions, such as whether users can print or edit the document, the ability to copy/paste elements, or take a screen capture of the file. Security teams can grant access to Active Directory or SharePoint Groups, as well as to external collaborators. The solution is not limited to Office 365, SharePoint, or OneDrive for Business, as the policies are still in effect even when the file is saved to a third-party platform, or downloaded onto an unmanaged device. Admins can even set an expiration date or revoke access on the fly, at which point the file cannot be opened regardless of where it is stored after that date.

Security firm Cybereason announced a new anti-malware security program called RansomFree. The desktop program for Windows 7 and up (as well as Windows Server versions 2008 R2 and 2012) uses behavioral analysis instead of regularly updated malware definitions in an attempt to stop ransomware. By default, the program suspends any activity it deems suspicious—even if it`s a legitimate encryption program that has some behavior in common with ransomware. It`s then up to the user to either enable the program, or allow RansomFree to permanently quarantine the malware.

~~~

Back to Top


ATMs/Kiosks

The vast majority of ADTs (automated deposit terminals) are deposit-capable ATMs, which both accept and dispense cash - some deployers are taking this a step further, and installing recycling ATMs which re-dispense deposited notes. According to RBR`s Deposit Automation and Recycling 2016 report, the number of ADTs installed worldwide rose by 10% to 1.2 million in 2015, and FIs cite consumer demand as a major driver. The benefits for the user are: extended-hours access (90% of ADTs are available outside normal branch hours) and quicker account crediting are especially popular. RBR forecasts that automated deposit will be available at 1.7 million terminals worldwide by the end of 2021. Recyclers will gain share in most markets, while the number of stand-alone deposit terminals will decline.

ATM malware has been around since 2007, and Trend Micro has tracked and analyzed eight unique families, with the bulk of those families being discovered in the last 3 years. They just found a new family of ATM malware called Alice whose main focus is to empty the safe of ATMs. Alice does not pilfer information, it only enables its users with physical access to machines to take as much money as is available in the ATM. Their researchers believe that Alice could be used via RDP, however they have no evidence yet of remote usage.

~~~

ATMs/Kiosks Sponsored by
Heritage Industries

 


Back to Top


Wireless World

Moneymailme has released what they are calling the first P2P money transfer app that features video calls. Moneymailme combines social interaction with the instant sending and receiving of e-money in over 130 countries. The new functionality can be used by all Moneymailme users on iOS and Android. Some figures show that by 2020, 75% of the world`s mobile data traffic will be video and mobile video will grow at a rate of over 60% between 2015 and 2020.

Citi claims to be the only American card issuer to offer the ability to file card disputes directly within their mobile banking iPhone app. The new feature will allow users to deal with disputes entirely via smartphone. Cardholders can submit a merchant dispute on posted charges for an array of reasons including damaged items, returned goods, duplicate charge, etc. Once the dispute is submitted, cardholders will be notified via the app that Citi is taking action, the status of the case, and what to expect next.

~~~

Back to Top


Security Section

Once a network is breached, many APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) go into stealth mode as they move slowly and laterally compromising other systems. In response, companies such as Sqrrl, Endgame and Infocyte have developed threat hunting systems. These programs scour the network and alert security personnel to unusual activities such as:

- beaconing back to the APT's hosts

- lateral data movement

- data staging

- unusual employee usage patterns

- data exfiltration

Most threat hunting tools are designed to report on alerts that have bypassed traditional protections and are likely unknown to the SIEM.

Percipient Networks unveiled a new feature for its Strongarm platform: Always-On Protection. The latest update to the cloud-deployed solution is designed to enable small to medium-size organizations to easily protect mobile workers from sophisticated social engineering and malware attacks. They say that their light-weight solution makes it simple for small IT departments to configure employee-owned and corporate devices to protect them from phishing, ransomware and other exploits.

~~~

Security Section Sponsored by
StrongAuth, Inc.

 

StrongAuth

 

Back to Top


Leaders Roundtable

Core Systems:

The Foundation of Your Customer’s Experience

 

Celent - http://www.celent.com
Read Stephen Greer's comments:
https://www.banktt.com/Celent.pdf

 

 

smartsolution

 

~~~

Back to Top


Technology and Marketing

By some estimates, nine out of ten consumers want to be able to use messaging to talk to businesses. Drift is a powerful messaging platform that provides:

- live chat

- in-app messaging

- email announcements and NPS surveys

- digital business cards

~~~

Back to Top


Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design

According to the 2016 Federal Reserve Payments Study, non-cash payments increased 3.4% from 2012 until 2015 to $178 trillion. The number of U.S. non-cash payments totaled $144 billion in 2015 with debit and credit cards leading that growth. Meanwhile the Fed reports that the automated clearing house network only “grew modestly." Total card payments grew 19.9 billion from 2012 to 2015, led by debit cards, which grew by 12.4 billion transactions. Credit card payments increased by 6.9 billion. While check usage continues to decline, surprisingly for the first time since the descent began in the mid-1990s, check payments posted a slowing in the rate of decline.

The Federal Reserve Board also released an analysis report on DLT (distributed ledger technology, or blockchain). In it they note that there are a slew of existing challenges to development and adoption of blockchain-based platforms, including "issues around business cases, technological hurdles, legal considerations and risk management considerations." They conclude that development of DLT applications activities is in very early stages, with many industry participants suggesting that real-world applications are years away from full implementation. The Fed's research indicated that while many DLT proponents are convinced that it "makes financial intermediaries obsolete," the Fed concludes that "it is far from clear that these functions will all become obsolete in the foreseeable future."

~~~

Back to Top


Internet Access

The new Internet communication protocol, HTTP/2, is now being used by 11 percent of websites which is up from just 2 percent a year ago, according to W3Techs. HTTP/2 promises to address the problems of the HTTP/1.1 protocol, which has been around for about 16 years, with multiplexing technology. Proponents say that the updated protocol represents a net positive performance gain and a boost for security as well. All the major PC and mobile browsers now support HTTP/2, but experts suggest that organizations run tests first to see whether they are able to inspect HTTP/2 traffic with their current security and monitoring systems before going live.

Here are three popular options for connecting your private network to the public cloud:

1. VPN - Internet Virtual Private Network is the first, and simplest, option, and it provides the shortest lead time of the three options.

2. Direct connection - For a more predictable connection than a VPN, cloud providers offer a direct private connection via co-location facilities. Direct connections, AKA cloud hotels, often come in two Ethernet speeds of 1Gbps or 10Gbps.

3. Telco managed - Customers have a wider variety of connectivity options from telco providers, e.g., MPLS and Ethernet connections. Telco terms tend to mimic existing WAN commitment lengths — 12-36 months.

~~~

Back to Top


Call Centers

Contact centers that offer Social Media support have to ensure that their agents maintain an up-to-date knowledge of Web culture. This can include, but it is not limited to, online trends, slang, memes, and GIFs. That is because accurately discerning the meaning and context of slang, emoji, or memes is extremely important for credibility when interacting with customers online. The goal is to deliver a personalized improvisation and overall interaction to fit each customer's unique situation.

~~~

Back to Top

 
Privacy Policy DBA: TRW ENTERPRISES, LLC