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A New ARM-Based Server Processor Challenges for the Data Center
Ampere Computing is a startup company that develops ARM-based chips for the data center. The first server vendor to support Ampere is Lenovo, which is also making prototypes powered by Cavium’s ThunderX. It is getting ready to ship 1U and 2U rack servers based on the eMag chip, and later this year Ampere will ship its own white box servers.
How to Make the Most of Outdated Servers, Storage, and Switches
Outdated systems can always receive interim upgrades such as solid-state drives, broader network cards, and NVMe memory. Eventually, you will reach processor limits, although peripherals tend to be the tougher bottlenecks. Mark Nichols, chief product officer at Curvature, a secondhand IT provider in Charlotte, NC states that "if they sit down and think about it, there's only a portion of their environment that really needs the latest and greatest."
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You’ll Now Need a Subscription to Get the Best of Microsoft Office
Microsoft released Office 2019 for Windows and macOS this week, the latest version of its regular, non-subscription productivity suite. However, Office 2019 is basically a limited version that doesn’t include the most interesting new features of its Office 365 subscription counterpart. Much of the new functionality that Microsoft is now building into Office 365 only works because it’s connected to the cloud.
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Zytronic, Cryptera Intro ATM Touch Screen with PCI-Compliant PIN Entry
The new PIN transaction security compliant product, CryptoTouch Unattended, is available in any design of Zytronic touch sensors, and enables authenticated payments to be handled completely via the touchscreen in kiosks, ATMs and other payment terminals without the need for a separate encrypting mechanical PIN pad. The solution includes an encrypted touch controller and a secure touch sensor designed to meet PCI 3.x and EMV requirements.
Secret Service Warns of Surge in ATM ‘Wiretapping’ Attacks
The U.S. Secret Service is warning FIs about a recent uptick in a form of ATM skimming that involves cutting cupcake-sized holes in a cash machine and then using a combination of magnets, medical devices and cameras to siphon user account data directly from the card reader inside the ATM. The Secret Service has received multiple reports about this complex form of skimming, sometimes called ATM “wiretapping” or “eavesdropping,” that often takes scammers days to implement.
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4 Ways an FI Can Leverage Its Digital Wallet to Boost Revenue
When it comes to payments, there are myriad digital wallet options available, offered by players ranging from card networks (e.g., Chase Pay, Masterpass) to alternative payment providers (e.g., PayPal) to major retailers (e.g., Amazon) to traditional FIs. Findings from a recent study conducted by ath Power Consulting revealed that FIs are the most favored providers of digital payment services, with 2 out of 5 consumers (40 percent) saying they would prefer them over other providers. The article goes on to cover four ways that FIs can encourage digital wallet usage.
Visa Begins a U.S. Contactless Payments Push Again
Visa says 50% of its face-to-face transactions happened at contactless-enabled merchant locations as of June, meaning the merchant’s point-of-sale equipment was enabled for, not just capable of, conducting a contactless card payment. Unlike mobile payments, in which consumers use smart phones to make tap-and-go payments with digital versions of cards, contactless credit and debit card payments are generally characterized as those made with a plastic card. Visa says 95% of new POS terminals being shipped are contactless-capable.
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Symantec Helps Protect Office 365 with DLP and New Data Rights Management
Symantec announced new enhancements to its Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technology to help protect information in Office 365. As an integral element of Symantec’s Integrated Cyber Defense Platform, Symantec’s DLP technology leverages a combination of detection technologies backed by machine learning to classify personal information, including Sensitive Image Recognition (SIR) with Optical Character Recognition (OCR). When data is shared with third parties, identity-based encryption and digital rights are enabled to classify and protect and track the data. Protected organizations will have visibility of where their data is shared and who is accessing it, with the ability to revoke access if needed.
FIs’ Costs Increase to $2.92 for Every Dollar of Fraud
For every dollar of fraud a FI experiences, it costs another $2.92 in associated costs, up 9% from $2.67 in 2017, says LexisNexis Risk Solutions in its 2018 True Cost of Fraud study for the financial services sector. The report also found that as a percentage of revenue, fraud accounts for 1.53% in 2018, up from 0.95% in 2017.
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Email Is Top Content Channel Despite Hurdles: Study
Email is the best channel for sending content, but there are many barriers to success, according to Email-Driven Content Marketing, a study by Ascend2. For one, 44% are daunted by improving the quality of leads, and 42% struggle with increasing conversion rates. Yet those two tasks are also top priorities — improving lead quality for 54% and conversions for 49%. The article also covers the seven most effective digital content forms.
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Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design
USAA Trials Augmented Reality App for Car Buying
USAA is piloting an augmented reality app that lets members point their phone at any car made this century and see information like purchase price, cost of insurance and whether there are any similar vehicles for sale in the area. The military bank teamed up with AR specialist Blippar on the app, which shows the relevant information on a member's phone overlaid on the car. The app then lets members who find a vehicle that interests them quickly access USAA’s car buying service, including local dealers and loan rates.
Emirates NBD announced that it will launch customized banking services via WhatsApp in the UAE that will allow users to carry out their daily banking activities such as checking account balances and temporarily blocking or unblocking an existing card. All messages on Emirates NBD's verified WhatsApp Business account are encrypted.
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5 Criteria for Application-Aware SD-WANs
One common myth about SD-WANs is that they improve application performance. They certainly can under some circumstances, but there is no guarantee they will under all situations. SD-WANs address only part of the transformation of the network to becoming a digital enabler. The author contends that SD-WANs must now become smarter, or “application aware.”
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7 Ways to Improve Schedule Adherence
Adherence is, first and foremost, a measure of how much time during an agent's shift he or she is handling, or available to handle, contacts. Be sure to differentiate the terms "adherence to schedule" and "agent occupancy." They are two different things. This article covers seven time-tested suggestions for getting the best adherence results.
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