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General
News
* AFTECH Adds FAA Eastern to Client Roster
* Stanford FCU Selects Bluepoint Solutions
* Dupaco Community CU Receives Bergengren Award
* uMonitor Unveils Funds Transfer Service Release 4.0
* June Credit Union tech-talk Highlights
AFTECH, a unit of Fiserv Inc., announced that FAA Eastern Region Federal Credit Union in Clark, New Jersey, has picked AFTECH’s Advantage core processing system and a wide range of other AFTECH technology applications. With $180 million in assets and more than 23,000 members, FAA Eastern Region is the 13th largest credit union in the state of New Jersey. In addition to AFTECH’s Advantage core processing, FAA Eastern Region will be adding aftech@net; Advantage Financial Suite; self-service kiosks; new member enrollment over the Internet; Net Credit Report; RD3; and other products and services.
Bluepoint Solutions, a leading provider of document management solutions for credit unions, announced that it has been selected by Stanford Federal Credit Union to provide its document management solutions throughout the credit union’s entire enterprise. The credit union will implement the Bluepoint suite in phases. When fully deployed, Bluepoint technology will reach every corner of SFCU’s operations, from the teller line to the boardroom, and from the back office to the member’s personal computer.
Dupaco Community Credit Union of Dubuque, IA, is the 2005 recipient of CUNA Mutual Group's Roy F. Bergengren Award for High Achievement. The award was presented to Dupaco representatives and accepted by Bob Hoefer, Dupaco president/CEO, during a luncheon at CUNA Mutual’s Discovery Conference 2005 last week.
Parsam Technologies, the provider of uMonitor financial technologies, announced the latest Release 4.0 of its Funds Transfer Service (FTS). The uMonitor Funds Transfer Service allows credit unions to offer an online money management tool to their members to move money in a highly secure and reliable way. With Release 4.0 of FTS, members can keep a close eye on the usage of their online funds transfer activity. The system notifies the user of any activity on their accounts such as service registration, account registration, account activation, and one or more on-demand or scheduled transactions.
Here are just some of the articles from the June issue of Credit Union
tech-talk:
- E-mail Archiving Gains Attention
- Windows-based ATM Security Concerns
- Securing the Windows Administrator Account
- Safe Deposit Boxes and Marketing
- Geolocation Protects Websites
- Corporate Cards Offer Advantages
- Fiber Optics Routes and Redundancy
- Five Items to Consider with VoIP
- Ongoing Training for MSRs
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Hardware
News
Notebooks have for the first time outsold desktops in the United States in a calendar month, the research firm Current Analysis says. After tracking sales from a sampling of electronics retailers, Current Analysis says notebook sales accounted for 53% of the total personal computer market last month, up from 46% during the same period last year. Price, performance and features are big factors, for example Toshiba just introduced a new series of business notebooks that are not only the company's first sub-$1,000 PCs but also include the company's first-ever 14-inch diagonal wide-screen display.
Consumer Reports Magazine recently put 17-inch and 19-inch LCD monitors through their paces. The winners were Dell in the 17-inch category, and Samsung in the 19-inch group. The exact models for their ‘Best Buys’ are:
- Dell UltraSharp 1704FP
- Samsung SyncMaster 910t
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Software
Updates
If your credit union is still using Windows 2000, then you are not alone. While the use of Microsoft Windows XP has grown inside US businesses, a new study shows that nearly half of business PCs are still running the older Windows 2000. The sustained use of Windows 2000 is particularly significant as Microsoft prepares to end mainstream support for it at the end of this month. Microsoft is preparing one final update to Windows 2000 that it dubs an Update Rollup. The company expects the Update Rollup by midyear but has not said what features will be included beyond already released patches and updates.
Ad-aware SE Personal Edition 1.06 is the latest version of Lavasoft's popular free antispyware program, and by many accounts, it continues to meet the high standards that Ad-aware is known for. This latest version of Ad-aware SE runs faster than previous versions, and it finds and deletes even more illicit programs. Ad-aware checks online for updates to the program and spyware definition files; however, e-mail technical support is not available for the free version.
Credit unions that use Microsoft Exchange may want to take a look at e-mail management vendor DYS Analytics. The company's Email Control Desktop Edition for Microsoft Exchange includes two modules: TrackNow for real-time analysis of user status and message routing, and InvestigateNow for historical reporting on user activity and usage. Control Desktop Edition works without placing any agents on an Exchange server. Once installed, the software discovers all the Exchange servers on the network and begins collecting data on the flow of messages to and from the server.
Software Section Sponsored by
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ATMs/Kiosks
Desjardins Group, the largest integrated cooperative financial group in Canada, is aggressively fighting ATM fraud in Canada. For example, to protect its users against fraud for deposits and withdrawals made at its ATMs, users must enter their date of birth (day and month) for both deposits and withdrawals over $300.
Inetco Systems, a provider of ATM connectivity solutions, is providing Triple DES encryption to wireless ATMs. Inetco's Vista terminal adapter, a solution for connecting dial-up and leased line ATMs to IP and wireless networks, encrypts the full ATM transaction and provides a secure tunnel across a wireless network.
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ATMs/Kiosks Section Sponsored by
Nationwide Money Services
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Looking to increase Brand Recognition and provide members with
surcharge free ATMs?
Nationwide Money Services, Inc.’s Branded Cash Program is the answer. Fully endorsed by the VA Credit Union League and the CU 24 Network, our Branded Cash Program provides the ATM equipment, great locations, processing, maintenance, insurance, marketing rights and surcharge free transactions for your members, you only provide the cash and cash services for the ATM just as you would if you owned them. The ATMs look and act like your own, extending your reach or filling out your current market.
Our current CU partners include: AEDC, Beacon, Bronco, Carolina Collegiate, Educators, Freedom First, Food Lion Credit Association, Heritage Trust, Martinsville
Dupont, NSWC, Old Hickory, Peoples Advantage, Southeast Financial and US Courthouse.
NMS also offers their ‘ATMs Made Easy’ Program for full service ATM management and placement services if you like the idea of having ATMs, but don’t want the hassle of day to day management and the associated costs for maintenance and unplanned expenses like triple DES.
For more information about the Branded Cash Program contact Bob Colabrese, EVP of Sales & Marketing
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* Due to an error in coding, this e-mail address was not receiving e-mails over the past 12 weeks. That problem has been corrected. Thank you.
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The APC Biometric Mouse manages passwords using fingerprints. You place your fingertip on the mouse sensor, and its password-manager software logs you in. PC Magazine calls it "secure and easy-to-use." It connects via a USB port and runs about $50.
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Wireless
World
Intel has managed to integrate onto a single chip all of the elements a device needs to connect to a WLAN (wireless local area network). The prototype supports 802.11a/b/g but should also be able to meet the projected requirements of the forthcoming 802.11n standard. Intel's ultimate goal is to build a communications chip that can connect to any type of wireless network, including WiFi and WiMax, as well as PANs (personal area networks) like Bluetooth and UWB. The all-in-one wireless chip should enable wireless device manufacturers to build products that are smaller, less expensive and more power thrifty.
Wireless bridging is not a new concept and has been available for several years. Wireless bridging has come a long way in the last few years and can be a viable option in place of another WAN (wide area network) connection. In the July issue of Credit Union
tech-talk we will take a look at the different types and compare their features - subscribe today and learn more.
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Security
Section
At their recent IT Security Summit, research firm Gartner identified five of the most over-hyped security threats:
- IP telephony is unsafe.
- Mobile malware will cause widespread damage.
- "Warhol worms" will make the Internet unreliable for business traffic and virtual private networks.
- Regulatory compliance equals security.
- Wireless hot spots are unsafe.
Gartner analysts also put forth the proposition that outsourcing corporate security is no longer risky business and large organizations should hand off network monitoring and security services as soon as possible. They believe that managed security services will evolve into "in-the-cloud services" in which network traffic is cleaned of malware, attack traffic and other problems before it reaches the local area network. This could be accomplished either by managed security service providers or telecommunications companies. The security-cloud concept generated a mixed reaction among attendees, with some pointing out that monitoring the internal equipment, such as switches or host-based intrusion-prevention systems inside the network, is as important as monitoring the perimeter.
Security vendor Counterpane Internet Security monitors more than 450 networks in 35 countries and their analysts investigated 648,000 security "tickets" in 2004. They note that 41 percent of the attacks they saw were unauthorized activity of some kind, 21 percent were scanning, 26 percent were unauthorized access, 9 percent were DoS (denial of service), and 3 percent were misuse of applications. In 2005, they expect to see more sophisticated attacks, more blended threats, and ever-more-complex malware that include complex behavior such as polymorphic worms, metamorphic worms, and worms that make use of entry-point obscuration.
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Security Section
Sponsored by
Reflex Disknet Pro
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Protecting Your Removable Media
When it comes to protecting the organization's intellectual properties and member information, I/T security professionals must be proactive. Gartner's July 2, 2004, white paper warns: "Giving your staff free rein to use [removable media] at work could lead to breaches of security and loss of data." Achieving legislative compliance requires controlling the ever-increasing risks posed by USB and other plug-and-play mass storage devices. This is imperative in the highly mobile, Windows plug-and-play environment that most I/T security professionals find themselves in charge of today.
Reflex Disknet Pro delivers the ability to centrally define and enforced IT workstation security policy, based on the users role in the organization. It is automatically deployed and updated and provides for the control of unwanted files in your environment, especially viruses. Regulatory compliance is provided through transparent encryption of all data written to removable media, while allowing the access to encrypted data on removable media away from your network through the use of a secure password.
Reflex Disknet Pro is the only removable media control and encryption solution to receive Common Criteria certification and is the preferred enterprise-wide solution for small, medium and large businesses.
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To sign up for an upcoming
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Leaders
Roundtable
ONLINE
BANKING:
BUILDING LOYALTY & MARKET SHARE THROUGH ENHANCED ONLINE SERVICES
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Technology
and Marketing
Historically, member service was delivered over the phone or in person. Members didn’t have many choices, and switching to competitors was cumbersome. But now in the Internet age, competition is literally a click away. Some marketing experts are arguing that you must continue to focus your attention on member service, member retention, and lifetime value of the member in order to stay competitive. Find out some strategies for achieving these goals in the July issue of Credit Union
tech-talk - subscribe today.
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Technology & Marketing Section
Sponsored by
Selient
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Are you looking to increase Loan Volumes, cut processing times, as well as
offer superior Member Service?
Look no further than
LoanStation, Selient's industry leading consumer loan origination system. LoanStation provides you the ability to automate your lending process and increase member service with decisions in seconds not hours. LoanStation's straight through processing allows you to cut processing time and approve loans at the right rate for your members so that you get the best margins possible and your member gets the service they expect.
But don't take our word for it, read what one of our clients had to say - Gerald Guy, CEO of KEMBA Financial CU stated:
"We appreciate the partnership we have formed with
Selient. The LoanStation application has allowed us to cut our processing time in half, while providing our associates with the tools to effectively sell our members the loan products and insurance coverage they need."
LoanStation is an affordable and value driven product meant for Credit Unions of all sizes. To learn more about LoanStation and to view a short demonstration of its capabilities please visit:
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or call Chris Sage at
317-577-0665
or email
csage@selient.com
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Online
Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design
A company called Green Armor Solutions has launched a new anti-phishing Web ID product, Identity Cues, which uses visual cues such as colored letters during log-in to proactively inform users whether or not a website truly belongs to the organization that it appears to represent. Cues are displayed as users type their usernames and passwords. The visual aids vary between users, but are identical on each login for any particular user. Access need not be from one's own computer in order to be secure, says the firm, and there is no need to verify the identity of a user before presenting a cue.
There are now more than 234 million debit cards in use in the US, generating more than $60 billion of sales each month. As of March 31st there were 165.6 million VISA "Check Cards" and 69.1 million MasterCard "MasterMoney" cards in-force in the USA, according to CardData.
Edgar, Dunn & Company and Collective Dynamics just announced results of their 2005 Small Business Survey. Key findings in this study include the following:
-- Internet Banking - 57% indicated their small business used Internet banking services on a daily or weekly basis. By far the most used features are monitoring account balance, history, tracking the clearing status of checks and online payments.
-- Online Bill Payment - Just fewer than 50% indicated they used online bill payment. 30% of Online Bill Payment users are very/extremely satisfied with the service.
-- Card Usage - 83% reported that their company had used credit cards for purchases and/or payments; of those companies that used credit cards, 67% reported that their primary card was a Business Credit Card.
-- Primary Credit Card - 62% reported their business obtained its primary credit card from a financial institution other than their company's primary financial institution.
-- Financing & Loans - 62% said that their company's primary financial institution was the first place the company looked when it had financing needs.
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Internet
Access
Proposed telecommunications mergers between SBC and AT&T and between Verizon and MCI will lead to a 15% price increase for some business customers, an economist hired by competitors of SBC and Verizon said. ACTel, funded by a group of competing telecom carriers, and CompTel/ALTS, a trade group representing competitive local exchange carriers or CLECs, are asking the FCC and the Department of Justice to reject the two mergers. The two groups are not alone; in April the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and U.S. Public Interest Research Group filed comments with the FCC opposing the mergers. Naturally, Verizon, MCI and SBC disputed the ACTel study, with a spokesperson saying that "Nobody can 'control' this new marketplace - there are many domestic and international players."
One consensus that emerged from last week's Supercomm show was that broadband is king, the single most important factor in making converged IP (Internet protocol) service offerings a reality. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said he supports the Bush administration's goal of universal broadband access by 2007, but critics charged that the US lacks a plan for getting consumers to embrace broadband access to the Internet and other services. For their part, Verizon has Fios, their network capable of 100M bit/sec transmission. They said that they will cover 3 million homes and businesses by the end of the year with their high speed fiber network.
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Call
Centers
Amae Software and The Call Center School have joined forces to offer the Advanced Call Center Check-Up. The new service, delivered through The Call Center School, delivers an advanced call center evaluation process available by incorporating details regarding how agents, products, and processes are affecting members. The service uses specialized questions and member feedback surveys, along with the review of people, processes and technology, to make actionable recommendations for each call center. The Call Center School provides a wide range of education and training services for call center professionals, including classes for frontline staff, supervisors and managers, and technical specialists in the center.
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Conferences
Catch
Tom and Bill Rogers, Associate Editor of Credit Union
tech-talk at the following conferences in
2005:
June
29, Las Vegas, NV - Financial Service Centers Cooperative’s Shared Branching
Conference
August
25, San Diego, CA - Harland's Connections 2005 Conference
October 6-8, Naples, FL - Firefighters' National Credit
Union Conference
November 10-12, New Orleans, LA - CU InfoTECH Conference
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