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Over 100 CUs Select Member Driven Technologies to Host Core Platform
Member Driven Technologies (MDT), a CUSO that hosts the Episys core platform from Symitar to provide a private cloud alternative for core processing and IT needs, announced that it has reached and quickly surpassed its 100th credit union client milestone.
CU Save Solution Adds 10 More CU Partners
CU-Save, the revenue enhancement and cost reduction service offered by InterLutions, has welcomed 10 new CUs. The new participants include Capital CU, Collins Community CU, Community West CU, Gas & Electric CU, Great Lakes CU, Heartland CU, Heritage CU, Kohler CU, LENCO CU, and Wayne Westland FCU.
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Semiconductor Startup Cerebras Systems Launches Massive AI Chip
There are a host of different AI-related solutions for the data center, ranging from add-in cards to dedicated servers, like the Nvidia DGX-2. But a startup called Cerebras Systems has its own server offering that is called the Wafer Scale Engine (WSE), an AI chip that measures 8.46x8.46 inches, making it almost the size of an iPad and more than 50 times larger than a CPU or GPU. A typical CPU or GPU is about the size of a postage stamp.
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Microsoft Makes More Machine Learning Advances
Microsoft announced that it is investing $1 billion in the OpenAI research firm to support the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Some observers see the move as way of: providing more options on frameworks and model creation for experienced developers, opening up search and drag-and-drop modeling capabilities for current and potential model builders, and providing solutions that allow for personalization for coders who just want functional AI-based services.
How to Work with Virtual Desktops in Windows 10
In Windows 10, you can create two, three, or more virtual desktops and populate each one with different apps and windows. One desktop may house all your open Microsoft Office applications; another may house your Adobe applications; a third may house miscellaneous applications. You can create one virtual desktop after another, move an app from one desktop to another, and delete a desktop when you no longer need it.
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Card Skimmers Are Targeting Older ATMs
Some experts think that cyberthieves are most likely to go after the lone wolf in the field — the ATM in the corner of a restaurant, gas pumps at closed service stations or kiosks in the mall when foot traffic is light. They are less likely to target an ATM attached at an FI due to the possibility of cameras and live surveillance. However, they are also increasingly targeting the card readers with skimmers on the after-hours glass vestibules that house ATMs.
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When Private 4G LTE Is Better than Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi remains the most prevalent wireless technology in enterprise networks, but private 4G LTE cellular technology, and soon 5G, can be the answer in specific use cases. Private LTE is a local cellular network that includes cell sites and core network servers dedicated to supporting the connectivity of a specific organization’s requirements independent of the cellular networks of service providers. It enables organizations to customize their networks for mission-critical applications, optimize the network for low latency and support specific SLAs – all without interference from the often-congested public wireless spectrum.
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ObserveIT Unveils Crowdsourced Insider Threat Analytics Solution
ObserveIT announced the availability of an Insider Threat Analytics solution powered by crowdsourced industry insight. The company is partnering with organizations in financial services, manufacturing, technology services, business consulting, telecommunications and retail to collect broad and rich telemetry on Insider Threat indicators. The data set is then analyzed in real time using advanced analytics technology to identify a common set of Insider Threat patterns and threat categories that organizations are concerned about such as uploading files on the web, using unlisted USB drives, and more. These insights are served to customers on an ongoing basis.
Security Expert Frank Abagnale: Drop the Debit Card and Freeze Your Credit
The mastermind con man behind Catch Me If You Can says that he freezes his credit at all times and subscribes to a service that allows him to monitor the big 3 credit bureaus. He also never uses a debit card or checks because he states that credit cards are truly the safest form of payment in person (along with cash) or online.
Three Essential Elements of a Successful Zero Trust Cybersecurity Program
With the ever-increasing volume, velocity, and sophistication of modern threats originating from both outside and inside organizations, the author states that “Trust, but verify” no longer suffices. Instead, senior security professionals and their teams must move toward Zero Trust, an approach which counsels, “Never trust. Always verify.” He goes on to cover three considerations that can help organizations move toward a stronger Zero Trust security approach.
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Are CUs Wasting Money on Financial Education?
The found of Zogo drew inspiration for his financial education app from language learning apps, like Rosetta Stone and Duolingo, that break down language curriculums into bite-sized chunks and gamify the learning experience with animations and rewards. The company will soon be launching pilot programs with 10 CUs nationwide.
Digital Banking, Branches Not Either/Or Choice
GOBankingRates found that 25 percent of consumers prefer banking with a mobile app, though nearly half preferred banking in person at a branch or ATM. Yet 76 percent said they wouldn’t open an account with an FI that doesn’t have a mobile app. That might sound counterintuitive on the surface, though it appears that FIs offering mobile apps are attractive, but consumers would like to decide which channel to use. Bottom line: branches are not in danger of going extinct any time soon due to the fact that half of consumers made at least one in-person branch visit in the past month, a figure that has held steady since 2018.
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Visa Introduces Suite of Security Capabilities to Help Prevent and Disrupt Payment Fraud
Visa announced a suite of security capabilities to help prevent and disrupt payment fraud. The new security capabilities add to existing protections and include: * Visa Vital Signs; * Visa Account Attack Intelligence; * Visa Payment Threats Lab; and * Visa eCommerce Threat Disruption.
Credit and Debit Cards Gain Ground on Cash for Small Purchases
Cash may still be king among consumers for purchases of $10 or less, but its market share is steadily being eroded by credit and debit cards, says an annual survey from CreditCards.com. The most recent edition of the survey reveals that 43% of respondents with rewards credit cards prefer to pay for small purchases in cash, down from 45% a year earlier. At the same time, 26% prefer to use their credit card for small purchases, up from 23% in 2018. Additionally, 31% of rewards cardholders say they will use a debit card for a small purchase, up from 30% in 2018.
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5 Reasons to Choose a Managed SD-WAN and 5 Reasons to Think Twice
When weighing the choice between DIY and a managed service for SD-WAN, consider current WAN conditions, IT skill levels, geographic scope of the WAN, and how much control you’re willing to relinquish. A key driver in favor of a managed approach is the ability to go beyond core SD-WAN connectivity and order additional features from the managed service provider, including web content filtering, AV, web firewalls and secure Web gateways.
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Is It Time to Ditch the Post-Call Survey?
The author argues that contact centers have a love-hate relationship with their post-call surveys—and it’s a relationship these days that is skewing much more negative than positive. Steadily falling response rates have made it hard to credibly use survey scores as a way to measure performance (especially rep-level performance). He goes on to ask: What if, instead of deploying surveys to consumers after the fact, you could harness technologies like like automated speech recognition, natural language processing and machine learning to understand all of your recorded conversations and predict the score a consumer would have given on a survey without having to ask them to fill out the survey at all?
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