Barclay’s Unobtrusive Online Security

Transaction Monitoring

Barclays Bank (London) rolled out the RSA Cyota Transaction Monitoring Solution late last quarter. The product -- designed to authenticate online banking customers in a transparent manner that places little burden on the user, according to RSA -- analyzes and scores all online banking transactions in real time, allowing the bank to decide how to handle high-risk transactions. The system, which provides user and device profiles, as well as a second factor of transparent authentication using IP addresses, results in no change in the user experience, the vendor contends.

According to Ian Morgan, head of channel development, electronic banking, at Barclays, the bank sought a solution in response to the rise of online fraud industrywide and increasing consumer awareness. "We needed a solution that would help monitor and control the potential threats faced by our online customers, but without hassling them," he says. "RSA Security's solution strikes the perfect balance and allows us to do just that."

IBC Scuttles Employee Passwords

Laredo, Texas-based International Bank of Commerce (IBC) implemented biometric authentication for employee network access using the SAFsolution Enterprise Edition 1.3 system by Saflink (Bellevue, Wash.). SAFsolution allows IBC to replace password-based security measures with biometric fingerprint readers to mitigate the risk of lost or stolen passwords. The product also reduces the demands on IT help desks by minimizing the need for password resets, according to the vendor.

Emporiki Adopts EMV With ACI

In late March, Emporiki Bank (Athens, Greece) deployed 1 million EMV debit cards using Smart Chip Manager by ACI Worldwide (Omaha, Neb.). The solution offers life-cycle management of all smart cards and applications while performing the data preparation process for the EMV cards, according to ACI. It also provides the ability to handle international payments quickly and efficiently, the vendor adds. The bank says it was the first in Greece to implement EMV on such a wide scale, ensuring safer, more-secure transactions across its payments processing network.

TrustBank Finds Nexus Middleware

Olney, Ill.-based TrustBank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rich Land Bancorp, installed the distributed client version of INvolve middleware by Nexus Software (Raleigh, N.C.). INvolve Distributed Client works in conjunction with Harland Financial Solutions' (Atlanta) Phoenix System Core Banking Solution, which TrustBank utilizes for core and teller functions. TrustBank implemented INvolve Distributed Client to support any combination of fat-, slim- and thin-client configurations deployed in Windows or Linux environments. By working with multiple configurations and environments, the distributed client offering increases flexibility while lowering the total cost of ownership, Nexus claims.