Letter from the President
Darren Bridges, President
Having been in the banking and technology industries for many years, I’ve experienced that change has always been understood as the nature of the business. We’ve witnessed the general opinion change through the years from “the Internet is not necessary in my bank” to the overall understanding that a disconnection in Internet connectivity results in an inability to provide many bank services. Changes in technology have brought improvements as well as complications to the way banks do business. Regardless of industry, with regard to technology, change has always been a constant.
Emerging Technology Series - Server Virtualization
Curt Frierson, EVP Technology and Education
Technology has become well known for its steady stream of buzzwords. At any point in time, there are numerous technology-related terms or phrases that promise to revolutionize the industry. Some of these catchphrases do have a dramatic effect on the technology world, but many quietly die off over time. Of all of the current technology buzzwords, however, virtualization is one that may be the most disruptive force on the future of network computing. In fact, IT research firm Gartner predicts, “Virtualization will be the highest-impact trend changing infrastructure and operations through 2012.”
Safe Systems Introduces Managed Backup/Vaulting
Jay Butler, Senior Technical Consultant
Is your data fully protected right now? Perhaps you are concerned with last night’s backup failure, or maybe you worry that something is missing from your backups. Are you frustrated with dealing with tapes or removable hard drives? Are you sure that your backups are secure? Safe Systems is now offering an online backup solution to address these issues and ease the pain associated with traditional backups.
The ID Theft (Red Flag) Rules
Tom Hinkle, Account Manager
You can almost hear the ticking…as of August 1st, Financial Institutions have just three months to comply with the new Red Flag regulation. The good news is that many of you already have a head start on this process whether you know it or not. The rules allow you to plug your existing policies and procedures into the controls. The bad news is that there won’t be a “phase-in” period. Examiners expect full compliance November 1st, and they estimate the resource impact on each institution to be about forty-one hours.
Account Management: More than Just a Quarterly Review
David Brooks, VP of Account Management
If asked “what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Account Management?” most of you will probably say Quarterly Reviews. That is perfectly understandable; it is one of the most visible and valuable interactions you have with your Account Manager; however your Account Manager has many other valuable services to offer. Your Account Manager is a gateway to numerous services both inside and outside of Safe Systems. So, lets take a few minutes to explore a few of those services your Account Manager can help you with.
Ask Jay
Question: I’ve heard rumors that I can still buy PCs with Windows XP installed instead of Vista; however, I thought you could no longer buy XP. What’s the story?
Answer: When you buy a new PC, you will be purchasing Vista; however, you are entitled to a copy of XP Professional with each Vista purchase (what Microsoft calls downgrading to XP).
Social Engineering Calls: Paranoia or a Healthy Respect of the Dangers?
Jamie Davis, Education Manager
Bank Employee: “Hello, XYZ Bank.”
Caller: “Good morning, can I speak with JoAnne in charge of IT?”
Bank Employee: “I’m sorry, she is out this week.”
Caller: “Well, maybe you can help me. I’ve known JoAnne for years. I even worked with her for a short time, years ago. I have started a new technology company and wanted to drop off some gift cards to Starbucks and tell her about my new company. I’ll be sure to drop by and give you a card for some coffee too. What was your name again?”
Bank Employee: “Thanks! It’s Joe. I stop by there every morning, so that would be awesome.”
Caller: “No problem Joe. I’m more than happy to help anyone JoAnne works with. Can you tell me something real quick before you pass me to JoAnne’s voicemail? Whom does your company use for IT support? I would love to do some research on them before I meet with JoAnne. Just want to get a feel on if I have a chance or not and how big that gift card needs to be (laughs jokingly).”
Bank Employee: “Sure, we use….”
Although your employee doesn’t know it, he or she may have just been part of a social engineering scheme. The caller may actually know JoAnne and intends on making a sales call or he might have called in five minutes ago and gotten JoAnne’s name from another employee. If the latter is true, he is now more than likely very close to using this information to his advantage at your bank.
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