Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 11

How to Protect Your Smartphone's Valuable Data
"So you just lost your smartphone. It isn't the end of the world, but it sure feels like it. In addition to the specter of shelling out another couple hundred dollars to replace the hardware, you're facing the loss of all your contacts, your schedule, your to-do lists, your passwords (if you really weren't careful and stored them on the phone), and, oh yeah, the dicey photos you took at the bar last Friday.

All of that is gone, at least for the moment, but if your Apple iPhone, Google Android phone, RIM BlackBerry, or any other smartphone falls into the wrong hands, that vast archive of your personal information won't just be forgotten--it could be cashed in."

App Surge and Smartphone Growth Set Stage for Mobile Banking Uptick
"While an estimated 90% of U.S. consumers use mobile phones, far fewer use them for banking. In fact, a Gartner report released in June said that out of the group studied, only 15% had used mobile banking in the past month. This adoption rate might seem small compared to the overall use of smartphones and other mobile devices and in light of the buzz the channel has generated. However, industry participants say the potential is there."

M-Com Announces World First Plug-And-Play SaaS Platform For Mobile Banking, Alerting And Payments
"International mobile banking solution provider, M-Com, announced today the launch of a complete ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) version of its globally deployed mobile banking and payment platform – BankAnywhere. The new product has been labeled BankAnywhere ASP Edition.

'Having run ASP and multi-tenant mobile financial services since 2006, we have been focused on trying to create a full and complete ASP version of our award-winning product – BankAnywhere,' states M-Com CEO and Founder, Adam Clark. 'The team has worked very hard and the initiative has given our coffee machine a solid workout, but I can categorically say that M-Com now has the best mobile software-as-a-service platform in the world for banks and payment processors.'"

Apple's iOS Security Challenges and Opportunities
"One of the most controversial debates in the security world has long been the role of market share. Are Macs safer because there are fewer users, making them less attractive to serious cyber-criminals? Although Mac market share continues to increase slowly, the answer remains elusive. But it's more likely that we'll see the answer in our pockets, not on our desktops."

Sybase 365 Innovation Ensures Fastest Deployment, Increased Functionality and Widest Device Support for Retail and Corporate Banks
"Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc., the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, today announced the expansion of its mobile commerce offering with version 3.0 of Sybase(R) mBanking 365(R) -- the recognised market leading and award winning mobile banking platform. The latest offering significantly enhances functionalities and simplifies the deployment process, enabling financial institutions to more quickly create a richer mobile banking experience and increase customer satisfaction."

Banking on M-banking
"More than half our population lives in rural and semi-urban areas and falls in the category of 'unbanked and under-banked' people. These people are mostly financially excluded, leading insecure lives, without any access to basic banking services. The central government and the Reserve Bank of India have therefore been promoting the idea of 'Financial Inclusion' (FI) for large segments of our population through the use of IT-based, e-governance initiatives since a few years now."