ARCOT SYSTEMS AND ADOBE WORK ON DIGITAL SIGNINGSunnyvale, Calif.-based Arcot Systems Inc. has collaborated with San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe Systems Inc. to create a new option for digital signing in Adobe Acrobat software and Adobe Reader software using "Roaming Digital IDs."
Adobe embedded Arcot patented technologies in those applications, laying the framework for secure digital signing without the need for additional software or hardware.
The Roaming Digital ID is stored in the Arcot SignFort server and accessed directly from Acrobat or Adobe Reader. That enables users to sign a document digitally from home, work or on the road. Arcot's ArcotID "software smart card" provides two-factor authentication of the user, and it controls access to the digital ID, verifying that only the authorized person is signing.
BATTERY-OPERATED PRINTER FOR MOBILE COMPUTING APPS
Extech Instruments Corp., a Waltham, Mass.-based developer of portable printers for enterprisewide applications, upgraded its 3" printer portfolio. The S3750THS Series battery-operated thermal printer is upgraded with a new 2.2amp lithium battery for more receipts per charge and with the addition of 802.11b with WPA security. Designed to withstand the rigors of mobile computing applications, the S3750THS provides multiple interface options, making it a model of flexibility.
The S3750THS features an easy-to-use operator interface and automatic thermal print contrast control, to produce high-speed, high-resolution print-outs, according to Extech.
The S3750THS is MS-DOS and Windows compatible with a full-speed handshake and a microprocessor with a flash-based integrated CPU memory to add logos, bar codes and other graphic elements to the receipt. The system has a highly integrated circuit board to manage all features supported by the printer. RS-232 Serial and IrDA wireless communication are standard and in addition to the 802.11b/g option, an optional integrated Bluetooth radio for peer-to-peer communication is available. A magnetic card reader and smart card reader are also available.
PRINT STAMPS ONLINE
DYMO Stamps desktop postage solution has the capability to print First Class, Priority Mail, Postcard and International Airmail (up to 1 oz). With an online sign-up, DYMO Stamps is designed to eliminate the hassle of post office lines or leasing postal meters.
DYMO Stamps, a joint development between Stamford, Conn.-based DYMO and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Endicia, is included free with the LabelWriter 400 Turbo, Twin Turbo and Duo. Powered by DYMO's postage partner, Endicia, DYMO Stamps users can establish a free online account to purchase and print precise amounts of USPS-approved postage.
DYMO Stamps works on a PC or Mac. And with LabelWriter, users can print up to 55 labels per minute and a variety of other features including AddressFixer and a host of label styles. DYMO Stamps completes the LabelWriter series postal solution.
CREATE WEB DATABASE APPS WITHOUT PROGRAMMING
Caspio Bridge SOHO is a free package of the Caspio Bridge platform that enables non-technical users to create Web database applications without programming. SOHO accounts are pre-loaded with a lead generation system consisting of a customizable Web form for capturing leads and inquiries and a lead management application for accessing the data to follow-up with prospects and customers, record communications, schedule reminders, run reports and maintain customer databases in a secure online environment. Users interested in other types of Web applications can replace the lead generation system with their own customized application or upgrade their SOHO account to accommodate more applications.
The free SOHO service from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Caspio Inc. includes nearly all of the Caspio Bridge capabilities-Web user authentication, free SSL encryption, professionally designed styles and application localization that includes instant support for English, French, German, Italian, Russian and other languages. Unlike the standard Caspio Bridge service, applications deployed from the free SOHO accounts display Caspio branding.
REMOTE CORPORATE CAPTURE INCLUDES FULL-PAGE SCANNING
Mosinee, Wis.-based Wausau Financial Systems Inc. expanded its Remote Corporate Capture solution capabilities to include full-page scanning. Wausau will now offer financial institutions and their corporate customers the ability to capture wholesale payments, accompanied by full-page invoices and customer correspondence, with its remote capture technology.
The Remote Corporate Capture suite for Wausau includes Web-based, PC-based, lockbox and ASP options. The new full-page capture opportunities expand capabilities in the lockbox arena, where financial institutions often process low-volume, high-dollar payments for corporate clients, according to Wausau.
INTEGRATION SOFTWARE FROM FILEVISION FOR CRM
FileVision USA LLC, an Atlanta-based global provider of office productivity software, announced the availability of the FileVision 4.5, which is designed to give customers an enhanced custom relationship management (CRM) component for increased search, administration and workflow functionality; a new Web client for access from any Web browser; and an Application Integrator module for increased data access and usability between other integrated software solutions.
The new FileVision Web 2.0 AJAX client in 4.5 is designed to enable customers to access their FileVision solution anywhere from a Web browser with increased performance and usability enhancements. The new FileVision Application Integrator module will eliminate problematic and expensive integration issues SMBs face when using a solution like FileVision with proprietary software, such as accounting, records management systems and other line of business applications.
The FileVision solution, which offers end-to-end information management by relationally linking data from electronic files with paper documents, also processes action items through a workflow manager and enables secure and easy search access to the information
VERTICAL SEARCH ENGINE WITHOUT MULTIPLE WEB SITES
Greenville, S.C.-based PromoPipeline LLC designed a Web-based platform to improve what many consider a "broken" communications link in the IT channel.
PromoPipeline is a vertical search engine that enables channel partners to search for promotions from vendors and distributors without logging into multiple Web sites or finding that elusive promotion e-mail.
PromoPipeline supports a promotions search by categories, dates, SKUs or other relevant information to quickly find numerous vendor and distributor promotional offerings. Search results can be book-marked, printed or e-mailed to clients.
There are 80,000 value-added resellers (VARs) in North America that are annually responsible for purchasing $117 billion in IT hardware and software products for its customers. Promo-Pipeline has currently registered more than 800 VARs. Those VARs are responsible for $725 million in market pull-more than $1.1 MM each, according to PromoPipeline.
NAIC FILING SOLUTION
Brookfield, Wis.-based financial services software provider Fiserv Inc. released eFreedom Annual Statement NAIC filing software, which automates annual statement preparation for regulatory reporting. The eFreedom Annual Statement is designed for enterprise-wide deployments with role-based security that is strong, yet simple to deploy. Built-in project management features allow the reporting manager to assign pages to individuals and monitor overall progress toward statement completion.
The system leverages Web services and promotes real-time collaboration by encapsulating business logic in the server tier and utilizing Microsoft SQL Server as the relational database. As a result, changes to one statement page are reflected almost immediately on related pages that are assigned to other team members.
The way the system deals with internal crosschecks ensures statement integrity, claims FiServ. Crosschecks and internal calculations update continuously behind the scenes to eliminate delays. If a crosscheck fails because of an error or imbalance in the statement, the system displays the relevant values and formulas required to expedite resolution.
ONLINE ACCESS TO REGULATIONS
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' Insurance Compliance Solutions, Waltham, Mass., has added functionality to its Web-based regulatory research tool, NILS INSource, to help insurance compliance professionals access information faster and share it more efficiently within their organizations.
NILS INSource, which provides online access to complete statutory and regulatory information, offers a number of features to access the rules and regulations that affect the insurance industry, such as terminology indexing, line-of-business searching, and compliance-topic and subtopic categories to help access the most specific content needed.
With its latest enhancements, NILS INSource now allows users to link directly to recently researched content and identify the author of shared user notes. NILS INSource offers customers printed Red Books, a print source of information on state insurance laws and regulations, and a Web-based database.
NANO RISK MANAGEMENT
The Innovation Society Ltd., Switzerland, and Germany-based T‹V S‹D developed Cenarios, a certifiable nano-specific risk management and monitoring system. The system provides hazard and risk assessment, including risk monitoring tools. Cenarios will be implemented by mid-2007 and can be applied in sector-independent organizations.
Cenarios ensures that certain nanotechnology risks are assessed according to independent standards and new findings from science and technology are continuously included in the risk management process. An up-to-date evaluation will be applied and combined with a foresight element, monitoring strategic and relevant risk areas (including toxicity, regulation and consumer attitude). It sets the basis for strategic decision-making under conditions of high uncertainty.
Cenarios consists of three modules, which provide a foundation for strategy and product decisions and serve as benchmarks. Module 1, risk and hazard assessment/risk evaluation, provides a product- and process-related risk position-fixing; module 2 includes a 360-degree risk monitoring system that reveals the relevant trends in science, regulation and technology (foresight instrument); and module 3 includes issues management and communication, tools that enable users tools to react quickly and reliably in critical situations.
USB SECURITY
Siber Systems Inc. a Fairfax, Va., productivity software provider, has released a computer password and digital identity storage/management tool designed for USB drives.
Designed for mobile users, RoboForm2Go is based on RoboForm, Siber System's password management and form-filling tool that automates the process of logging onto online accounts and filling online registration and checkout forms.
RoboForm2Go can be loaded onto an existing USB drive for plug in to any USB port, giving users the ability to automatically log into online accounts and fill in online forms as needed.
Confidential information never appears on a client PC; it is stored strictly on the USB drive. Once the drive is removed, all traces of RoboForm are removed from the PC.
RoboForm2Go can be used at convention halls, airports, Internet cafes, libraries or even at work-anywhere employees have a computer with a USB port. As a next-generation product, RoboForm2Go changes the way people store, protect and access private digital information.
CUSTOMER DUE DILIGENCE
Ireland-based Norkom Technologies, a provider of financial crime and compliance solutions to the global financial services industry, launched a risk-based customer due diligence (CDD) solution.
The software is designed to enable financial services organizations to comply with today's worldwide 'know your customer' regulations as outlined in the U.S. Patriot Act, the 3rd EU Money Laundering directive, Australia's AML/CTF Act, the OFSI B8 guidelines and the FATF 40 recommendations. Norkom's offering is an end-to-end CDD solution with tailored risk-based methodologies that differentiate low- and high-risk customers at the point of account opening.
This enables organizations to focus attention on verifying and validating higher risk clients while allowing business to commence quickly with lower-risk customers. The technology spans the lifecycle of a customer, continually monitoring a customer's initial risk assessment to ensure it remains valid in light of additional transactional and behavioral information. Should unusual behavior occur the solution automatically assesses the relevance of the assigned risk category and makes system-generated recommendations, with supporting rationale, on changes that should be made. This approach enables organizations to ensure that customers are accurately risk profiled throughout their lifecycle, not just at the time of account opening.
Norkom's CDD solution comes with a comprehensive case management module, which ensures efficiency is optimized at all stages of the investigation process. Regulatory reports such as SARs can be generated automatically as well as business reports to check on performance metrics and risk exposure and ensure an efficient and effective CDD operation.
FRAUD DETECTION
A new suite of fraud detection services is available from Clayton Holdings, a Shelton, Conn., provider of information-based analytics, outsourcing and consulting solutions.
Designed to protect conduits, Wall Street issuers and mortgage-backed securities, bond and residual holders from losses due to origination fraud and breaches of representations and warranties, the services draw upon Clayton's due diligence and credit risk surveillance experience, and leverage the information contained in Clayton's database of more than $1 trillion in subprime and Alt-A loans.
Services include high-risk loan identification, extended fraud reviews, and the outsourcing of reunderwriting of troubled accounts to Clayton for comprehensive put-back reviews by experienced underwriters.
ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT
InfraSight is an enterprise traffic performance management and IT infrastructure health service from the Trendium Service Bureau, a subscription-based "software as a service" line of business of Trendium Inc., Sunrise, Fla. InfraSight provides a blend of real-time data collection and trend performance analysis, in addition to security insights, event monitoring and network traffic predictive alerts. InfraSight is designed to consolidate and organize across every network domain, so customers are able to monitor all interfaces, flow-based conversations and bandwidth utilization.
The bandwidth capacity modeling is calculated per interface, or class-based QoS queue to enable accurate planning for external and inter-site bandwidth. InfraSight performs traffic deviation monitoring to detect suspicious anomalies that lead to the manifestation of serious network threats. And it inspects the IT infrastructure to find network degradation threats in advance of user awareness; this service reports on port scans and port sweeps, and when necessary, triggers alerts that proactively defend the network from potential threats.
WEB-ENABLED SYSTEM FOR COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
Compliance Management System Generation 2 (CMS G2) from Kaplan Financial, headquartered in Chicago, is a Web-enabled system designed to provide automated workflow support for the licensing, appointment request and registration processes associated with insurance producers and securities representatives.
ENTERPRISE SOLUTION FOR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Camilion Solutions, a Toronto-based provider of product management, underwriting and online sales solutions for the insurance industry, has released ProductAuthority V5.1, the new version of its enterprise product management solution.
The product now incorporates the standards WSDL, SOAP and UDDI to make the solution Web services compliant. It also incorporates a key ACORD XML life and annuity specification to improve efficiency and manage risk in the annuity sales process.
ProductAuthority V5.1 enables insurers using an open service-oriented architecture (SOA) to more easily and cost effectively integrate product data and rules into their operational systems, including policy administration systems, the vendor says. Product data and rules are stored in the central repository of ProductAuthority's "pure" product configurator where they can be exposed as Web services to all back-end systems that need to be 'product-aware'.
MIGRATE TO SOA
India-based 3i Infotech integrated its PREMIA insurance business solution to the Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle's Siebel CRM for analytics and customer facing requirements using Oracle Fusion Middleware.
PREMIA, together with Oracle Fusion Middleware's Oracle BPEL Process Manager and Oracle Business. Activity Monitoring, is designed to enable users to migrate to a service-oriented architecture platform in an incremental manner, bringing with it additional benefits such as helping to reduce operating costs, including infrastructure expense.
TAX AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR P&C
Kollath & Associates CPA LLC has launched an accounting practice that will provide assurance, tax and consulting services for property/casualty insurance companies.
Based in Madison, Wis., Kollath & Associates uses experience in public accounting, private accounting and corporate finance at leading companies, to offer the services.
INNOVATION'S XML SUPPORT FOR IBM VIPER SERVER
Innovation Group, a Hartford, Conn.-based global provider of technology-enabled outsourcing and technology solutions to the property and casualty insurance industry, announced its XML support for the IBM DB2 9 "Viper" data server, extending the benefits of the company's Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and WSDL-compliant Services Catalogue.
Through its ability to effectively manage both relational data and pure XML without reformatting, DB2 9 unlocks the full potential of XML and simplifies the management, consumption and execution of web services.
GOVERNANCE SOFTWARE
Security.Advisor, a comprehensive solution from UK-based Centennial Software Ltd., is designed to detect and prioritize network software and firmware vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities identified by Security.Advisor can take many forms, such as greynet applications (unwanted games, P2P applications and hacking tools) and software and firmware not on the latest patch, according to Centennial.
By comparing the live information in Centennial Discovery's asset repository against a comprehensive database of known threats, Security.Advisor helps administrators pinpoint risks down to individual PCs and devices.
VERIFICATION TOOL PREVENTS FRAUD
ChoicePoint's Carrier Discovery, a contributory database of insurance policy information for use by auto insurance carriers, is designed to enable a claims adjuster to identify carrier information on claimants or other parties in an accident. The Carrier Discovery service can be used to streamline the "first notice of loss" call process, provide adjusters and fraud investigators with dual coverage information, or verify insurance coverage for subrogation, according to the Alpharetta, Ga.-based technology provider.
The database is also designed to be applied at any point in the claims process. It includes critical data elements-policy number, carrier name, driver names, vehicle details, and policy cancellation and endorsement dates.
PERCEPTIVE ENHANCES IMAGENOW SUNFLOWER
ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower, the latest version of Shawnee, Kan.-based Perceptive Software Inc.'s flagship document management, imaging and workflow software suite, features enhancements designed to further simplify business processes, including version control and library services, digital signatures, ImageNow Projects, ImageNow Worksheets and ImageNow Workflow Designer.
