Author: BWild

Mobile technology could play a central role in security efforts

| January 12, 2015

At the same time that consumers are being warned about their privacy over smartphones, those devices could also help.

A mobile technology trend involving the use of smartphones and tablets to help to improve local security among residents of a neighborhood and in tracking, through the combination of smartphones and social media apps.

These tools are becoming an increasing part of various types of community policing program.

The key is that smartphones are owned by the majority of adults, and among the owners of that mobile technology, most use social media apps. Moreover, they spend a great deal of time on those applications and they access them on a regular basis. This, as a result, is providing a useful tool in the help to fight crime. A new trend has started with private security companies as well as with the Community Policing Forum (CPF), where this tech and these mobile apps are combined in order to be able to raise awareness of issues and to alert residents when a problem may be present.

A growing number of specific instances of the use of mobile technology for crime fighting and safety has been occurring.

Mobile technology - SecurityOne example, among many, occurred on New Year’s Day, in Glenvista, South Africa. Just before opening at 8am, the Glenvista Shopping Centre Checkers store was robbed. This involved a situation in which an estimated seven suspects had stolen an undisclosed amount of money from the cash office. In this case, the robbery was discussed on the CPF Facebook page, where there were a number of important leads and connections made that brought about several advancements toward solving this crime. The good relationship between the CPF and the police has continued since then and they work closely.

Other CPFs within the community are also using mobile apps to be able to help in battling crime. Community Watch is one of the apps that is being used the most widely, as it brings together an instant messaging service with a direct connection to CPFs, private security companies, and even the police.

These are only a couple of examples of the important role that mobile technology is starting to play in the safety of individuals and entirely communities in South Africa, as regular everyday people and law enforcement officials work together to improve their own security using smartphones and apps.

Mobile banking has become very popular, survey

| January 8, 2015

The results of recent research show that a notable percentage of smartphone users use the device to conduct financial transactions.

A recent survey conducted by a financial analytics firm called RateWatch has shown that while a very small percentage of bank customers consider mobile banking to be their main option, accessing an account via smartphone is highly popular nonetheless.

Among the survey participants, 62 percent considered their primary option to be banking in person at the branch.

The 4th Annual Mobile Banking Survey revealed that while people may not think of their mobile devices as their main method of banking, there is still a considerable number of them who actually use those devices for that purpose. Bain & Co., a global management consultancy, conducted a survey that showed that 35 percent of customers worldwide were using their smartphones in order to complete certain bank transactions. That research involved the responses from approximately 83,000 bank account owners.

The popularity of mobile banking is reflected in the changes that many banks are making to cater to the devices.

Mobile Banking SurveyChase Bank, for example, was one of the early entrants into the world of apps and services over mobile devices. This financial institution not only created applications that could be used by customers in order to complete transactions with their bank, but it also advertised it quite heavily through various different kinds of ads. That bank currently has over 18 million mobile customers, according to the figures cited by Gavin Michael, the Chase Bank head of digital.

Michael explained that the use of smartphones to complete these transactions is “redefining how we think about banking”. This same attitude appears to be shared by the entire banking industry, at the moment. The survey from RateWatch suggested that from 2011 to 2014, the percentage of banking institutions that started to offer services over mobile devices doubled from having been 41 percent to become 82 percent.

Mobile banking has faced a number of hurdles along the way – and continues to do so. At the same time that its convenience has made it increasingly popular among some consumers, there are many who are highly resistant to using it due to concerns with regards to the security of their devices and the safety of their private and sensitive data.