Strengths and Weaknesses of CORE's data network

CORE Credit Union's Network Infrastructure

CORE credit union has a strong network infrastructure that manages the Union's data and voice needs across all locations. The presence of a fast LAN connection is one significant advantage. The 100 Mbps Ethernet LAN at the headquarters and branches provides fast data transfers so tellers and other people can provide clients with quick services because there are no delays connecting to the core server (Manke, Khare, & Sapre, 2008). The usage of secure connection lines between the branches and the Share one server is the network's second major strength. The use of a Virtual Private Network ensures that branch computer systems securely connect to the Share One Server and offers near real-time transaction updates to individual customer accounts.

Business Continuity and Scalability

To ensure business continuity, CORE has set a mirroring and clustering mechanism in which the core database is replicated instantaneously in the various service centers of Tennessee and Memphis. This would ensure that there exist exact database copies at the locations to act as backup plans in the event the core database at Statesboro fails. CORE data network is scalable in nature as it allows for integration with various other systems such as the PBX systems and CORE's own interactive voice response (IVR) called the COREY.

Limitations of the Network

However, the network has some limitations. The network relies heavily on VPN to connect branches to the Share One server without considering how the failure of the VPN connection would halt operations at the branch. Another risky issue with current network setup at CORE is that the Share One Server is not protected from internal attacks. The main office and the server are on the same LAN implying that an attack on the network can easily get to the server and cripple the operations of the bank. Even though CORE has implemented database replication, this same replication is not mirrored at the branch level implying that a failure at the head office would impact the activities at all branches. Another limitation lies on the Ventus wireless routers used at the ATM terminals to connect them directly to the Share One Server. Wireless connections, unlike wired connections, are affected by weather conditions implying that users of the ATM will eventually experience downtimes. Another aspect missing within CORE network is lack of an EFT channel switch that would act as a bridge between the CORE banking system in the Share One Server and the requesting interfaces such as the ATM networks and branch networks (Zia & Zomaya, 2008).

Supporting Mobile Banking Activities at CORE

Even with a robust network, CORE needs some adjustments to its current infrastructure to support mobile banking activities. The introduction of mobile banking implies that clients may use their mobile devices to view their account statements, pay bills, transfer funds, deposit and stop Cheques, or shop for items. Various technologies exist for mobile banking services such as Inter-active Voice Response (IVR), USSD(Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), SMS, Mobile Applications, and STK (SIM Tool Kit) based applications (Arunatileka, 2006). As such, CORE may opt to utilize an architecture in which the credit union offers the mobile banking service directly to its clients or an architecture in which the union will outsource a third-party vendor to offer the service. To implement the first architecture, the union will have to introduce a mobile application server, a web server, and a database at its premises. Security mechanisms will also have to be instituted depending on the services the union plans to extend to mobile banking. A new database may be used to store mobile banking transactions or a new table holding mobile bank users introduced to the Core Banking database. Clients then use their phone via the mobile network to transact. The communication goes through the mobile banking server which then communicates to the Core banking server for authentication, authorization, and transaction processing.

Outsourcing Mobile Banking Facilities

CORE credit union may need to outsource its mobile banking facilities from a third-party vendor as it is an affordable option ensuring quick rollover of mobile banking solutions. In such an architecture, the Mobile Banking Server will be located at the third party vendor's data center and connected to the banking systems via a secured channel such as a VPN, dedicated or shared link. Extra security measures will also be instituted to secure the core banking system from attacks resulting from the introduced connection between the Core system and the third party. Additionally, CORE should introduce an electronic fund transfer channel switch to bridge any communication to the core banking system from either the ATM, POS, Branches or WEB applications. EFT channel offers a secure communicating mechanism that protecting the Core server from intrusion detection (Arunatileka, 2006).

References

Arunatileka, D. (2006). Applying Mobile Technologies to Banking Business Processes. Handbook of Research in Mobile Business, 778-792.

Manke, S., Khare, K., & Sapre, S. (2008). 100Mbps Ethernet data transmission over SDH networks using Cross Virtual Concatenation. 2008 16th IEEE International Conference on Networks.

Zia, T., & Zomaya, A. Y. (2008). Security Issues and Countermeasures in Wireless Sensor Networks. Algorithms and Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks, 479-502.