Blog Post 5 - Computers in the Workplace

I worked in the banking industry for six years, and computers are integral to the industry. The computer systems we used kept detailed information about each customer, a record of credits and debits to accounts, and payments to loans. We were able to see a lot of data about a customer’s usage and the bank would make product recommendations based on the information.

Because we were dealing with people’s money, it was imperative that the staff understood how to use the computer systems and programs the bank provided. Before we were able to be customer facing, we would spend at least a month with a trainer who would explain the processes and give each of us a chance to use the systems in a practice mode. If an employee wasn’t careful, they could accidentally transpose numbers or make incorrect transactions to customers accounts which could lead to a terrible headache for the customer and bank manager.

Considering trends, I expect banks to move to biometrics for improved security. I dealt with a lot of fraud, mostly compromised debit cards and sometimes people using fake ids to try and steal money from accounts. I believe that banks will begin requiring biometrics, like thumbprints, to gain access to accounts. Banks will also continue to use older versions of operating systems because they offer more protection since most bugs have been patched. Banks will also continue to strengthen their networks by requiring more secure passwords and better training for employees to spot phishing emails. It was normal to receive fraudulent emails from a customer who’s email account had been hacked. Our training taught us that we should never handle transactions without the customer present, but there were times when an employee had a great relationship with the customer in question, and when the employee received an email to process a transaction for the customer, the employee processed it and caused financial harm the customer.