Droid, BlackBerry, iPhone. Whatever you have, you might be asking yourself the title of this blog. I’m sure there are times you’ve needed to transfer funds before a big purchase, make a payment, or check a balance and you were nowhere near a computer (maintaining that smart phones are just phones).  Whether you are hesitant to begin using your phone for banking or you do, hesitantly, use your phone to move your money, there is a plain and reassuring answer from e-business director at Discover card, Steve Furman in this article

There are three main reasons why:

1. You can protect your information

Ensure your device does not automatically sign you in to your bank’s app or site. In the case your phone is stolen, your funds will not be harmed. Also protect your user name and password by not allowing easy access to the information (i.e. user name and password written on paper). 

2. Security Technology

The financial industry has invested a considerable amount of dollars into the protection of your sensitive information. Also, you are protected 100% against fraudulent activity on your accounts at many different banks and credit card companies

3. Hacks and Trojans just aren’t there yet 

Simple enough. The technology is new so that devious hackers and computer criminals have not yet created malware or viruses to gain access via your mobile device. In an article from cnet News,  “...the consensus is that it's probably less risky than using checks, which can be forged, and credit cards, which can be stolen or skimmed at ATM machines for clones to be made.”

Of course what it all comes down to is being safe on the internet; which nearly all of us are aware of how to keep information private.  How safe is mobile banking? It’s safe. So now the decision is up to you. Mobile banking or standard banking? We’d love to hear your thoughts below in our comments!

By the way: Does your business have a mobile website? Onsharp can help! Email us or leave a comment

At Onsharp, we are continuously working to provide our clients with the most innovative solutions for their business while offering them an unparalleled customer experience.   That’s why our talented team of developers recently made enhancements to SmartPay to make it an even better overall experience for all involved.
As we let you know in a blog a few weeks ago, SmartPay is now PCI Compliant.  On top of that important update, SmartPay is now even more feature-rich than before.  These new and improved features include:

• Expanded help documentation for all types of users answers questions immediately
• Easier navigation on payments report makes daily and weekly reporting faster
• Load a custom invoice format as a default invoice template for enhanced customization
• More search and reporting options give merchants the information they need to help their customers
• Import line items for further customized invoices
• Easy reference of refunds provides a meaningful payment history
• Printer-friendly receipts make record-keeping and customer service easier
• Entering manual payments is quicker with the new bulk entry option
• And more!

To learn more about SmartPay’s new and improved features, check out the rest of our website.  If you still haven’t learned as much as you’d like about SmartPay, take a short and sweet virtual tour here.

Questions about these new features or what exactly they mean? Contact us right now, or leave us a comment to let us know what you think about the improved system.

The number of households using electronic billing and payment is quickly growing.  In fact, “According to the financial information management company FISERV, the number of American households paying bills online has doubled …up from 15.3 million in 2004 to more than 36 million last year.” Source. With the number of people using electronic billing and payment increasing year to year, it isn’t a surprise that security becomes a forefront concern.

Even though electronic billing and payment is now very secure (SmartPay is PCI compliant; if you missed our blog on that, check it out here). It is still important to take extra precautions when securing your personal information online.  Here are 5 simple steps to ensure extra security.

1. If you print off statements for your records, shred them.  Even users of electronic billing and payment may print something off every now and then—and sometimes it is hard to remember to shred the information if you aren’t used to paper bills anymore.  But it is important to make an effort to do this, as theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates about 9 million Americans are affected by identity theft every year .   Learn more about identity theft here. 

2. Never respond to e-mails requesting important personal information.  Phishing and hackers are major, valid concerns in today’s Internet-driven society, and any legitimate company with which you do business will never request important personal information via e-mail.  If you receive a suspicious e-mail, be sure to contact a representative of your bank or of the business for which the hacker may be pretending to pose.

3. Check your online accounts regularly.  It is important to keep an eye on your bank account, as well as any online shopping accounts or other online accounts.  Staying on top of your purchases and information will help you notice right away if there seems to be any tampering with or fraudulent purchases toward your accounts.

4. Keep your computer secure.  Make sure your computer and information is kept secure, and try to do all of your online financial business and bill paying at your home.  Don’t take your laptop to a public place (i.e.; a restaurant, the local coffee shop) to do your bill paying, as there is more risk if you are connecting to a network you don’t know is secure or if you are around a lot of people.

5. Make your passwords strong.  Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts, and don’t write your passwords down.  Make them long in length and very unique; using special characters and a combination of upper and lower case letters helps.  Change your passwords regularly.  Every 3-4 weeks is an ideal span of time, and be sure it isn’t a password that someone would easily be able to guess.

Following these and other simple guidelines will help you keep your information more secure, and will make the use of online accounts and online bill paying much more enjoyable!