Our series with Paul Boucherle, principal at Matterhorn Consulting LLC., aka the Swiss Sherpa, continues here with part 4! Paul will be providing lessons to help system integrators climb their sales mountains. If you missed Lesson #3: Choosing your climbing strategy, you can read it here.

Follow Paul on Twitter.

Lesson #4: Check the weather conditions

We all know that timing in both business and weather can be critical to your success. When you travel for business, this knowledge becomes even more critical. If you are off by a day or two, the results can be disastrous! The right idea, solution or strategy simply will not work if the weather conditions change. Been there? Thought so.

Do you remember when being a bank teller was the first step in a career path in banking that could lead to being a bank officer or even a bank president? That pretty much went away a few years ago, but now it looks even less likely. Technology is making it possible to replace the tellers in your local branch with “tellers” connected to a supercharged ATM by video feed from a call center.

NCR recently announced that it acquired video banking software pioneer uGenius Technology. In 2011, NCR and uGenius built the APTRA Interactive Teller--the first ATM that puts a live remote teller on the ATM video screen for enhanced ATM transactions. The complete acquisition of uGenius will help NCR expand its APTRA Interactive Teller technology.

Your favorite breakfast pastry apparently serves as more than just a morning snack.

A Bulgarian national traveling to Germany on a bus this week was detained when Bulgarian customs officials found disassembled skimmer components in his suitcase. Two skimmer mouths were concealed in croissants, while other parts were stowed in a medicine container and plastic boxes.

It’s hilarious, I know. But humor aside, more financial institutions than ever are losing money to ATM fraud. ATM skimming is one of the banking industry’s fastest-growing crimes.

Criminals use covert tools to steal consumers’ credit card information and record PIN numbers for counterfeit purposes. Thieves are getting smarter by adopting more sophisticated tactics such as Bluetooth-enabled wireless skimmers. To protect customers, banks must stay at the forefront of fraud technology to combat ATM skimming.

Our series with Paul Boucherle, principal at Matterhorn Consulting LLC., aka the Swiss Sherpa, continues here with part 3! Paul will be providing lessons to help system integrators climb their sales mountains. If you missed Lesson #2: Establish your base camp, you can read it here.

Follow Paul on Twitter.

Lesson #3: Choosing your climbing strategy

Okay, last month you arrived at Base Camp I and are firmly committed to climbing to the top of your personal and/or company’s sales mountain. You have conditioned yourself to climb to the summit and are becoming acclimated to your Base Camp I altitude. You have survived your initial climb through the "gatekeepers" of the mountain. You have your climbing credentials and visas approved. Time to revisit your climbing/selling strategy.

Twenty-five years of showcasing the forefront of security technology is quite an accomplishment. Midwest Security Conference (MSC) attendees can expect to see and learn more than they ever thought possible at this year’s show. Wouldn’t it be interesting to compare the technologies shown at that the very first conference to those being shown this year? In 1988, topics such as hacking the airways and fiber-optic sensors for perimeter security might have been discussed. Compare to today, discussions are more likely to include the latest in forensic search or using facial recognition technology to stop crime.

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) National Convention & Techworld is upon us and 3VR is excited to be attending this year (booth #607--stop by and say hi!). We are looking forward to meeting community bank stakeholders from all over the country and joining the discussions on the top issues facing the industry today. Here are a few reasons you should attend this event:

Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Justice League may have inspired awe when we were kids, but as adults we need heroes who are more accessible and relatable. In a time where "darkness threatens to consume" and "money rules the day," Utah’s Credit Unions Association (UCUA) wants to take the time to recognize the unsung superheroes who live among us: credit union workers.

When I started in law enforcement at the Portland Police Bureau in 1978, the bureau was proud of two great advancements, a single computer station in each precinct that printed results on paper (no video screen, just a printer!). What’s even more amazing, Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) – computerized devices used to communicate with central dispatch offices – became available in a few police cars.

According to Secret Service agent Scott Sarafian, "technology is increasing, and it’s becoming somewhat easier to steal money electronically versus by a gun."

From mobile phones to personal computers to medical treatments, new and continually improving technologies are embedded into our lives. Unfortunately, sophisticated technology can also breed crime. ATM skimming, in particular, is becoming more prevalent with sophisticated devices, ranging from hidden cameras to disguised card readers, emerging every day. Jenny Durkan, U.S Attorney for the Western District of Washington and a strong advocate for cyberfraud prevention, says cybercrime is "costing our country billions of dollars."

Check out 3VR’s latest infographic, "What do ATM Skimming Devices look like?" to learn about the different methods used by ATM skimmers today. By becoming familiar with skimming devices, frontline bank employees can fight skimming, foil the ATM thieves’ attempts, and most importantly, protect their customers.