The system, ECP-PowerClear, was built on NCS' middleware application platform, the Exchange Connect Platform (ECP). ECP-PowerClear acts as an interface between a bank's back-office applications and its front-end or any other system within the organisation. The system, which is developed using Java 2 Enterprise Edition Web technology, can also be easily integrated with other commercial banks' backend systems, thus meeting the requirement for an in-country foreign currency payment clearing service, said Mr Timothy Choon, Director, Financial Services and Insurance, NCS China.

Laishang Bank is a leading commercial bank in the Shandong province of China.

Besides the ECP-PowerClear system, NCS has also developed a whole suite of financial solutions riding on the Exchange Connect Platform. These include the ECP-PowerMessage system and ECP-PowerX system that interface with the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) systems. The solutions, which enable banks to operate more efficiently and securely, have been implemented in several banks in the eastern part of China.

"NCS has been pursuing the regional financial services and insurance sector aggressively," said Mr Lim Eng, Chief Executive Officer, NCS Group. It is ranked by Gartner as the number two IT service provider for Singapore's financial services industry and is one of the top 10 IT service providers in China's bank payment and settlement market, according to IDC's latest findings. "NCS will continue to build and develop further competencies to value-add to customers' business and contribute to the financial industry in China and in the regions," he said.

NCS will be showcasing the ECP service platform, as well as its award-winning Mobile Branch Automation (MBA) system at the international financial exhibition, SIBOS, in Vienna from 15-19 September 2008. Earlier this year, the MBA system won the Asian Banker IT Implementation Award at The Asian Banker Summit 2008.

Ohanae (www.ohanae.com), a home-grown infocomm security company with offices in Singapore and California, has teamed up with iCell Network (www.icellnetwork.com) to offer a six-month trial of its Securworkplace security solution. Wireless@SG users who have signed up with iCell Network will receive a free six-month licence of the security solution that they can run off their USB flash drives and Apple iPods.

Earlier this year, the product was successfully launched at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, where over 1,000 trial coupon codes were snapped up within the two and a half days of the show.

Using patent-pending technology, Securworkplace creates unique strong passwords for each online site and provides anti-phishing and anti-key logging capabilities. Data sanitisation - the removal of all traces of an online transaction such as the data, history files and cookies - is also carried out at the end of each session using a military-grade algorithm.

To enhance data protection, the software creates a hidden directory
on the USB flash drive, and all data that is saved on it is fully-encrypted.
The directory and data can only be accessed when the user
activates Securworkplace.

Wireless@SG users who have signed up with iCell Network will receive a free six-month licence for Securworkplace.

The solution is deployed using ubiquitous USB storage devices, allowing it to be used on any PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista. However, the passwords themselves are not stored on the USB storage, so they remain secure even if the user loses the device.

Securworkplace, which has a suggested retail price of S$69.99, also allows users to access multiple sites using just one set of keystrokes, making this an elegant and convenient personal single sign-on solution. "Its portability and support for multiple sites make it a viable alternative to token-based authentication systems such as those used by banks for two-factor authentication," said Ohanae's President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gregory Hauw.

Another significant feature of Securworkplace is online revocation, which means that if the USB flash drive is misplaced, all the user has to do is to revoke the service so no one else can use it. Securworkplace can then be re-installed and run on a new flash drive.

The Securworkplace software can be downloaded from iCell Network's Wireless@SG login page (www.icellwireless.net/securworkplace.php) and installed on USB flash drives, iPods, and selected mobile phones.

Stratech Systems (www.stratechsystems.com) has announced the formation of a wholly-owned subsidiary focused on tapping new markets in airfield/runway surveillance solutions. The new subsidiary, Stratech Aerospace, will offer solutions based on the company's award-winning iFerret airfield/runway surveillance and foreign object and debris (FOD) detection system, to the potentially huge market of over 3,800 International Air Transport Association-listed airports.

The incorporation of Stratech Aerospace dovetails with the "powered by Stratech" strategy announced by Stratech in March to commercialise its intellectual properties - such as iFerret - through licensing, alliances and strategic joint ventures. In line with this, Stratech Systems has appointed SITA, the world's leading air transport communications and IT solutions provider, as its global value-added reseller for the iFerret system.

A new subsidiary, Stratech Aerospace, will focus on tapping new markets in airfield/runway surveillance solutions.

iFerret has been deployed at Singapore's Changi Airport since July 2008. Under the latest agreement, SITA will market, sell and deploy the system at the commercial airports operated by its members or customers. Four airport runways are targeted for the first year, with another 12 targeted for the subsequent year.

SITA provides communications services across a global network spanning over 220 countries and territories and supporting more than 1,800 customers. "The collaboration between Stratech and SITA is a win-win arrangement for both parties to penetrate the untapped market for foreign object detection. SITA provides the domain expertise and global access to the air transport industry, while Stratech offers their proven creativity and innovation in iFerret," said Mr Lim Soon Hock, an Independent Director of Stratech who brought the two companies together.

Incidents arising from FOD on runways cost the aerospace industry an estimated US$4 billion in aircraft repairs and maintenance annually. Mr Bruno Frentzel, Senior Vice President, Application Services, of SITA, noted that foreign objects and debris on runways are not only a major safety issue but also cause flight delays.

Stratech's system will help minimise flight disruption, improve safety and aircraft landing slot yield at airports, he said. "By reducing damage to the aircraft blades which impacts engine efficiency, the iFerret system will also help airlines to reduce their fuel bills and carbon footprint."

iFerret is the world's first intelligent Vision-based system that detects, analyses and identifies FOD in real-time. It is scalable to airport runways and taxiways of any length, and can be deployed on airport aprons, hangars, and even aircraft carriers. In 2006, the system was awarded the Research and Development prize at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards in Macau.