Standard Bank has elected to remain mum on the reason behind problems users have experienced with its new Internet banking site.
The site was launched two-and-a-half weeks ago, and immediately elicited a flurry of complaints from users unable to view the new site properly via their Web browsers. While it was initially assumed only users of what are so-called "alternative" browsers were affected, it has since transpired that users of all browsers have been having problems with the site.
Perhaps more perplexing is that not all users of any particular browser were affected, so some Firefox users, like myself, were impacted while others, like some of my colleagues and at least one respondent to my initial column on the matter, had no problems at all.
The problem behind the problem may well be the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which isn't, as Sun says, "write once, run everywhere". As one wag commented, it's more like "write once, debug everywhere". Thus, depending on the browser and what version of the JVM is running, the plug-ins added and the platform used, clients may or may not have problems with the site.
With these problems firmly in users' minds, Standard Bank then issued a press release, which almost completely avoided the issue, as well as user concerns around the removal of the PIN pad. It quotes Internet banking head Itumaleng Monale as saying: "The new Internet Banking Web site currently supports virtually all of our customers' Internet browsers. Final testing is currently being done on the Web site to ensure it is compatible with less common browser offerings. The required changes will be implemented as soon as this process is complete."
Missed deadline
The bank has refused to answer pointed questions about which Java Virtual Machine it uses.
ITWeb features editor
Virtually all? How many, exactly, is virtually? Standard Bank has refused to say. It has also failed to meet its own deadline of having all problems fixed by Friday, 2 February.
Further, it has refused to answer pointed questions about which JVM it uses and how it aims to ensure there are not future problems of this sort. It has also refused to respond to complaints that its business e-commerce site only works with Internet Explorer (IE), and, according to its help-desk, will only ever work with IE. Such information, the bank informs me, is "competitive".
As to the small matter of some users' concerns around the PIN pad, the release has this to say: "Herman Singh, director: architecture and technology engineering at Standard Bank, says: 'In the past three years, Standard Bank has launched a simple process to ensure the security of customers' transactions. These security enhancements have a proven track record in dealing with the latest security threats. It is for this reason, and in line with leading international security best practice, that we have decided to remove the PIN pad as a logon feature.'"
This is a stunning example of how to expend 61 words saying nothing at all. If this is Standard Bank's attitude to its clients, many of whom have genuine concerns about browser compatibility, and security, now that the PIN pad is gone, I, for one, will seriously look around for a new bank. I'm quite sure I'm not the only one.
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