Linux May Succeed Windows XP As OS of Choice For ATMs
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End support for XP is prompting them to seek out Windows alternatives
Some financial services companies are looking to migrate their ATM fleets from Windows to Linux in a bid to have better control over hardware and software upgrade cycles.
Pushing them in that direction apparently is Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows XP on April 8, said David Tente, executive director, USA, of the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA).
"There is some heartburn in the industry" over Microsoft's end-of-support decision, Tente said.
ATM operators would like to be able to synchronize their hardware and software upgrade cycles. But that's hard to do with Microsoft dictating the software upgrade timetable. As a result, "some are looking at the possibility of using a non-Microsoft operating system to synch up their hardware and software upgrades," Tente said.
For many ATM owners, moving to Windows 7 will require hardware upgrades that add to the overall cost of the migration. On top of that, ATM owners will also have to spend more on enabling their systems for Europay Mastercard Visa (EMV) smartcard standards, he said.
ATM owners "have had to deal with PCI compliance. They had to go through [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliance and now they are looking at both EMV and a Windows upgrade," he said.
Gray Taylor, executive director of the Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS), said that almost 30% of installed point of sale systems at convenience stores and petroleum retailers already are Linux-based.
