Microsoft
Corporation has decided that it will stop support for its 12-year old operating
system (OS), Windows XP on the 8th of April, 2014 and automated teller machines
(ATMs) are set to be the most affected.
According to
Robert Johnston, a marketing director at the largest ATM supplier in the US,
NCR, 95% of the world’s ATMs are still powered by the old Windows XP.
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| Image: Yahoo |
It is
expected that most banks will now upgrade its operating system to Windows 7 as
soon as possible to avoid risks that customers will be exposed to when
Microsoft end support for Windows XP.
However,
there are skepticisms that most banks and financial institutions will be unable
to meet the deadline. Chief executive officer of ATM software provider, KAL,
revealed to Bloomberg Businessweek that he expects only 15% of bank ATMs in the
US to have upgraded by April.
“The ATM
world is not ready, and that’s not unusual,” he said. “ATMs move more slowly
than PCs.”
ATMs running
on Windows XP will still continue to function after the end of support from
Microsoft but users will now be more exposed to more security risks. Some banks
will also seek to extend support for the OS from Microsoft but at a greater
cost than the current.
It is
expected that more features will come to consumers with an upgrade to Windows 7
or any other operating systems. Users will be able to customize their interface
and more touch features will also be incorporated.
“Windows 7
allows a true, modern touch ability,” NCR’s Johnston revealed to Bloomberg
Businessweek. “You can swipe, pinch, drag things around. That starts to meet
customers’ expectations of what self-service should be as they move into the
21st century.”
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