We’ve been talking about the demise of Windows XP for quite a while. The last article I wrote on it was in January and yes, it was about ATMs running Windows XP. Most of the world’s ATMs are still running the operating system (OS). Given the fact that Windows XP’s been on life-support for some time, it’s unbelievable that so many banks still haven’t updated their ATMs – it’s totally unnecessary.
Banks still running Windows XP in their ATMs have the benefit of being able to get special support contracts with Microsoft, and while the Redmond company is keeping quiet on the actual costs, they’re going to be much more than a standard contract. With this, the lagging behavior of these banks is even sillier, since instead of paying Microsoft more for a special support contract, that money could have gone towards upgrading these ATMs.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Britain’s biggest banks face costs of about $100 Million in order to upgrade their entire fleet of ATMs. It’s believed that some banks have held off on purpose, in order to add new features to new or revamped ATMs. Even so, you’d have to imagine that this could have all been completed ages ago. Many ATMs run an embedded version of XP called “CE,” and that OS continues to be supported until 2016. However, based on this talk of increased support contract costs, I’m led to believe that many ATMs are not running that special flavor.
(Image Source: iCLIPART)
