Monday, September 23, 2013

Winding-up of Windows XP: Nigeria ATMs @risk

ITRealms:

Preamble:
FOLLOWING the recent announcement by Microsoft Incorporated to wind-up its Windows XP Operating System (OS), over 11,000 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) currently deployed in the country could be at risk.

This follows the findings by DigitalSENSE Business News that a good percentage of these ATMs are currently running their OS on Windows XP, which Microsoft has set the life-span expiration in the next 8 months.

As at the end of July 2013, the number of ATMs deployed across the country on record as reported was at 11,000, while the ATM cards stood at over 20 million.

Microsoft Corporation on August 22, this year, announced the end of support for its Windows XP until Tuesday, April 08, 2014. This notice, DigitalSENSE Business News was told became necessary to enlighten the Information Technology (IT) consumers in this part of the world, especially corporate organisations and businesses on the dangers inherent in the continued use of Windows XP after April 08, 2014.

Exposed! Most ATM machines in Nigeria run on Windows XP:
An Information Technology (IT) close to Microsoft, who pleaded for anonymity confided in DigitalSENSE Business News that though he would not like to cause a stir in the industry, but it’s important that Nigerians should know that “a huge number of ATMs in Nigeria run on Windows XP.”

By the due date, some of these risks, DigitalSENSE Business News gathered will include the loss of new security updates, non-security fixes or online technical support. Just as with its debut over 11 years on October 25, 2001, Windows XP was ruling the world of operating systems until 2005 when Microsoft began effort to scale up the known Windows XP’s stability, usability, and fast before the introduction of Windows Vista, which held the scene between 2006 and 2008 and has been available in 25 languages.

The Windows XP came in two forms, namely the Home Edition desktop and XP Professionals. Even as Windows XP was released with a redesigned look and feel that’s centered on usability and a unified help and support services center.

Elucidating this fear of ATMs in Nigeria being at risk due to the impending exit of Windows XP, software experts at online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, noted that with the migration to commodity Personal Computer hardware, standard commercial often refer to as ‘off-the-shelf’ operating systems, and programming environments could be used inside of ATMs, just as the typical platforms hitherto used in ATM development include iRMX or OS/2.

iRMX is a real-time operating system designed specifically for use with the Intel 8080 and Intel 8086 family of processors. It is an acronym for Real-time Multitasking eXecutive. Intel developed iRMX in the late 1970s and originally released it in 1980 to support and create demand for their processors and Multibus system platforms.

Majority of global ATM also run Windows XP:
Corroborating our source, Wikipedia experts said that today, the vast majority of ATMs worldwide use a Microsoft Windows OS, primarily Windows XP Professional or Windows XP embedded. A small number of deployments may still be running older versions of Windows OS such as Windows NT, Windows CE, or Windows 2000, which Wincor Nixdorf ATM was reputed for Windows 2000.

Also, there is a computer industry security view that general public desktop operating systems have greater risks as operating systems for cash dispensing machines than other types of operating systems like when it comes to security like real-time operating systems (RTOS).

Take Windows XP deadline seriously:
Speaking on the subject, acting Country Manager for Microsoft West Africa, Mrs. Awawu Olumide-Sojinrin, sounded a note of caution to users of Windows XP and Office 2003 in Nigeria, to take the April 8, 2014 deadline for supporting these products seriously.

She told DigitalSENSE Business News that the announcement was to reiterate the need for those using Windows XP and Office 2003 to commence migration plans to the likes of Windows 7 and 8 or even latest versions of Office, like Office 365 and Office 2013.

“So, we believe that way ahead of time, people should be looking up for what is needed to stay ahead of technology,” Mrs. Olumide-Sojinrin cautioned.

Security, top on agenda:
According to the acting Director, Enterprise and Partner Group at Microsoft, Mr. Ade Famoti, it’s in order to have an improved security that Microsoft caters for improved services for its product consumers.
“That we properly cater for these products and customers are important to us,” he said, adding that a life cycle is usually given for a product to exist for about 10 years.

He stressed that come April 8, 2014 the support services for Windows XP will seize.
“Windows XP will no longer be serviceable,” he declared, adding though, people could still use it but there will be no guarantee of providing security patches.

He pointed out that Microsoft sees the move to terminate support for some of its earlier products, especially with Windows XP as a way of improving productivity, especially now that most products are touch-sensitive, unlike what was obtained in year 2003 or earlier.

“In fact we want organisations to start migrating,” he asserted. Maintaining that by April 8, 2014 the support services for Windows XP will no longer exist and that means that even patches and other help will not be available on these products.

Wincor Nixdorf and 70,000 ATM projections:
This came as Nigeria targets 70,000 ATMs in the next 10 years, according to the global providers of Information and Technology solutions and services, Wincor Nixdorf.

Confirming this, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Wincor Nixdorf, Eckard Heidloff, who was recently in Lagos, told DigitalSENSE Business News, that they are privy to the plan to deploy such huge number of ATMs in the country on or before 2013.

Also, he said, Wincor Nixdorf, a major player in the ATM market in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, opened an office in Lagos for easy access to its customers. Asserting, “Nigeria is one of the most strongly growing economies in the world. Here we’re the market leader in our business, and need to be directly available to our customers in order to support and advise them.”

Heidloff, said the potential in the Nigerian market is enormous, adding “the country’s dynamically growing financial institutions plan new installations of up to 70, 000 ATMs over the next 10 years. Presently, we control half of the installed base ATM market in Nigeria, which is about 50 per cent. Our plan is that with our presence now on ground, we have huge roles to play in providing more solutions that will aid faster deployment and remove various bottlenecks that have hindered the process before now.”

Further, he disclosed that the country’s installed base in 2011 amounted to only about 9,600 systems, “but according to a study completed by the British market research company, Retail Banking Research (RBR), estimates a current total of 11, 000 systems on the basis of statements by CBN. Moreover, many Nigerian banks maintain their own branches in neighboring countries, offering opportunities for further growth.”

Against this backdrop, Heidloff said Wincor Nixdorf is very optimistic about its prospects for business in the Nigerian market, the market, which he described as very important, in addition to Nigeria’s economic growth witnessing an increase in prosperity is the primary reason for the growing demand for ATMs.

57 ATMs per million:
“Currently there are only 57 ATMs per million inhabitants to cover the country’s constantly growing need for basic banking services,” he said, pointing out that in Brazil there are 780 ATMs per million and in Russia 808. But in order to help banks meet the increasing demands of Nigeria’s consumers, Wincor Nixdorf, he said, intends to offer support in enhancing ATMs through new service offers or future-oriented technologies.

Heidloff said that the assistance would include the use of ATMs to top up payment cards or to pay bills among others, stressing that the company also believed that ATMs can contribute by enabling access to banking services to people in Nigeria who have no bank accounts of their own.

As said by him,  “Nearly half the inhabitants of the country, the most heavily populated in Africa, still have no access to financial services, but many do have mobile telephones, which can be used to make cash deposits at ATMs or withdraw cash that has been made available electronically. This is possible through a software application, developed in part by Wincor Nixdorf that enables an online connection between mobile telephones and ATMs; thus making it possible to authorize deposits and withdrawals at ATMs and transfer funds securely.”

Early warning sign:
It is expected that with this early warning sign from experts, that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) alongside the banks and independent ATM consortium will step up actions to avert any unforeseen disconnection between ATMs and card holders, more so at this era of cash-less crusade.

And if this challenge is mitigated without much stress, it is believed that more Nigerians, especially those skeptical about cashless and ATM adoption in particularly will have a change of heart.
 
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