Windows 7 ATM upgrade will end up costing banks a fortune

Microsoft started the year 2020 by ceasing support to one of their most-used OS: Windows 7.

This change has plenty of ramifications, since now day-to-day users, companies and a variety of machinery are now forced to upgrade to Windows 10.

For example, ATM owners have been warned they should upgrade their machines to Windows 10, or they will risk the security of all of their cards and banking transactions. Criminal activity is not on a down-low.

Hackers are constantly updating their tactics, and choosing to keep ATMs with an outdated OS, such as Windows 7 (or even Windows XP) will turn them into sitting ducks.

The costs of maintaining an ATM on Windows 7

Of course, there is always the option of getting the much more expensive Windows 7 Extended Support if they want to continue being safe.

Unfortunately, migrating is easier said than done since the migration process is not that simple. Not only does it take time to complete, but it is also a very costly endeavor.

However, if ATM owners are to choose between two expenses, they should at least go with the lesser one. Direct sources state that:

[…] although Microsoft has announced that extended support will be available for Windows 7, the cost is rumored to be at least $800 per ATM, per year.

Unfortunately, upgrading to Windows 10 won’t be cheap either. Besides the license costs, manufacturers will also have to do hardware upgrades to their machinery.

As far as upgrades are concerned, banks and credit unions have only 3 options:

• Replace the ATM’s cores
• Replace the entire ATM fleet
• Outsource the ATM fleet

Which method do you think banks and credit unions should take? Leave your opinions down in the comment section below.