Diebold Virtualizes ATMs To Secure Banking Data

Automatic teller machine maker Diebold has taken a novel approach to protecting bank customer data: virtualization. Virtualized ATMs store all customer data on central servers, rather than the ATM itself, making it difficult for criminals to steal data from the machines.

In places including Brazil, customer data has been at risk when thieves pulled or dynamited ATMs out of their settings and drove off with them. With threats increasing worldwide at many retail points of sale, such as supermarket checkout counters and service station gas pumps, Diebold needed to guarantee the security of customer data entered at the 50,000 ATMs that it manages.

"From the entrance to Death Valley in California to a Mount Everest base camp, we must maintain them all," said Mark Kropf, head of Deibold's emerging technologies group, in an interview.