Nigerians may experience glitches at automated teller machines (ATMs) as most banks in the country are yet to migrate to Windows 8 Operating System (OS) after Microsoft Corporation retired Windows XP on April 8.
The Windows 8 is a personal computer OS developed by Microsoft as part of Windows new technology family of OS.
The application has introduced major changes to the operating system’s platform and user interface to improve its user experience on tablets.
This became exigent as Windows was now competing with mobile operating systems, including Android and iOS.
The Nation newspaper quoted Chuks Iku, chairman, Committee of e-Banking Industry Heads (CeBIH), as saying that Microsoft Nigeria had directed banks to migrate to the improved platform, which, he said would allow for enhanced banking benefits and security.
Iku who spoke at a briefing yesterday in Lagos , said Microsoft is the owner of the licence and banks are taking steps to ensure they comply.
“CeBIH has engaged Microsoft Nigeria to fashion out means of creating a uniform approach to compliance with the need for migration of ATM operating system from Windows XP to Windows Embedded 8.1 which is the new operating system designed to run on ATMs. This step ensured security of ATM transactions and helped to prevent attacks on ATM terminals,” he said.
Iku who is also the head of E-Business at Skye Bank, said the group is also looking at what happens next if the banks fail to comply, including extension of the deadline.
The Nation newspaper reported that CeBIH comprises all heads of e-business/ e-banking/ e – channels/ card services of all banks in Nigeria, aimed at promoting electronic banking services in line with global best practices.
Iku said the group is working on getting more banks to migrate their Windows XP to the new version adding that different banks have their different ways of approaching the challenge.
The banker said despite failure to comply by some lenders, ATMs remain secured and safe for transactions. He however said non-compliant ATMs might not be able to carry out improved service delivery.
“By upgrading, we are taken to a higher version, but that does not mean that the version that you have will not run. The ATMs are still working, and are not going to go down. “But the migration will only enhance the features of the ATMs. There is really no cause for alarm, the important thing is that we should do it quickly to ensure that our ATMs are in top performing levels,” he advised.
Benedict Anyalenkeya, group head, E-Business, Unity Bank, explained that not all ATMs were affected. He said some of the ATMs came with Windows 8 by default, adding that the entire industry is not having backlog of ATMs migration.
Anyalenkeya said the ATMs that were installed in the last one or two years would have been upgraded except for the old ones. He said the compliance level depends on each lender and assured that there is no cause for alarm.
He said the CeBIH has agreed with the banks to consult with Microsoft on a much cheaper way of doing it. “Each individual bank still has the responsibility of upgrading its own software. I cannot give you a timeline on compliance but it will be completed within a very short time,” he said.
Ernest Obi, head, E-Business & Channels, Keystone Bank, said banks are simply trying to buy time. He said Microsoft is also aware that it lacks the capacity to get all banks migrated to the Windows 8 adding that the CeBIH is helping lenders to buy time and solve the migration challenge.
But Kabelo Makwane, general manager Microsoft Nigeria, told The Nation that the company has the capacity to migrate all the banks that are willing and ready for the project. He said Microsoft has over 2,500 partners involved in the migration process, one of which is Zinox Technologies.
He however said several banks have identified non-migration to the new technology as a priority for them and are taking steps to address the challenge.
He said that non-migration to the Windows 8 can open the banks up for potential security vulnerability and threats.
Makwane said: “We have the capacity to migrate all the banks to the Windows 8. We have no capacity challenge at all and have been advising the banks on the need to migrate to the new technology,” he said.
He explained that Microsoft will keep supporting the banks to achieve compliance.