NCR Platform Takes ATM Ecosystem To The Cloud

It’s time to cut the cord on ATMs and move them to the cloud.

That’s the thinking behind NCR Corporation’s announcement yesterday (April 15) that it has launched Kalpana software, a platform designed by the technology company to make ATM operations cloud-based.

Kalpana, NCR explained in its press release, operates ATMs remotely (currently on an Android operating system) and offers more heightened security against malware than is currently available on traditional, physically connected machines. Additionally, NCR touts Kalpana as facilitating speedier deployment of ATM services and reducing operating costs by up to 40 percent.

“NCR’s Kalpana software is the most disruptive change to the ATM ecosystem in decades. Business and consumer applications are increasingly turning to enterprise or cloud-based solutions that reshape security and enable fast, nimble and dynamic customer experiences,” said Andy Heyman, president of NCR Financial Services in the press release. “Kalpana software is ideal for financial institutions and independent ATM deployers looking to improve security, quickly advance service delivery through technology, and reshape their cost to serve.”

Currently, Kalpana can conduct transactions for both traditional ATMs that use Microsoft Windows operating systems as well as thin-client ATMs (those that operate without a hard drive). For use in the latter scenario, NCR has created its own thin-client machine — the NCR Cx110 — that was launched simultaneously with the Kalpana software.

The NCR Cx110 stands as an example of the next generation of ATMs — sleeker, thinner, and with a touchscreen instead of a pinpad, as well as including integrated biometrics and cameras.

With the release of Kalpana software and the NCR Cx110, NCR states outright that it is looking to bring to ATMs the type of innovations currently seen in the realm of mobile devices.