Article

ATM enclosure access: Three problems, one solution

FIs, CIT providers and IADs all face issues of key management, custodian authorization and security integration. One company says it has a solution for all.

October 27, 2014 by Suzanne Cluckey — Owner, Suzanne Cluckey Communications

For financial institutions, the challenges that come with high-security ATM enclosures include a profusion keys, the potential for vandalism both inside and outside of the enclosure, and the lack of integration and simple linking with building management systems; forCITs, they include the need for frequent access and the flexibility to serve different locations and observe different processes and procedures; forIADs, there is the imperative to manage various aspects of the system remotely for a variety of locations and circumstances.

Reslam Chief Technology Officer Ken Metcalf explained that, after solving the problems of ATM enclosure access for a large South African financial institution, the company realized that its new security system could be useful on a much larger scale — not only to other banks, but also to cash-in-transit companies and independent ATM distributors and deployers.

The Reslam system is built on three components:

a mobile app. The ATM custodian approaches the enclosure, enters a personal PIN code and the lock code into the app; these pieces of information and the device's GPS coordinates are sent to a secure server;
a secure server application. The server app asks for the lock's GPS coordinates, verifies that the custodian is in the immediate proximity and checks other submitted information; and
an internally installed Reslam lock system. Once codes and GPS coordinates have been verified, access to the enclosure is granted, and a record of the interaction is stored on the server.

According to Metcalf, the system eliminates the need to maintain and manage external equipment or keys, as well as the expense of electronic tags, cards and biometric readers. And it adds the ability to communicate with external devices, such as surveillance equipment, essentially making Reslam a secondary alarm channel.

In the following video from last month's ATM & Mobile Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., Metcalf explained how the Reslam high-security enclosure access system can serve ATM deployers — from the smallest IAD to the largest financial institution.

cover photo courtesy public domain photos | flickr

About Suzanne Cluckey

Suzanne’s editorial career has spanned three decades and encompassed all B2B and B2C communications formats. Her award-winning work has appeared in trade and consumer media in the United States and internationally.