CDS, Switch Commerce sign with Triton for remote-key transport

According to a news release from Triton, the two processors are the first in the industry to implement the technology, which is touted for being more secure and less labor-intensive than the manual process of loading keys at ATMs.

To manually load master keys on an ATM, two technicians are required to enter the master keys into the ATM's keypad and send those out to the site; alternatively, two people can visit the actual ATM site so that each technician enters one half of the master key. This was a very costly and time consuming task.

Using cryptography to remotely load keys directly from the host to the ATM across a public network, Triton's RKT technology allows ATM owners, especially those with large ATM fleets or those that operate in markets that require that master keys be changed on a regular basis, to save time, improve security and increase ATM uptime.

Triton says it is the first ATM manufacturer to bring RKT to the retail market.

"While RKT will reduce the time and costs associated with key loading, the more important aspects are that RKT will improve the key-management process and further enhance terminal security by enabling keys to be changed remotely on a periodic basis, without having to send techs out to the site," said John Willmon, senior vice president of business development at Columbus Data Services. "We also think that, at some point, the networks will require periodic key changes, which will be costly for the ATM operator if the ATM does not support RKT."