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Welcome to ATMsville

Mike Lee, international director of the ATM Industry Association, likens the ATM industry to a global village. He says the industry must work together to protect its village from ruthless intruders -- the criminals who are funding their illegal activities through card fraud.

June 2, 2003

It took me two years and six months to realize what I am trying to do in my current job. This may seem like an extreme example of slow thinking, but, in my defense, when this realization finally came, it arrived in a blinding flash of insight.

In my mind, I saw a village populated by people living in harmony with the machines that make their lives more convenient. It was clean, well-run and maintained with civic pride. The villagers, who seemed to be prosperous, believed in contributing to the good of the whole village.

With this picture, I realized that the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), the ATM industry's only international trade association, is attempting to create nothing less than a global ATM village.

ATM International Director Mike Lee

This picture of a global ATM village came to me during our "ATMs in the Americas" trade show in Miami last month. An attendee told me that coming back for our annual show in Florida this year had been like a family reunion for him. This was music to my ears. In fact, his words helped me crystallize the vision I had been searching for since joining ATMIA in 2000. 

A village is a place where most villagers know one another and enjoy a strong sense of community. Ideally, each villager feels at home in his village, proud to contribute to the community's well-being and growth. Everyone in it benefits from a better quality of life, not to mention rising property prices, as a result. Together, the villagers protect, maintain and continuously improve their community.

We all earn our livelihoods in the ATM industry. It is our global village. Do we maintain it with the requisite degree of pride, seeking to continuously improve its infrastructure and way of life?

At the ATMIA, it is our job to facilitate the creation of an ATM community we can all belong to, contribute to, and benefit from. My dream is that our village will be a superbly run community of smart neighbors.

After all, we are custodians of one of the 20th century's most influential technological inventions, the ATM. And we are custodians of a reputation, built up over three decades, for trusted service.

Yet our young village, let's call it ATMsville, is currently under attack from some ruthless crooks. Undesirable characters have moved into the neighborhood. It is time to make our neighborhood safe again. Together, let us protect our village.

Such initiatives as the EFTA's Integrity Task Force in the U.S., as well as ATMIA's Operation Sword and Shield, Standards Committees and Global ATM Security Alliance (GASA), are designed to do just that.

Imagine for a moment that we are going on a tour of ATMsville as we assess its strengths and vulnerabilities. Our tour guide is the new mayor of ATMsville, Tom Harper, recently elected president of ATMIA by its executive board.

Outside the village as we drive up to it, stands a sign at the side of the road, which states proudly:

"As you can see," the Mayor enthuses, driving into the village,  "ATMsville is a busy, productive place. We try to give the village a futuristic feel, make it part of the Information Age we live in, keeping our hard-working villagers informed about how the whole global village is doing. That way they stay motivated because they can always see how their work fits into the big picture."

"And it is a bigpicture," he continues. "We have this smart and attractive environment for us all to work in. Above and beyond that is our online community, which is just as important, where we communicate by e-mail and disseminate information on our Web sites, such as www.atmia.com's Global Home Page. When all is said and done, a global village is a virtual village. "

"I see," I reply, focusing for the moment on the bricks and mortar village around me.

I cannot immediately get my head around Harper's idea of a virtual ATM community somehow being as important as the people I can see walking around the streets and driving down the roads of ATMsville.

"I understand your difficulty in grasping the concept of a virtual global village," Harper says, reading my mind with uncanny accuracy. "So let's just start by enjoying what we see around us."

And we're off

I can see immediately that this Mayor of ATMsville has both feet on the ground while his head manages at the same time to touch the clouds. It is going to be a whirlwind tour.

"I can take you to any quarter of this village and show you new inventions being developed, "he claims. "In the South African community, for example, I have seen quite a few new security devices being patented, including card readers for bank ATMs that make it virtually impossible to get anything other than a card into the slot, blocking out Lebanese loops. There are also emergency ATM telephones for bank lobbies and new technology to provide remote access control to ATMs for the purpose of cash replenishment.

In the U.S. quarter, I was delighted to see a brilliant concept, called Shop2000, a hybrid between an ATM, vending machine and corner shop, featured in Time magazine's Nov. 18 issue as a cutting-edge innovation. And how about those Vcoms at 7-Eleven stores -- cool bananas!"

I am trying hard to look and listen at the same time. This is some tour!

"With so many nations living side by side in your village, how does everyone communicate? What language do you speak?" I ask. Universal language

"Good question! That reminds me of a project we have on the go," Harper says. "Most of our communities have the same values deep down, but we do not always speak the same language. For example, some of us talk of non-bank branch ATMs as convenience ATMs. But aren't all ATMs convenient?"

"Yes, well, that is why they were invented in the first place in the late '60s."

"Still others call them stand-alone ATMs. That sounds a bit user unfriendly, not exactly inviting customers to queue up and use the device. But the funniest term for them is off-premise ATMs. As though they are placed without any premises in sight. ATMsville needs a glossary of ATM terms to clear up this kind of linguistic confusion," he says.

"Some may say that is becoming pedantic�"

"Having precisely defined industry terms can become very important," Harper replies, "In the case of ATM fraud and different sub-categories of fraud, you have to be correct so that law enforcement agencies know exactly what they are investigating and we in the industry know what we are up against."

"You mentioned keeping the villagers informed, "I inquire. "Does the village have any daily or weekly newspapers?"

"I happen to manage one of them: ATMmarketplace.com. There are others, like Touchpoints and the ATMIA Post, so our village is not short of news. However, not all of the news is good all of the time. We have some bad news to deal with at the moment."

Harper looks at me with a hint of sadness, which, I might add, does not dent his enthusiasm and optimism in the least.

"Really? Everything looks pretty peaceful to me," I suggest.

The bad guys

"On the surface, yes, but we have some bad guys who have moved into town, real card sharpers. After all, ATMsville dispenses about three quarters of all bank notes in the world. No wonder that some tricksters are trying to muscle in on our territory. I have heard there are literally thousands of organized crime syndicates around the world. Some of them are compromising plastic cards to generate revenue for their evil trade in drugs, arms and the like. It's Evil Empire stuff."

The new Mayor's soft spoken demeanor is deceptive: he means business. I get the feeling the bad guys in this town will face a day of reckoning pretty soon.

Harper does not leave me with much time to meditate on his words. He launches straight into a description of his plans for ridding ATMsville of this new menace of organized crime. If the Mayor's determination epitomizes the spirit of the village as a whole, then all I can say is that the crooks trying to infiltrate this village better watch out.

"The other day, I called in Sheriff Alan Townsend from the aptly named Flying Squad at New Scotland Yard (when criminals see them coming, believe me, they fly) and Special Agent Gregg James from the FBI, to investigate. Help is coming in thick and fast from all around the global village. Europol is keen to help, and so is the Fraud Squad from Australia.   ATMsville is going to become High Noon pretty shortly, I can tell you. I've got some Wanted posters out. The ones we don't catch in town, we'll put their faces up on the Internet. There'll be no hiding place. By the way, have you seen that Gary Cooper movie, 'High Noon'?"

"Oh, yes, a classic, definitely, a classic," I said. "Everybody has seen it. Actually, you're starting to remind me of Gary Cooper. What's next on this tour?"

The good guys

"We've spoken about the bad guys in town. Now I want to show you the good guys."

We drive to a sports field in the center of the village. A squad of players is training on the field. There are no goalposts, nor any recognizable markings on the field. They are working out under the guidance of a fit-looking, hyperactive coach. It is then that I notice something very peculiar.

"Hey! You've got men and women training together. What kind of sport is this?"

"This squad is my pride and joy. Twenty men and women who have the right attitude to win," Harper says.

"To win what, Mr. Mayor?"

"Just to win. The Game of Life. The Game of Competition. They will win whatever game they play, whatever they set their minds on. They are the ATMsville Taskforce Squad."

"Whatever do they do, apart from practicing vigorously together like this?"

"They solve problems in the village. They generate new ideas for improving the village. They add value to the industry. In short, they make a difference. And they work smartly so they occasionally have time off for recreation. That keeps their thinking fresh. They are the ultimate smart neighbors!"

"I see," I say, even though I am still unsure what sport this squad plays, or even if it plays a sport at all.

All this talk of virtual communities and competing in the Game of Life has got my head buzzing with confusion. ATMsville is starting to become a conundrum. Yet a growing respect and affection for this village is taking hold of me, the more I see of it.

"Well, then, how did you select them, and, more importantly, who are they?" I ask.

"I have to be flexible to allow in new achievers and people making a difference to the village, so the squad is open all the time. Nothing is cast in concrete around these parts," Harper says. "It's a virtual community, remember! Next time you come, the squad may look quite different. But to answer your question: I selected them on the basis of the three As: Attitude, Attitude and Attitude!"

"But surely running a village like this requires more than simply attitude," I object.

"Indeed, I am oversimplifying. But let us not forget what Thomas Edison said."

"Thomas Edison said lots of things. Which particular saying of his did you have in mind?

"He once said, 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.' That's the attitude I admire. We are looking for tough, multi-talented, knowledgeable team players with the drive to compete to win the prizes."

"Excuse my ignorance, but which prizes?"

Awarding excellence

"The village prizes, of course. You have obviously not read our village newspapers. They are full of the Global ATM Industry Awards for 2003. Here, I have a copy of the announcement in my jacket pocket."

He hands me a promotional flier from ATMIA, which provides details on the Global ATMIA Industry Awards 2003. The aim of the awards is to reward and recognize excellence. There are ATM Security Awards and General Industry Awards.

The ATM Security awards are given in three categories -- ATM Security Best Practice, ATM Security Best Technology and Best Contribution to Promoting the Interests and Growth of the Industry in ATM Security. They will be presented at "ATM Sec 3" Oct. 13-14 in London.

General Industry award categories are: Best Practice ATM Deployment, in ISO and financial institution categories; Best ATM Technology, in through-the-wall and standalone categories; and Best Contribution to Promoting the Interests and Growth of the ATM Industry (general), in individual and organizational categories. They will be presented at ATMIA's Conference West, "ATM Futures and Industry Summit & Awards," Oct. 27-30 in Indian Wells, Calif.

After giving me a few seconds to read the pamphlet, Harper shares with me the 20 members of his first ATMsville Taskforce Squad. He explains that he had to exclude ATMIA staff and ATMIA Executive Board members as it would be unfair for ATMIA staff and board members to compete for awards organized by ATMIA itself.

"They would have all been in my squad, I can tell you, each and every one of them, from the chairman, Lyle Elias, through all the board members and staff to the director of operations, Lana Harmelink -- all servants of the industry, in my biased opinion. But rules are rules."

As the tour progresses, I observe that the village has been planned to accommodate different ethnic and national communities. The sports field is in the center of the village, accessible to each ethnic quarter.

"We have American, British, European, African, Australian, Asian and Latin American communities in our global village," Harper says. "Naturally, my squad is multi-cultural. The common denominator is that the players are all winners, adding value to the industry they serve. In a village where everyone knows what is happening, any good news travels fast. When people lead by example, they quickly become local heroes."

"And heroines!"  I add, delighted to correct the mayor for once.

"Quite right, heroes and heroines. Well, here are the names of my first ATMsville Taskforce Squad."

Harper hands me another piece of paper. I unfold it and read 20 names. Next to each name I notice a brief description of their personal style of play.

I hand back the list to Harper, who pockets it proudly.

"They all seem to be Big Picture Players who want to make the world a better place, people who go beyond the call of duty," I comment. "But who is the Captain?"

"They are all captains. Captains of the industry. That's why this Taskforce will win. That's why our village will prevail. "

"What would happen if you got them all in the same room at the same time?"

"Fireworks, verbal fireworks. Such inventive, innovative, but genuine, people need occasionally to let off steam and expend their energies. Hence the strict regime of exercise and practice I have organized for my Taskforce. And hence ATMIA's conferences -- so the issues of the industry can be debated in an independent forum where every ATMsville villager has the opportunity to speak his or her mind and clear the air."

"So ATMsville has its own conferences?"

"Oh, yes, they take place in our town hall. That is when we all come together, stop being virtual for a while and get real, networking with colleagues, peers, friends, fellow villagers. Mr. Lee, I've got one more place to show you. Let's go."

Harper revs up the car and speeds off once again through the streets of ATMsville. He is the Mayor, after all.   He takes me to a large sign at the entrance to Town Hall. Several names are inscribed there, along with brief descriptions of the industry achievements of these individuals and companies. At the top, the words "Roll of Honor" are engraved in gold.

"Here are our previous award winners. Their names and their company names will remain here in perpetuity. I told you we have plenty of local heroes. Our village life is all about good citizenship. That concludes your tour of ATMsville. I hope you have enjoyed it."

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your time. I have enjoyed myself immensely."

"Goodbye, please visit us again!" he calls out, shaking my hand through the open driver's seat window.

I smile and nod. I have one last thing to say before we part.

"Call me at High Noon." To read a Russian version of this column:

http://online.5ci.lt/Article.asp?Lang=R&ArticleID=5340

Included In This Story

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ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)

The ATM Industry Association, founded in 1997, is a global non-profit trade association with over 10,500 members in 65 countries. The membership base covers the full range of this worldwide industry comprising over 2.2 million installed ATMs.

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