Fortinet improves resiliency and performance for more than 1,000 ATMs

When it comes to banking in the digital age, convenience is king. Today’s consumers take it for granted that they can access their money and receive full service at any time and from any location. However, building a robust and secure network of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) is a major undertaking for any bank, particularly when it comes to operating hundreds or thousands of machines, many in locations with harsh weather conditions such as outdoors at malls, stadiums, events, and other remote locations.

Refreshing a Remote ATM Network

For one global bank, the time had come to update its ATM network. The organization operates thousands of remote ATMs across North America, many deployed in extremely harsh conditions, from desert climates to some of the coldest regions.

These remote ATMs are currently connected to the bank’s network through legacy routers nearing the end of their operational lives. As a result, the bank needs a replacement solution to connect its remote ATMs to its data centers over dual 5G cellular connections. 

Given the harsh environments in which many of these ATMs operate, the bank requires a ruggedized solution that can handle extreme weather conditions. In addition, the organization is looking for an approach that converges multiple networking and security functions, including dual 5G modem and network access control (NAC) in a single platform. Since each remote ATM connects to two data centers, the platform must also have the ability to apply SD-WAN and quality of service (QoS) rules to steer and secure traffic appropriately, something its legacy point-to-point routers were unable to achieve.

A Ruggedized Solution from Fortinet

Having already deployed FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) in its data centers, the bank has turned to Fortinet to solve its ATM networking challenges. Today, the organization is in the process of deploying a network solution based on FortiGate Rugged NGFWs, our all-in-one secure networking appliances combined with enterprise-grade threat protection designed for the most demanding environments. The new FortiGate Rugged 70G NGFW includes dual 5G modem connectivity, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, and cybersecurity protection from a single platform.

The bank will also use FortiManager for centralized network management and zero-touch provisioning to rapidly deploy these rugged NGFWs across its entire network of remote ATMs. Once deployed, the bank will use FortiAnalyzer for centralized logging, analytics, and reporting to improve its security posture further.

Reliable and Secure Networking in the Harshest Conditions

This solution will benefit the bank in several ways. Most obviously, it will deliver the levels of reliability and durability needed for its ATMs to operate in harsh conditions. It will also protect the bank against cyberthreat intrusions with its AI-powered security, ensuring fast detection and response to known and unknown threats to safeguard the network, devices, and data. In addition, through the Fortinet Security Fabric, the bank will benefit from a highly integrated solution able to deliver its connectivity and security requirements through a single platform.

When it comes to resilient connectivity, the bank’s FortiGate Rugged 70G NGFW features a dual 5G modem, meaning that each ATM will be able to connect to its assigned data centers using just one device. This high availability (HA) approach will also reduce licensing costs for the bank by avoiding having to deploy and manage HA pairs of NGFWs with ATMs. The bank will also benefit from further savings because the built-in SD-WAN capability does not require licensing.

Finally, this new approach will enable intelligent traffic steering over SD-WAN based on QoS parameters to optimize network traffic to the data centers. This function will allow the bank to improve customer experience by optimizing traffic quality and bandwidth to ensure transactions are processed swiftly and reliably.

Delivering for Demanding Customers

Customers expect the very best from their banks, including their ATM services. Working with Fortinet, this bank is future-proofing its ATM network by ensuring the highest levels of reliability and security in some of the toughest environmental conditions. By doing so, it will be better able to serve its customers and protect its assets.