Intel & Ingenico Join Up For IoT Payment System

The Internet of Things, or IoT, has been on the minds of a lot of technology followers out there for some time now, and with good reason.

With very good reason, really; this is a technology that has a lot of potential impact in several sectors of society. But security has proven to be a thorn in the IoT’s side for some time now, and the issue only gets worse when the matter of payment options comes into play. But a new move from Intel and Ingenico may be just what’s needed to turn it around.

The new measure brings in a tablet system that works with not only near-field communications (NFC) but also Europay, MasterCard, and Visa one (EMV1) payment systems. To start, the system will be available in the United States and Canada, built around the Intel Atom processor.

The system will incorporate not only Intel’s processor, but also its Data Protection Technology for Transactions system, backed up by Ingenico’s payment acceptance systems.

With this system in place, it can branch out from there, and is expected to show up in things like intelligent vending machines and digital kiosk systems, systems that are currently seeing a lot of development in the field.

Ingenico Group’s chairman and CEO, Philippe Lazare, noted that these moves would help the IoT develop payment acceptance expertise, which in turn would help to simplify purchasing and make for a better overall customer experience.

The IoT’s biggest weak point is that it often contains a lot of endpoints to get into the network; by definition, it must, since it’s a group of devices that can communicate with a central hub, like a shorter-range version of the Internet itself.

Here though, the websites and computers are replaced by things like cameras and vending machines, and though they accomplish much the same purpose, that means the risks are much the same. So establishing security in the IoT becomes just as important as proper antivirals and spam blockers in regular computers.

Intel and Ingenico’s method looks like it might work out well here, and if it does, it may establish a whole new market for mobile payments to branch into. That’s exactly what mobile payments can use—the more places it can be put to work, the more likely it is for users to turn away from cash and instead turn to mobile—and seeing if it all works in the end should be quite an exciting development.