[3] In 1972, Atalla filed U.S. patent 3,938,091 for a remote PIN verification system, which utilized encryption techniques to assure telephone link security while entering personal ID information, which would be transmitted as encrypted data over telecommunications networks to a remote location for verification.
The system was designed to let banks and thrift institutions switch to a plastic card environment from a passbook program.
The Identikey system consisted of a card reader console, two customer PIN pads, intelligent controller and built-in electronic interface package.
[10] The Identikey system connected directly into the ATM without hardware or software changes, and was designed for easy operation by the teller and customer.
[3] Fearful that Atalla would dominate the market, banks and credit card companies began working on an international standard.
Designed with the focus of taking bank transactions online, the Identikey system was extended to shared-facility operations.
It was consistent and compatible with various switching networks, and was capable of resetting itself electronically to any one of 64,000 irreversible nonlinear algorithms as directed by card data information.
[20][21] In 2015, HP was divided into two companies, and the Atalla products were assigned to the newly formed Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
On September 7, 2016, HPE CEO Meg Whitman announced that the software assets of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, including Atalla, would be spun out and then merged with Micro Focus to create an independent company of which HP Enterprise shareholders would retain majority ownership.
The purpose of the module is to load Approved application programs, also referred to as personalities, securely.