Level Four Software, the leading provider of ATM and POS testing and development software, has signed a distribution agreement with TietoEnator, a leading supplier of high value-added IT services in Europe.
The partnership will see TietoEnator become a third party distributor of Level Four's ATM Channel Development Suite in the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as the 12 member countries that comprise the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Banks in the Baltic and CIS markets have taken a proactive approach to meeting the January 2006 mandate for EMV migration. Level Four recognised the need for a comprehensive set of solutions that would enable banks in these markets to migrate to EMV quickly and efficiently. Level Four's ATM Channel Development Suite, specifically the EMV FastTrack module, satisfies this need through the technology’s ability to create EMV compatible ATM downloads and full end-to-end transaction testing directly from the chip card, through the ATM and up to the host system. Under the agreement, the ATM Channel Development Suite will be distributed and supported by the TietoEnator sales force.
Martin Macmillan, CEO at Level Four Software said: "In order to take our products to this important market effectively, we needed to ensure that we had a major player with a solid reputation and the correct contacts to act as our distribution channel. Our decision to partner with TietoEnator is not only based on the company fulfilling these criteria, but also as it has always been at the forefront of the drive to EMV compliance – something that our two companies have in common."
Under the agreement, TietoEnator will distribute and support key components of Level Four's ATM Channel Development suite, including ATM Simulator, ATM Reporter, ATM Developer and the Triple-DES module for enhanced security encryption.
Level Four's software is open standards-based and technology-agnostic, so interacts seamlessly with TietoEnator's switching solution. TietoEnator's solution assists banks migrating to chip cards and provides customers with increased payment security and new services, enabling them to keep pace with international requirements through the complete support of EMV smart card issuing and acquiring.
Level Four's ATM Channel Development Suite is a comprehensive toolset providing simple customisation of ATM screens, rapid development of new ATM applications and end-to-end testing of the ATM network. Its automated testing and development tools can simulate the most complex of ATM environments, which makes them highly suitable to tackle the complexities of EMV and Triple-DES compliance, as well as simpler updates to ATM content and downloads.
"We are delighted to be working with Level Four", said Egils Bogans, director of partner products business development at TietoEnator Banking Solutions, Cards. "This partnership will ensure that we provide a more complete offering to our existing client base, empowering them to comply with fast approaching EMV deadlines. Combined with Level Four's functionality, we are confident our now enriched offering will enable us to increase our market share in these regions."
Macmillan said, "With EMV migration underway around the world, there is a very real and urgent need for banks to look at how they are testing their ATM software. We are constantly evaluating potential opportunities for expansion into regions where customers will benefit from the ATM Channel Development Suite, and we look forward to announcing further partnerships in the near future."