Today's agreement includes deployment of Level Four's ATM Developer solution and a new licence for Level Four's ATM TrueTest solution. This will enable LINK to enhance customers' experience throughout a network of over 20,000 'outsourced' ATMs serviced and managed by its outsourcing division Avantra in the UK.

Avantra is now rolling out this solution throughout its development and test teams at its Harrogate headquarters. This deployment will enable Avantra to prototype and test new ATM functionality more easily and improve speed to market.

Avantra has also licensed ATM TrueTest, an independent and flexible desktop-based testing environment that will automate the end-to-end testing of Avantra's new Windows-based ATM applications. ATM TrueTest automates a previously manual testing process, significantly reducing the cost of the testing process and ensuring a superior customer experience at the ATM.

Testing new ATM applications in conjunction with the central host is essential as many new fault scenarios are introduced each time a software upgrade occurs.

Steve Smith, Managing Director of Avantra, said, "We are continually working to help our customers increase their competitiveness by introducing new products and services. Level Four's products will enable us to reduce time-to-market for new services thereby helping us become more responsive to our customers' needs."

Nigel Walsh, CEO of Level Four Software, said, "ATM TrueTest is the world's first software to automate testing of XFS and Windows-based ATM applications and is therefore a targeted solution for banks responding to the industry's move to open standards. Our solutions directly address our customer's business issues and provide proven value and fast ROI. Having LINK licence ATM TrueTest and extend its use of ATM Developer emphasises that our solutions are in demand as they empower banks to deploy a comprehensive multi-vendor ATM strategy."