Last updated 29th March 2001

This section covers software used to control ATM and EFTPoS networks. This software normally runs on a front end system, handles the physical ATM and EFTPoS terminal devices, interfaces to the Bank host system and provides 24x7 operation, with stand-in processing where required.

This type of software normally also interfaces with National and International switches for ATM sharing arrangements, and can provide authorisation interfaces to international card schemes such as Visa and Mastercard. In a 'typical' implementation, it will also manage card issue, PIN validation and so on as well.

Increasingly, this class of system is being enabled for ECommerce support, and provision of other 24x7 services such as IVR.

The software is normally a packaged solution in most institutions. The market, especially in the larger institutions, is dominated by a small number of packages and vendors.

 ACI (TSA Inc) Base-24 and Trans-24

Operating on the Tandem (sorry, Compaq) platform, Base-24 is an industry standard product that is installed in a wide variety of financial institutions and national switches. Despite the high cost of ownership of Tandem fault tolerant hardware, Base-24 is practically a de facto standard for larger organisations and processes a staggering amount of transactions every day.

TSA also have a product called Trans-24 that operates in the mainframe and Unix environments. This is as a result of the inclusion of the ex-USSI product range (apart from the Stratus version) in the product line - these products used to be called Action 2000.

Note: It is now likely that the mainframe product range will be replaced by OCM-24 following the acquisition of SDM by TSA Inc.

More information at www.tsainc.com

 Arksys

Arksys are a wholly owned (but independently operated) subsidiary of Euronet Services Inc, who provide independent non-bank ATM networks in Europe. You may remember them as Arkansas Systems Inc, but the use of that name seems to be discouraged now.

Arksys have been around a while (since 1975), and quote 200 clients in 70 countries, and is based on AS/400 or PC hardware.

Quite a nice website, with good product information and downloadable annual reports (unusually) at  www.arksys.com

 ASI Communications Inc

US based ASI Communications have been around since 1981, and have a systems called OATS (Online Automated Teller System).

Their website used to be at www.asicomm.com, but that's now disappeared. Does anyone know of their fate?

 Deluxe Data - Connex

Deluxe Data is a fairly well established US company (founded in 1915!)

Deluxe Data's Connnex EFT operates on Tandem or IBM platforms, and is described very briefly on the Deluxe website at  www.deluxe.com . A slightly better description is on the International section of the website at www.deluxe.com/DeluxeIntl/001-002-p01.htm

 IFS

Headquartered in Troy, NY, USA, IFS produce the TPII ATM and EFT auth software for Unix and NT platforms using an Oracle database.They claim solutions deployed in 35 countries, but do not quote a number of customers or licences sold.

The web site contains quite detailed information on the solutions, and is at www.ifsintl.com

 Interlink

The UK's Interlink have products and solutions deployed in 180 sites in 60 countries, and have been in the business since 1983. Their Sparrow product uses Unix or NT servers, and is a well regarded solution for small to medium institutions.

A useful web site is provided at  www.ilink.co.uk

 Mosaic - Postilion

If I had to tip 'one to watch' in this software arena, it would be South African company Mosaic with their NT based Postilion product.

More information at  www.mosaic.co.za The web site is excellent, and also contains a free downloadable Windows Cryptographic calculator (which is excellent) and a lot of product data.

As a footnote, Postilion is distributed by Logica in the UK, who follow their curious practice of not telling you (on their web site) whose software Postilion is (they used to do this with ON/2 as well when they distributed that product). I must admit that at first glance it looks like Postilion is a Logica product, and that's very misleading.

 Oasis Technology Inc

Canadian based Oasis Technology Inc produce Unix and NT based products branded IST/xxx (IST stands for Information Switching Technology). Components exist for ATM, EFT, PoS and the Internet.

First installation in 1991, so a fairly modern architecture. Oasis have, this year, signed a marketing agreement with IBM to market these solutions in North America. (There are some people, cynics to a man, that will say that signing a financial technology marketing arrangement with IBM is the kiss of death... I trust it is not the case for Oasis)

Oasis has 200 employees, and supports a wide variety of operating system platforms and databases. I've normally heard it mentioned in conjunction with small/medium system requirements, but worth checking out regardless.

Oasis web site can be found at www.oasis-technology.com

 S2 Systems - OpeN/2

S2 Systems have been around for a while and have a proven track record. They have recently increased their solution offering portfolio with the OpeN/2 suite - supporting NT, Win2K, HP-UX, AIX and Stratus. ON/2 is still offered on Stratus VOS where required.

The S2 Systems web site www.s2systems.com

 SDM - OCM24

Stop press! SDM have now been acquired by TSA Inc (see Base-24 above). It appears that this means that TSA will replace existing S/390 offerings with OCM-24, as OCM has a more developed product that will utilise sysplex to provide high availabliity on the S/390 platform.

As with any of these acquisitions, the integration of products into a cohesive set is a difficult trick. Let's see what happens.

SDM International Inc produce SDM-24, an IBM mainframe based ATM, EFT system. This system tends to be recommended by IBM (SDM are an SDM business partner) in large systems (i.e. mainframe) situations.

SDM are a mature company (they've been around since 1980), based in North Carolina, USA. I don't have any specific information on customers (they're very coy about naming customers on their web site) but they cite 'hundreds' of licences in eighteen countries. You should be aware that a licence does not necessarily equal a customer; a single customer could have multiple licences.

Traditionally, the mainframe based software products have lost out to the specific fault tolerant hardware based products, simply because they've struggled to provide true 24x7 operation. OCM-24 is CICS based and now provides parallel sysplex support to overcome this.

I'd be really interested in any comments from users of OCM-24........

Their web site, with downloadable PDF brochures on the various modules is at www.sdm-international.com 

 SLM (SLMSoft.com)

Canadian SLM claim 1,500 customers in 52 countries. (If memory serves me correctly they were related in some way to Oasis originally), and they appear to be leaning more towards the e-commerce, multiple delivery channel model rather than strictly ATM and EFT.b.

Their web site is extremely slick, but doesn't tell you very much at www.slmsoft.com

 Other, Miscellaneous and commentary

Here's an interesting company that doesn't fit any of my usual categories: Transaction Network Services Inc., in the US, have a systems solution to support widely deployed dial-up ATM's. The solution is described at www.tnsi.com/prodserv/atm/atm.htm

Has anyone ever heard of Sercon and their Bankon product? Can you fill in any gaps? Are there any manufacturers that I've missed? Please, please tell me!