This Week’s Product Pick

Telpar (Dover, NH) presented its MTP-7632 three-inch direct thermal printer for self-service and kiosk applications, with USB, Serial, and Parallel connectivity and flexible mounting options. The MTP-7632 supports print resolution of 203 dpi with print speeds of up to 5.9 inches per second (150 mm/s) and 300 dpi with print speeds of up to 3.9 inches per second (100 mm/s). It features both horizontal and vertical paper roll configurations allowing for use in a wide array of enclosure designs. The printer is available with or without built-in auto-cutter that provides full or partial cutting (for non-presenter models). Sensors indicate Out of Paper, Black Mark/Top of Form, Paper Low, Print Head Up, Cutter Jam, and Document Still in Presenter. Paper options include continuous rolls and marked paper, with document presenter and paper delivery bezels offered. Print drivers are available for Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, NT 4.0, Server 2003, XP, and Vista. The thermal printer also has flash memory for storing and printing logos in applications such as hospitality, retail, ticketing, and coupons, according to Telpar, which is owned by Peak Technologies. Telpar also introduced its new MTP-7582 direct thermal printer for 8.5-inch paper sizes in applications such as product information, mapping, financial statements, and remote printing.

Telpar’s MTP-7632 Direct Thermal Printer

Worth Your While

5th Annual Partner Invitational
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division
May 12-14
Phoenix

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 16-19
Chicago

NACStech
National Association of Convenience Stores
May 18-20
Grapevine, TX

U Connect Supply Chain Conference
GS1 US
June 2-5
Orlando

RetailNow 2009
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 11-16
Las Vegas

VARTECH 2009
BlueStar
August 13-15         
Nashville, TN

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Stronger Breeze for Touch Dynamic

Touch Dynamic (Irvington, NJ) has brought Core Duo 2 technology to its Breeze All-in-One POS terminal, which debuted last July. Designated “Breeze” for its ease of service, the POS terminal brings field-upgradeable motherboards to fanless technology, Craig Paritz, CEO, told RRN.Com. Core 2 Duo technology for Breeze is now available from Touch or from its distributors, Metropolitan Sales (Lynbrook, NY) and Ready Distribution (Beaverton, OR). Breeze was first introduced with Intel’s Celeron M technology, which is still offered, and at the market-breaking dealer price point of $999 with O/S and credit card reader.

“It’s the same terminal,” Paritz said. “That’s the beauty of it. If someone buys the 1-GHz today and two or three years from now they want to go to the Core Duo, they can buy the motherboard from us and slide it in and be up and running in five minutes or so.”

Breeze boasts features such as small footprint (17.74 in. x 12.15 in. x 10 in.), Vesa wall mount with “quick disconnect base,” and 15-inch Elo TouchSystems TFT LCD touchscreen. Options include 12-inch rear-facing LCD customer display, the Digital Persona UrU biometric fingerprint reader, and wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g capability. In an interview with RRN.Com, Paritz noted happily that the POS market has picked up, that “people are definitely doing business again.”

For more information on Breeze, click here.

Craig Paritz, CEO, Touch Dynamic

Have Pad, Will Travel

3M Track and Trace Solutions (St. Paul, MN) unpacked its Mini RFID Tracking Pad for file handling and management in business and professional service settings such as legal, insurance, accounting, and education. Measuring 7.25 in x 6.5 in., the compact portable reader gets power from the USB port of the user’s PC or laptop, eliminating the need for separate power outlet. It fits easily into standard laptop bags for easy handling and carries ISO compatibility to accommodate various systems.

A number of features enhance the functionality of the Mini RFID Tracking Pad, according to 3M. User interface lights help quickly confirm successful transactions and events. Its small size offers users more choices on where to place the device during field visits. Finally, its smooth, cleanable surface makes it suitable for many settings, including medical applications. 3M Track and Trace brings the solution to market through its network of regional distributors.

“The combination of form and function in this device is unrivaled,” said Mukesh Agarwal, Technical Director, 3M Track and Trace Solutions. “3M has applied its research and development leadership in RFID technology, as well as feedback from customers, to create the next generation of tracking pad. The Mini Pad is an innovation that reflects the functional needs of our customers in a package that is aesthetically unparalleled.”

3M’s Mini RFID Tracking Pad

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ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

May the Cloud Protect You

McAfee (Santa Clara, CA) unveiled McAfee Web Protection Service, billed as the industry’s first Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Web security solution offering protection from malware and other Web-borne threats. McAfee Web Protection Service is based on the company’s Web Gateway Technology (formerly known as Webwasher) and addresses all of the key business issues surrounding Internet use in the workplace:  security, compliance, and policy control. The technology supports corporate headquarters, remote offices, and mobile users without any on-premise requirements. In addition, its flexible policy manager allows organizations to implement specialized Web policies for each employee group.

With McAfee Web Protection Service, customers will benefit from reduced upfront costs as well as lower, predictable subscription expenses, according to the company. Rather than installing, patching, upgrading, and maintaining on-premise solutions for Web protection, continued McAfee, IT staff can be redirected to other important needs. In particular, companies with numerous locations or limited IT resources will gain advantage from directing Web traffic to the dedicated data center, where McAfee’s TrustedSource filters and blocks potentially malicious behavior in real time.

“Increasingly, our clients are looking to us to provide them with a variety of delivery options for receiving best-of-breed Web security,” observed Marc Olesen, SVP and GM, McAfee Software-as-a-Service. “The McAfee Web Protection Service incorporates all of the knowledge and experience we’ve gathered through years of proven Web security and anti-malware protection. We are leveraging our best-in-class threat intelligence delivered from the cloud and we will continue to invest and develop our core technology to keep pace with evolving security threats.”

Marc Olesen, SVP and GM, McAfee Software-as-a-Service

Retail Data Model Given Life by Oracle

Oracle (Redwood Shores, CA) introduced Oracle Retail Data Model, pre-built for the Oracle Database, in an effort to help retailers build enterprise data warehouses and achieve “insight-driven retail intelligence.” The solution seeks to help retailers make better decisions in any number of operational areas:  forecasting out-of-stock situations, understanding hidden patterns for loss prevention, contribution and market basket analysis, product affinity, customer clustering and segmentation, halo impact, and promotions lift. Available from the Oracle Technology Network, it targets grocery stores, specialty store chains, mass merchants, convenience stores, and multi-channel retailers, and reportedly works with existing POS and retail systems.

Out-of-the-box, the Oracle Retail Data Model delivers many capabilities, according to the developer. These include the Third Normal Form Logical Data Model based on the NRF’s Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS). In addition, more than 1,200 industry-specific measures and key performance indicators cover retail from POS and inventory, through merchandising and promotions, to order management. Finally, embedded OLAP cubes based on Oracle OLAP enable rapid analysis of business information, while embedded data mining models pre-built using Oracle Data Mining provide sophisticated trending capability.

“The Oracle Retail Data Model is the culmination of our efforts in combining Oracle’s deep retail industry and data warehousing expertise and technologies into a comprehensive, pre-built, and tuned solution for retailers,” espoused Ray Roccaforte, VP of Data Warehousing and Analytics at Oracle. “Oracle Retail Data Model offers customers our solution designed for rapid, predictable deployment and integration with existing investments to help customers save time, effort, and costs.”

Code Corner

Reva Systems (Chelmsford, MA) released Reva-4-Retail as the newest member of its series of industry-focused RFID solutions. Developed directly from Reva’s experience with global retail customers and industry partners, the solution addresses the most common item-level inventory requirements of retail store operations, according to the company. Reva-4-Retail includes an integrated Handheld Inventory Reporting Application (HIRA) hosted on the Reva Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP). This HIRA application serves Web pages that provide immediate feedback on the sales-floor and back-room inventory counts by SKU, non-displayed-item or replenishment reports, and ghost-stock reports that compare expected inventory to observed inventory. It includes support for pre-qualified handheld RFID readers and industry-standard item-level RFID tags. Reva-4-Retail follows on the heels of the recently announced Reva-4-Healthcare tracking solution, which was demonstrated in April at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Show in Chicago. “Our significant experience with RFID systems deployed across a wide range of industries and markets allows us to tailor solutions that zero in on specific customer needs,” maintained Ashley Stephenson, Co-Founder and Chairman. “There will be more Reva-4-Industry packages to follow, each one focused on simplifying deployment of RFID in its specific vertical market. Our goal is to help targeted industries realize significant ROI from RFID projects while making the entire solution much easier to manage.” Also in April, Reva announced it closed $5 million in new venture funding and named Bruce Berger as its CEO.

INTEGRATION

RFID Earns Its Stripes

Zebra Technologies (Vernon Hills, IL) has teamed up with UPM Raflatac and Impinj to deliver RFID-driven item-level tagging and validation for the supply chain. The new concept leverages UPM Raflatac’s UHF Trap tags equipped with Impinj Monza 3 tag chips, Impinj Speedway readers and antennas, and Zebra’s UHF Gen 2 RZ400 printer/encoders. By providing real-time visibility into the manufacturing and packaging process, even after boxes are sealed, the system helps contract manufacturers and packers reduce incorrectly assembled or shipped orders, excessive customer returns, counterfeiting, and shrinkage, according to the three parties.

“The new RFID-enabled solution from UPM Raflatac, Zebra, and Impinj provides companies with a low-cost, highly effective approach to streamlining item tagging and validation,” stated Carolyn Ricci, Senior Product Manager, RFID at Zebra Technologies. “Companies that deploy this solution concept in high-volume production environments should be able to achieve ROI within six months.”

Zebra also announced that RedPrairie Corporation (Milwaukee, WI) will integrate its mobile printing and RFID capabilities into RedPrairie’s Warehouse Management System, thereby allowing individual warehouse workers to encode and tag shipments. The new release supports Zebra’s RP4T printer and seeks to leverage the best of mobile label printing, RFID, voice recognition, and wearable computing “to optimize people and processes,” in the words of Gary Morgan, RedPrairie VP, Technical Services. RedPrairie’s RFID-compliant software for Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart mandates also supports the RFID mobile printing solution.

Zebra's UHF Gen 2 RZ400 Printer/Encoder

Seeking “Clerity” at Retalix

Retalix (Plano, TX) has chosen Clerity Solutions (Chicago) to transform “green screen” applications into user-friendly, browser-based technology for its customers in retail and distribution. Retalix has delivered Web-based clients with its BICEPS purchasing management software for some time, but found that customizing screens to meet different customer needs had become too time-consuming. The BICEPS application, which utilizes nearly 600 screens and five CICS (Customer Information Control System) regions, was rehosted to open systems using Clerity’s UniKix mainframe technology several years ago, so it was important that Clerity Web Connect provide the means to log onto each region, capture screens, and keep projects organized, according to Retalix.

Retalix moved from evaluation to implementation of Clerity Web Connect in just one week. It cites benefits such as:  consistent Web look and feel, regardless of client browers and Java platform version; clean HTML code and easy customer-specific customization through the use of global style sheets; simplified screen capture process and robust repository for keeping projects organized; and flexible deployment options, including zero-client model. All without changing code, it should be noted.

“Clerity Web Connect’s streamlined implementation requirements and quick ability to deliver results enable us to enhance our customer relationships and further our commitment to delivering leading-edge, quality solutions,” declared Rik Schrader, SVP, Global Supply Chain Sales and Marketing for Retalix. “We are now able to deliver out-of-the-box solutions for customers who do not have custom screen requirements and we can easily meet the specialized needs of others.”

Key Advertiser Links

Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
M-S Cash Drawer

POS & Peripherals
FEC USA
Pioneer POS
POS-X

Barcode & Mobile Printers
Datamax-O'Neil

Cash Drawers
MMF Cash Drawer

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies
Motorola

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems

Payment Engine Solutions
Precidia Technologies

Receipt Printers
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics

Retail Software
Logivision

Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Video Surveillance & Access Control
ScanSource Security

INSTALLATIONS

Ben & Jerry’s New POS Flavor: Micros e7

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops has selected the Micros e7 POS solution and the latest generation of mymicros.net enterprise business intelligence software for its corporate and franchised stores. Deployment to the several hundred U.S. and Canadian locations will occur over the next 18 months, according to Louise Casamento, VP of Marketing for Micros (Columbia, MD). All systems will be pre-programmed with employees, prices, and local menu items prior to shipping for installation.

The Micros e7 was chosen from an initial field of 14 POS vendors, according to the two parties. In addition to its core functionality and simplified support and installation, Ben & Jerry’s was particularly impressed with the sustainability and low carbon footprint of the Micros Workstation 5 terminal (in keeping with the ice cream producer’s well-known eco-consciousness).  With fanless and disk-less operation, the Micros WS5 requires less than half the energy of typical PC-based devices.

“We wanted to achieve complete by-in on our new system from the franchise community,” reported Stu Boyd, Senior Manager, Franchise Business Systems for Ben & Jerry’s. “Therefore, we assembled a panel of 10 franchisees from across the country to lead the evaluation and decision process. The panel overwhelmingly supported Micros, selecting the Micros e7 running on the Micros Workstation 5 as our next-generation POS system.”

The Micros Workstation 5 Will Tally Up the Scoops

Intura Blossoms at OrangeCup

OrangeCup has committed to Intura Solutions (Arlington, TX) as its POS corporate standard for all future store openings. The decision was reached by the OrangeCup executive team after an evaluation in their five stores in the Dallas area over the past year. Launched in April 2008, OrangeCup has 10 new sites under development, with plans to reach 200 throughout the U.S. The QSR concept features all natural, fat-free, frozen yogurt with fresh fruit toppings, along with its nifty name and stylish store interiors.

“We worked closely with management at OrangeCup to add features to Intura Vision and Intura Enterprise that were needed to efficiently operate their business,” shared Joe Berryman, VP of Sales at Intura. “OrangeCup is the kind of organization that every POS company likes to partner with because we solve challenges together that any new concept experiences.”

Specifically, Intura enhanced its Intura Vision to print adhesive labels containing the guest’s name, yogurt type, healthy toppings, and nutritional information of the yogurt and toppings ordered by guests. In addition, servers use the labels during the food preparation process. Intura also created specialized reports to analyze the sales trends of toppings to their customers.

Intura’s “Vital Signs” Displays Four Quadrants of Restaurant Metrics, Updated Every 60 Seconds, and Color Coded for Status (Blue, Yellow, and Red)

Channel Factoid

Nearly one-third of companies (30%) are spending less than originally planned on Web retail operations this year. Among retailers cutting costs, most (88%) will scale back hiring and staffing plans and slightly more than half (56%) will spend less on search. Others see the economy as an opportunity to increase market share and are charging ahead with new initiatives. Almost half of retailers surveyed (46%) have no plans to cut back original budgets and will spend as planned on their Web business, while one in four (24%) will spend more on their online business than originally planned. Companies planning to spend more will increase investments in several areas, including search (80%), e-mail (65%), and social marketing (60%).  “Retailers everywhere are trying to get their arms around this pullback in consumer spending, and online retailers are no exception,” said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org, which sponsored The State of Retailing Online 2009, conducted by Forrester Research. “Online retailers are trying to weather this storm by doing more with less, making smart spending decisions, and leveraging effective, affordable tactics like e-mail to grow their business.”

PARTNER PROGRAMS

NCR Picks Pair of Channel Chieftains

NCR Corporation (Dayton, OH) has announced two key appointments:  Tushar Kothari to VP-Worldwide Channels and Juliann Larimer to VP-North American Channels. The move marks the first step in NCR’s strategy to invest significantly in its indirect channel of Distributors, VARs, and ISVs across targeted vertical markets, according to the company.

Kothari previously served as SVP of Worldwide Field Operations for Meru Networks and VP of Worldwide Channels at Juniper Networks, where he was responsible for building its enterprise and service provider go-to-market model for the channel, bringing in over $2 billion in revenues. Larimer, as RRN.Com readers will remember, previously served as VP of North American Channel Sales and Marketing for Zebra Technologies.

“NCR’s world-class solutions offer tremendous opportunities to channel partners to deliver benefits to their customers,” Kothari remarked. “We are increasing our commitment to our channel partners and I would encourage the solution provider community to look at NCR.”

Dean Crotty, President of North Country Business Products (Bemidji, MN), one of NCR’s long-standing channel partners, had this to add:  “Our retail customers like the breadth of highly reliable solutions NCR offers, ranging from fast, energy-efficient POS systems to user-friendly self-checkouts. We are encouraged by the commitment that NCR is showing to growing its business through the channel with these key appointments and look forward to more innovative technologies coming onto the market in the future.”

Tushar Kothari	Juliann Larimer

Inside the Beltway for SonicWALL

SonicWALL (Sunnyvale, CA) has recruited Synergy Sales and Marketing, the Maryland-based government consulting firm, to “formalize and enhance” its federal, state, and local government channel programs. Synergy will help SonicWALL recruit new channel partners, drive sales with existing federal, state, and local channels, and best leverage SonicWALL distributors such as Ingram Micro (Santa Ana, CA), Tech Data (Clearwater, FL), and Alternative Technology (Greenwood, CO). Additionally, Synergy will evaluate SonicWALL’s current federal, state, and local contract vehicles and, hopefully, identify new opportunities.

For more than 16 years, Synergy has helped technology manufacturers to build public sector business through its network of channel partners. Billed as the “outsourced government sales office on the Beltway,” Synergy promises to work closely with vendors to guide them through the complexities of selling into its target market. Among SonicWALL’s offerings for its partners are EAL 4+ and FIPS 140-2 certified security product lines.

“We are excited about the opportunity to work with a world-class IT security provider like SonicWALL,” noted Jeff Boyd, President of Synergy. “They are committed to the channel and they really understand the unique requirements that are essential for success in government markets. There is the real opportunity to build their government business in the current environment.”

[Editor’s Note:  Also looking to booming markets for government and public safety, Avnet Technology Solutions has announced it will distribute Motorola’s AirDefense WLAN security suite to its VARs in the U.S. and Canada. In support of the effort, Avnet has put on the table educational opportunities, integration services, and financing. ]