Our Product Pick

SpacePole, Inc. (Norcross, GA) has unveiled its new tablet enclosure, entitled the SafeGuard C-Frame. Accommodating most popular 10" tablets, via "universal inner sleeve," SafeGuard C-Frame comes with 180-degree rotation element for use by the store clerk and customer when mounted at the checkout. As another option, SpacePole provides cash drawer wrap. Available in various colors (white, green, yellow, red, blue, and black), SafeGuard C-Frame features stylish, rugged construction. Addressing both tablets and payment terminals, SpacePole offers the full range of modular enclosures, poles, and accessories. In going to market, it has focused on POS VARs and ISVs.

SafeGuard C-Frame by SpacePole

COMPANY BUSINESS

Vantiv Puts the "Womp" on the SMB

Vantiv (Cincinnati, OH), which recently claimed the title of second largest payment processor, has endorsed the business services of Womply (San Francisco, CA) for the SMB. A pair of products has been offered to the channel--delivered by Vantiv Integrated Payments--and entitled Vantiv BizShield and Insights. Invoking "big data," they span reporting, analytics, social media, and threat protection. In particular, merchants may compare their revenue to similar businesses in their area, react to online reviews in real-time, and track customer behavior.

"Vantiv has embarked on a journey to help our customers and partners better know and engage consumers by unlocking the power of data, and this announcement marks an important step toward that goal," declared Nicole Jass, Senior Leader of Data Products with Vantiv. "By partnering with Womply to launch Vantiv BizShield and Insights, our customers will be able to make informed decisions on how to effectively protect, grow, and simplify their businesses." Alerts in e-mail inform merchants of problems and resolution, according to Vantiv.

"Running a small business has never been more complex, and merchants face new threats every day," indicated Cory Capoccia, President of Womply. "Vantiv BizShield and Insights will give merchants the tools they need to efficiently nurture and protect their businesses without distracting from crucial day-to-day management tasks." On its website, Womply lists dozens of partners in payments, including iPayment, Moneris, PayAnywhere, Pivotal Payments, Total Merchant Services, and TSYS.

Womply Powers Vantiv BizShield and Insight

PAR, for the Course

An interesting executive leadership change at PAR Technology Corporation (New Hartford, NY), with Karen Sammon stepping down as President and CEO, replaced by Donald Foley from the Board of Directors. Sammon will now serve in the role of "Chief of Staff in the Office of the CEO." Before becoming President and CEO in January 2016, Sammon held positions of President of ParTech (2013 to 2017) and Chief Strategy and Product Officer of ParTech (1993 to 2010). Her father, John Sammon, Jr., founded PAR Technologies in 1968.

"I returned to PAR four years ago, to strategically transform the company by developing and implementing a differentiated growth strategy," relayed Sammon. "The success of that strategy requires intense focus and time commitment. With Don's leadership, and leveraging his notable business and career achievements, I will be able to dedicate 100% of my energies to ensure we exceed our stated goals and objectives."

A member of the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees of PAR's Board of Directors, Foley spent much of his career with defense contractor Science Applications International Corporation. He served as EVP from 2005 to 2011, Group President of the Research and Intelligence Group from 1991 to 2005, and Member of the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2007. Although known in our world for its ParTech Division, and POS, PAR also focuses on the government sector. It stands for "Pattern Analysis and Recognition."

New Role for PAR's Karen Sammon

Worth Your While

Profit Booster Dealer Conferences
CRS, Inc.
April 25: Charlotte, NC
April 27: Atlanta, GA

WERC
Warehousing Education and Research Council
April 30 - May 3
Fort Worth, TX

Transact
Electronic Transactions Association
May 10-12
Las Vegas, NV

NRA
National Restaurant Association
May 20-23
Chicago, IL

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
August 6-9
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Star Orbited by SM-L300

Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) has unwrapped its new portable 3" printer, designated the SM-L300. Measuring 4.7 in. (W) x 5.9 in. (L) x 2.7 in. (H), and weighing 1.1 lbs., the SM-L300 handles both thermal receipts and lined or linerless labels. It furnishes print speed of 2.6 in./65 mm per second at 203 dpi and 4-ft./1.2-m drop resistance.

Similar to the 2" SM-L200, the SM-L300 has Bluetooth Version 3/Bluetooth Version 4 Low Energy, and supports iOS, Android, and Windows. Without need of certification or prior authorization, it pairs with any iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. With no limitation on the number of devices connected, further, the SM-L300 "is the perfect solution for Mobile POS," according to Star Micronics America.

In terms of end-user ease, the SM-L300 has de-curl functionality for receipts and "drop-in & print" paper loading. Additional features include blue backlight LCD, USB, 7.4-V 2000-mAh Li-Ion battery, auto power-down mode, cover open/paper out sensor, and optional three-track MSR (as well as cradle charger). Of course, the SM-L300 upholds the company's app marketplace, Star Cloud Services, as well as its digital receipt delivery and management bureau, AllReceipts. It also works with the linerless, repositionable thermal labels by MAXStick (Lancaster, PA).

Star's SM-L300 Thermal Receipt/Label Printer

POS-X Takes Its Stand

POS-X, Inc. (Bellingham, WA) has extended its line card with stands for Apple's iPad POS. A trio of models are offered from iSAPPOS (Hong Kong), dubbed A, B, and C, and in both 9.7" for iPad Air 2 and 12.9" for iPad Pro. They feature protective jacket with built-in hand strap, locking base, and in-stand charging capability. A flip-over display design allows capture of the customer's signature. All iSAPPOS products will be sold by POS-X through its distribution partners: BlueStar, M-S Cash Drawer, and ScanSource POS and Barcode. In addition, POS-X will serve as iSAPPOS's logistics, repairs, and support center for North America.

iSAPPOS Model A has manual jacket release and Micro USB. In Models B and C, there's jacket release via Apple's Touch ID. Also, Model B adds RJ-48 COM x 3, while Model C adds RJ-48 COM x 2, RJ-11 Cash Drawer x 1, and USB Type A x 1. In addition, in Model C, there's an integrated 3" thermal receipt printer, with Bluetooth and 6.7 in./170 mm per second print speed.

"iPad POS has been a growing segment for quite some time now; however, there has been very little advancement in iPad stand technology," maintained Oscar Alvidrez, Director of Channel at POS-X. "We feel the new iSAPPOS stands fully encompass the iPad POS experience by bringing a new level of mobility, security, and functionality to point-of-sale. Expect more in this area from POS-X, building off its tablet-based ION TP5.

POS-X Addresses iPad POS With iSAPPOS Stands

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ALLIANCES

Hide Tide for Loyalty at Harbortouch

A new partner for Harbortouch (Allentown, PA), in the form of marketing and loyalty provider FiveStars (San Francisco, CA). A leader in its space, FiveStars features customized rewards, messaging tools, and automated promotions--delivered via app or in-store beacons. Under this agreement, Harbortouch will integrate the FiveStars solution into the company's POS offering and Harbortouch customers will have access to exclusive pricing from FiveStars.

"As we add new third-party partnerships, FiveStars was a perfect choice," reported Brian Jones, EVP of Sales and Marketing at Harbortouch. "FiveStars has been the number one loyalty solution requested by our customers so there is a lot of demand. We are always working to add value to our core POS solution, and the addition of FiveStars is a big step in this direction."

"As we begin to build relationships in the POS and payment processing space, Harbortouch's commitment to providing exceptional service and value for its merchants really stood out," shared Chris Luo, VP of Marketing for FiveStars (and former Head of Global SMB Marketing for Facebook). Founded in 2011, FiveStars focuses on the SMB and has raised over $100 million in funding. A pioneer in "POS-as-a-Service" since 2011, Harbortouch charges monthly for software, hardware, installation, and support--with no upfront cost--and associated payment processing. It has been widely imitated.

Harbortouch Partners With FiveStars

To Infinea and Beyond (With First Data)

Infinite Peripherals (Irvine, CA), which also goes by IPC, has received certification from payments powerhouse First Data Corporation (Atlanta, GA). Included: IPC's InfineaPay mobile EMV payment app and InfineaEngine semi-integrated payment framework. Very early in the game, readers of RRN.Com will recall, IPC addressed mobility with its scanner/payment sleds, called Linea Pro and Infinea Tab. Similarly, InfineaPay supports iPhones, iPads, and iPods. It's certified directly on the First Data Rapid Connect Platform.

With contact and contactless EMV, InfineaEngine accommodates Visa Quick Chip and MasterCard M/Chip Fast, has compliance with the latest MasterCard Industry Bin Changes, and handles Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay. It employs First Data's TransArmor for tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE), with PCI PA-DSS Standard 3.2. In addition to the InfineaEngine, an InfineaApp Application Programming Interface (API) supplies an integration path for ISVs and VARs in POS. As overall management, there's InfineaIQ Back Office.

"Both the InfineaPay app and the InfineaEngine framework support signature capture functionality, with digital receipt management," elaborated Andrey Tikhonov, Senior Director of Payment Technology at Infinite Peripherals. "Combining this functionality with our family of mobile printers gives customers a fully certified, one-stop solution to address iOS transactions without any compliance concerns." As mobile thermal printers, IPC markets the 2" DPP-250 and DPP-255, 3" DPP-350, and 4" DPP-450. It also supplies a pair of new payment terminals: Infinea mPOS and Infinea Bluepad.

InfineaPay From Infinite Peripherals

Code Corner

An entity dubbed GoToTags (Seattle, WA) has delivered its .NET SDKs (Software Development Kits) for NFC, Barcode, and I/O Control. In each category, with documentation and working code, the .NET SDK supports popular hardware (e.g., Zebra) and necessary data formats (i.e., tag characteristics and one- and two-dimensional symbologies, including UPC, Code 128, Datamatrix, and QR). The .NET I/O SDK works with the Velleman VM100N Interface Board and may be used for both analog and digital. Each SDK can be licensed separately, or all three together. A "Basic" plan is closed source, while the "Professional" and "Enterprise" tiers are suited for customers who need full featured applications, and include access to all three SDKs, according to the ISV. Licenses are per-developer with no runtime or royalty fees. A one-year subscription includes support and upgrades.

GoToTags .NET SDK

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

NCC Sees Its Reflection in Mobility

A longtime stalwart in POS, National Computer Corporation, which also goes by the acronym NCC, has released its RHQ Mobile App. It allows end-users to review, in real-time, summary reporting for the company's Reflection POS Software on their Apple or Android devices. It's offered for all registered end-users of NCC's RHQ Service; to qualify, end-users must have Reflection POS Version 4.4 or higher, specifies NCC.

An expansion of NCC's RHQ "Hybrid Cloud Headquarters," the RHQ Mobile App tracks and correlates store-level sales and labor data. It handles single or multiple store locations, with extensive reporting and graphical charts. An embedded system, Reflection POS touts its scalability, terminal redundancy, durability, and turnkey design.

"We are happy to announce the creation of our RHQ Mobile Application," commented Chuck Prince, President of NCC (Greenville, SC). "We are constantly working to make our software more accessible for business owners. We are taking a giant leap towards that goal with this new mobile application." Founded in 1986, and marketing through worldwide VARs, NCC has installed over 50,000 POS. As partners in POS, it lists CRS, Inc. (St. Paul, MN), HP (Palo Alto, CA), and Touch Dynamic (Irvington, NJ).

Keeping Track With RHQ Mobile App From NCC

Speed Reading by the DataMan

Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA) has shipped its new compact fixed-mount barcode reader, the DataMan 70. At 1.7 in. (W) x 1.4 in. (L) x 0.9 in. (H), and weighing 1.3 oz. (without cable), DataMan 70 features high read rates. With the company's algorithms, "1DMax" and "HotBars," that's two per second; with its advanced algorithm, "ID Quick," that's 45 per second (both with 60 frames per second acquisition). As technology, the DataMan 70 has 1/3" CMOS sensor, two green aiming LEDs, and four independently controlled red lighting LEDs.

According to Cognex, the DataMan 70 Series offers manufacturing and logistics companies higher performance than single-line and raster laser scanners, "at an equivalent cost." Its flexible configuration options and small size also makes it particularly fitting for tight spaces on production lines and in machinery, continued Cognex. With plastic housing, and USB, DataMan 70 supports Windows 7 and 10.

"We've seen tremendous demand for our compact fixed-mount barcode readers from laser scanner users tired of low performance and short product lifespans," disclosed Carl Gerst, SVP for ID Products at Cognex. "The new DataMan 70 offers more advanced image formation to read even damaged or distorted label-based codes, and it's designed with no moving parts, meaning it won't require maintenance." In addition to its fixed-mount barcode readers, Cognex offers handheld barcode readers, mobile terminals, and barcode verifiers.

DataMan 70 by Cognex Corporation

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Aures
Bematech
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Tailwind Solutions

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas
Honeywell

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
AML
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Denso ADC
Honeywell
Janam Technologies

Distribution
Ingram Micro

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
iPayment
Sterling Payment

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry Americas, LLC
TG3 Electronics

Mounts for POS
Innovative
SpacePole

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

INSTALLATIONS

A Serving of Punchh and Toast

A growing ISV in POS, Toast (Boston, MA), will deliver customer loyalty through the Punchh Restaurant Marketing Cloud. A number of benefits are cited, such as engagement of customers across point-of-sale, kiosk, mobile apps, and website; collection of real-time customer data; and launch and evaluation of personalized marketing campaigns. "By combining their technology with our best-in-class Restaurant Marketing Cloud, restaurants will be able to deliver superior customer experiences while increasing growth and profitability," suggested Shyam Rao, CEO of Punchh (Mountain View, CA).

"Toast continues to expand its API Partner Program, a best-in-class partner ecosystem, giving our customers access to powerful tools in order to streamline operations and grow revenue," remarked Chris Comparato, CEO of Toast. "Our partnership with Punchh is another example of how Toast enables restaurants of all sizes with robust tools to create the perfect guest experience." Started in 2013, Toast offers its terminal bundle centered on the Elo Touch I-Series or Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. A roster of major vendors supply accompanying peripherals.

Also bubbling at Punchh are pizza chains. It recently announced three more adopters of its customer loyalty platform: Mod Pizza, Pizza Inn, and PizzaRev. They join Aurelios, Cici's, MacKenzie River, and Pieology. "As millennials now outspend baby boomers on pizza, we are seeing brands like Dominos dedicate enormous resources towards creating a dynamic, mobile experience to capture more of this tech-savvy market," observed Rao at Punchh. "With Punchh, restaurant brands of all sizes can offer sophisticated, personalized, digital experiences--the same, and often better, ways to increase traffic and sales."

Punchh Restaurant Marketing Cloud for Toast POS

A Sandwich of POS, Labor, and Accounting

GetLinked Software (Boise, ID) has been deployed by sandwich chain Jimmy John's to link their HotSchedules Back Office (formerly Macromatix) to financial accounting systems. Jimmy John's has approximately 2,300 sites, almost all of which are franchised. "Any site can now integrate their HotSchedules to hundreds of accounting systems for multiple locations in a matter of just a few hours," explained Jim DeFede, Development Manager at GetLinked. On its part, HotSchedules ties to two dozen leading POS ISVs.

At its core, GetLinked has the ability for end-users to import all of their transactions, including sales, payments, refunds, discounts, and taxes. It assigns account numbers from their financial system, and automates the daily import and transfer of balanced transactions. It also allows end-users to select amounts to be automatically transferred to predetermined accounts and to identify variances, stated GetLinked.

In addition, GetLinked can be installed internally, providing Jimmy John's franchise owners with the ability to transfer sales data from multiple locations in one mass transfer. If desired, this information may be reviewed in the cloud. Lastly, franchise owners using an outside firm can have GetLinked accessed remotely for the preparation of financial reports. Overall, GetLinked (part of Accounting Solutions, Inc.) has more than 750 integrations such as HotSchedules (Austin, TX).

Micros Interface for GetLinked

Channel Factoid

Perhaps not surprisingly, more than half of security professionals in IT (53%) feel increased need to succeed, according to the "2017 Security Pressures Report" by Trustwave. Almost half (42%) said their biggest fear following cyber-attacks or breaches was reputational damage to themselves or their company, followed by financial damage (38%) or termination (11%). In terms of operations, shortage of security expertise has emerged as the second biggest pressure facing security pros, at 15%, behind advanced security threats, at 29%. Interestingly, 24% of respondents would rather increase the security skills among staff members than increase the size of their staff (3%). Almost one-third of respondents (30%) rank customer data theft as the most worrisome outcome of cyber-attacks or data breaches. Next is ransomware, at 18%. As for internal vs. external threats, respondents are nearly evenly split on who they are most pressured to protect against, with 49% citing the former, and 51% the latter. Almost two-thirds (65%) felt pressure to roll out IT projects before they had undergone necessary security checks/repairs (although this fell 12% over 2016). "Findings show that the pressures cybersecurity professionals face have become much more personal than in previous years, as executives recognize that pressure does not translate into better performance--instead it may lead to stress, burn-out, and faults," summarized Chris Schueler, SVP of Managed Security Services at Trustwave. "In an era where security talent is at the premium, organizations cannot afford to lose these skilled individuals. You must establish both internal and external allies, [including] Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)."

HELLO GOODBYE

At No Risk at iPayment

Another move for payment processor iPayment, Inc. (Westlake Village, CA), which has engaged Timothy Stahl as its VP, Risk. He brings more than a dozen years of professional experience to this position, having most recently served as VP of Risk Management and Operations for CardConnect (2012 to 2017), where he led 70 team members. He also served as Risk Manager at American Express (2011 to 2012) and Senior Credit Manager at First Data Corporation (2005 to 2011).

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the iPayment team," contributed Stahl. "iPayment is an established leader in the payments space with a diverse and growing portfolio. I am excited to leverage my skills and experience to help the company fuel continued growth and work smarter in and around the area of risk management."

"As we embarked on this search, we knew that we needed to find an individual who was not only experienced in the area of risk management, but also a visionary and progressive leader who will help us drive continued growth and minimize losses," commented Robert Purcell, CFO at iPayment. "Timothy not only has the background and experience, he is also progressive in his approach and extremely results oriented. We're very excited to have him join the team."

Timothy Stahl, VP, Risk, iPayment

Hand Holding in North America

A manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, somewhat under the radar as of now, Handheld U.S. has named Mike Zelman as President. He previously served as VP of Business Development for the Handheld Group and Member of its U.S. Board of Directors (2010 to 2017). As markets for its rugged computers, notebooks, and handhelds, the company lists geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, utilities, construction, maintenance, mining, and law enforcement.

"Mike has been an integral part of Handheld U.S. since its founding," expressed Jerker Hellstrom, CEO of the Handheld Group (Lidkoping, Sweden). "He knows the business and our customers and is an experienced, hands-on leader. He has played the key role in bringing to fruition some of Handheld's most successful global partnerships."

Before Handheld, Zelman was VP of Marketing at Merix (2007 to 2010). Additional positions have included Senior Director of Marketing at Flextronics (2005 to 2007), Director of Marketing and Sales at Trimble (2004 to 2005), and Worldwide Marketing Manager at Agilent Technologies (2000 to 2004). As brands, Handheld U.S., which solicits VARs, has "Nautiz" for handhelds and "Algiz" for tablets and notebooks.

Mike Zelman, President, Handheld U.S.

A Double Play for JDA

Supply chain ISV JDA Software Group (Scottsdale, AZ) has made two major appointments: Mark Morgan as EVP and CRO, and David Rye as SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development. Before his recent promotion, Morgan was SVP for North America Sales for JDA. He joined JDA in 2010, when it purchased i2 Technologies, where he was Senior Practice Director. He replaces Razat Gaurav, who has left JDA.

"Mark has excelled in leading our field organizations in both domestic and international markets," observed Girish Rishi, CEO at JDA. "He is a consummate customer advocate, brings deep supply chain domain expertise, builds strong teams, and collaborates across the organization--all key ingredients to be able to effectively lead our global sales organization. I am also grateful for the contributions Razat has made to JDA, and previously i2, through many years."

In his newly created role, Rye joins JDA from Informatica Corporation, where he served as VP of Corporate Development (2007 to 2012), then SVP of Corporate Development (2013 to 2016). Preceding that, he was Senior Director of Corporate Development for Hyperion (2006 to 2007). He also brings experience as private equity investor at Thayer Capital Partners and Atlas Venture.

"The enterprise software space and the supply chain market are both in a state of enormous change as product innovations, unique service offerings, and new business models emerge," continued Rishi. "In order to continually raise our game, strategically align with our stakeholders, and deliver the most compelling set of solutions in the marketplace, we are bringing on David Rye. We will benefit from his experience in the enterprise software industry and his proven approach toward strategy that creates enormous value, as he collaborates with both external and internal partners."

At JDA: Mark Morgan, EVP and CRO, and David Rye, SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development