Michael Kachmar, Editor
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This Week’s Product Pick
SmartPower Systems (Houston) introduced its SPV Venus UPS Series for POS. Venus UPS eliminates the need for multiple power protection units by providing six receptacles (four battery plus two surge/filtered) for the terminal and peripherals. It incorporates the company’s patented Transformer-Based Filter (TBF) scheme, thus supplying more comprehensive power protection (battery back-up, surge suppression, computer-grade filtration, and voltage regulation) than standard UPS, according to the company. SmartPower Systems also offers adaptor cords for products that use transformer blocks. The SPV Venus UPS Series comes in three models: SPV0400U-TBF with output capacity of 400 VA/240 W, SPV0600U-TBF with 600 VA/360 W, and SPV0800U-TBF with 800 VA/480 W. Units designated “Plus” include an intelligent LCD diagnostic display that monitors performance. Moreover, the compact, lightweight design of the SPV Venus (measuring 13 in. x 4 in. x 5.6 in. and weighing from 12 to 17 lbs.) addresses space limitations while decreasing shipping costs. Lastly, the device comes standard with UpSwing, the company’s proprietary software which monitors the UPS battery and notifies the user on replacement. “Most POS warranties do not cover product issues caused by conditions like lightning, power supply, or source,” stated Bahram Mechanic, Founder and President of SmartPower Systems. “Our power quality products enable POS resellers and software developers to eliminate any loopholes in their equipment warranty programs.”
SmartPower Venus UPS Plus
COMPANY BUSINESS NPC Mustered by Datacap Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA) has added National Processing Company (Louisville, KY) to the list of partners providing usage programs for its integrated payment products. NPC, one of the largest acquirers in the U.S., joins Mercury Payment Systems, Sterling Payment Technologies, MPS Access, SecureNet, TriSource, and Chase Paymentech in cooperatively promoting Datacap’s hardware and software. “NPC looks forward to the opportunity to provide expanded solutions in close partnership with Datacap and its extensive network of system developers and resellers,” observed Tom Wimsett, CEO of NPC. “We’ve created the business model in which the ISO/acquirer community can provide rentals of our integrated payment products as part of their merchant services agreements,” RRN.Com was told by Terry Zeigler, President of Datacap. “We deliver those products strictly through POS dealers, who are compensated to install and support the solution on behalf of the sponsoring ISO/acquirer. We’ve always believed that the ISO and reseller channels are critically dependent on each other in order to prosper long term.” As one of the long-time channel players in payments, Datacap pioneered this go-to-market strategy, which draws together the VAR and ISO worlds in response to merchant-driven demand to move beyond dial-up terminals. “Datacap has spent 20 years developing the necessary framework to make this happen,” Zeigler noted. “We have over 350 interfaces to software developers on the PC-based side, 100 interfaces to non-PC-based systems, including Electronic Cash Registers (ECRs), and the necessary web-based tools to deploy, program, and support our products. That’s our value proposition.” “It’s not that NPC, or any other acquirer, is effectively structured as they exist to embrace POS dealers,” Zeigler explained, “but they need to embrace integrated payments. And because of the wide variety of systems in the market, trained/authorized dealers are the only way to successfully install and support these systems.” Zeigler has coined the phrase “collusion, collision, and cooperation” to describe the current state of play between the traditional POS and payment processing communities. From Datacap’s in-the-middle vantage point, he cautions either side against unrealistic demands and expectations, and suggests reasonable compromise for both channels as the key to success.
Terry Zeigler, President of Datacap Systems Your Very Best Kiosk Idea Up until 11:59 PM, PST, on September 30, you can enter Coinstar’s second annual Next Big Idea contest for new kiosk concepts. Qualified entries will be judged on, among other things, the best solution for the consumer and/or retailer, potential market size and growth, originality, and practicality. Entry forms and complete contest rules are available on the company's website, and the winner will be announced at the Customer Engagement Technology World in New York City on November 10 . “We are delighted to kick off our second annual Next Big Idea contest,” said Greg Kaplan, President/COO of Coinstar, Inc. “As a leader in automated retail, Coinstar is looking to reward entrepreneurs who have an innovative idea for a self-service solution and to identify high-potential companies for future investment opportunities. Last year we saw some great concepts and were pleased to name ecoATM’s solution as the winning idea.” “We were thrilled to have been the winner of last year’s Next Big Idea contest and the recipient of the $10,000 prize money,” shared Tom Tullie, CEO of ecoATM. “Our eCycling stations allow consumers to trade in used electronic devices for cash and store credit. We’re grateful to have been introduced to Coinstar through the context last year. The initial prize money and subsequent investment by Coinstar is allowing us to build our business and broaden our market presence.”
Last Year’s Coinstar Contest Winner, ecoATM, Redeems Used Electronic Devices |
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Worth Your While
VARTECH 2010
BlueStar
August 29-31
Cincinnati, OH
NACS Show
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 5-8
Atlanta
CTIA Enterprise & Applications
CTIA-The Wireless Association
October 6-8
San Francisco
Pack Expo International
Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI)
October 31-November 3
Chicago
AIM Expo
Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility
November 1-3
Chicago
Customer Engagement Technology World
(Formerly KioskCom & The Digital Signage Show)
November 10-11
New York
PARTNER PROGRAMS
Poll-A-Rama in the Heartland
Tri-Technical Systems, authors of PC/Poll and AIMsi POS software, released plans for its fifth annual reseller meeting, Poll-A-Rama, to be held on October 13-14 in Dubuque, IA, at the Grand River Convention Center overlooking the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Poll-A-Rama is an educational event which keeps the dealer network trained on new technologies developed over the past year by Tri-Technical and its partner companies such as Sharp, Casio, CRS, Inc., Payment Processing, Inc., and LAVA, RRN.Com was told by Amber Earles, Project Manager and Event Coordinator for the software developer. It welcomes all existing and prospective Tri-Tech resellers.
During the event, Tri-Tech will be conducting sessions on newly added features to Version 7 of PC/Poll, such as the XLS Wizard for custom report creation, machine cross-linking for data sharing, and suite of utility modules. PC/Poll, as many RRN.Com readers know, collects and reports information from Electronic Cash Registers (ECRs). Also highlighted will be Tri-Tech’s PA-DSS certified Version 9.0 AIMsi POS package, which features add-on modules for common retail business functions.
“Poll-A-Rama is a great opportunity for hands-on and individual education on new software tools and hardware solutions,” Earles commented. “The event allows resellers to talk directly with the development staff, learn from the support staff, meet with partner companies, and network with other resellers already using the software solutions.” For more information, or to register, click here.
Amber Earles, Tri-Technical Systems Project Manager
HID and Seek in North America
HID Global (Irvine, CA) will target the North American market for RFID technology, with key product additions and the naming of David Chose to head direct sales, channel, and distribution strategies. Chose comes to HID with 10 years of RFID industry experience for companies such as Omron, CCL Label, and Texas Instruments. The company’s new solutions feature broadband Self-Resonance Frequency (SRF) capacity from 860 to 960 MHz to support native technical requirements. Products include HID’s EPCglobal Gen 2 UHF On-Metal Returnable Transport Item (RTI) transponder with seven-meter read range and InLine 120/52 UHF tag with high size-to-performance ratio, rugged design, and six-meter read range.
“HID Global’s industry and logistics business is an RFID leader throughout Europe, and now we are extending our business to the North American market for RFID tags that support asset tracking, process automation, healthcare, waste management, and identification of Returnable Transport Items,” declared Marie-Francoise Glotz, VP of Industry and Logistics at HID Global. “With our recent portfolio additions and David’s appointment as North American Sales Manager, we are well-positioned to execute on significant growth initiatives in this large region.”
Research firm IDTechEx said in its July report entitled “RFID Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2011-2021” that 43% of the 2.31 billion RFID tags shipped this year will be sold and used in North America. IDTechEx said it expects the value of the entire RFID market to reach $5.63 billion in 2010, up from $5.03 billion in 2009. This encompasses tags, readers, and software/services for cards, labels, fobs, and all other form factors.
HID’s InLine 120/52 UHF RFID Tag
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INTEGRATION
Rose Colored Clouds for ERP
RoseASP (San Diego) announced commercial availability of myGPcloud, its Microsoft Dynamics Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) on-demand, cloud-based offering. This new service delivers all of the accounting, business intelligence, and financial management features of Microsoft Dynamics GP, according to the service provider, as well as automated on-line provisioning, training videos and guides, template set-up, and technical support. It also integrates with third-party portals, SharePoint, and Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) systems. RoseASP, the division of Microsoft Gold-Certified Rose Business Solutions, has specialized in hosting Microsoft Dynamics GP since 2000.
Here’s where things get even more interesting. In its recent survey of 1,600 Microsoft Dynamics partners, RoseASP found that 80% of respondents were competing with hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions from other companies. To address this, myGPcloud will be marketed to Microsoft resellers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) working the mid-market. Participants will receive ongoing software revenue and can bundle consulting and technical support services to generate additional income, RoseASP noted
“Businesses of all sizes need the speed and flexibility of cloud computing for an increasing variety of applications,” proposed Linda Rose, President of RoseASP. “They can be running myGPcloud in minutes rather than days thanks to unprecedented set-up features, and can try out the service for one month without cost. The scalability, ease of use, and lack of risk make myGPcloud a great option for those seeking a strong, reliable, and proven mid-market ERP solution in the cloud.”
Hosted Microsoft Dynamics GP for Resellers and End-Users
Take Me Down to Payroll City
Payroll City (Colorado Springs, CO) launched its POS Interface Module for its end-user payroll processing service. This program, installed independently from each businesses’ timekeeping system, fully integrates with all functions of existing software, and helps restaurant owners submit accurate and up-to-date payroll. Notably, it supports major POS platforms such as Micros, Aloha by Radiant, Aldelo, Digital Dining/Menusoft, and Revention.
The new build automatically gathers all of the pertinent information that is stored in each client’s timekeeping system, encrypts it for security, and submits the data to Payroll City for processing. Payroll City also includes enhancements and settings personalized for each restaurant, supplying additional functionality. Further, since the module stands alone, it remains unaffected by software upgrades, according to the service provider.
“Our POS Interface Module now makes it easier for restaurants to process payroll with one click,” related Kathleen Fox, owner of Payroll City. “The restaurant industry can now have full control of their payroll through the use of their current system, while allowing them to reduce costs and time from previous lengthy payroll preparation. After installation, any changes made in their existing system are automatically updated within payroll, resulting in fewer mistakes and more accurate results.”
Kathleen Fox, Owner of Payroll City
Code
Corner
Escalate Retail (San Diego) has added its new Web Services Manager (WSM) layer to its Blue Martini Commerce Suite to simplify and streamline integration across retail channels. Blue Martini spans commerce, contact center, order management, and so-called clienteling functionality, in order to help retailers profit from today’s rapidly changing shopping environment. (The later, clienteling, involves frequent, personalized communication with customers to develop strong relationships.) WSM gives customers the ability to quickly and easily expose all of the business logic contained within their commerce platform to any device, using any technology, whether it’s kiosks, mobile, POS, digital signage, social networks, or external sites, according to the vendor. By maintaining common data and business logic, all critical information--such as product details, customer preferences and purchase history, log-ins, store inventory, and wish lists--becomes easily accessible at every customer touch point. Further, Escalate WSM delivers superior scalability and flexibility, with multiple communication service styles, 64-bit architecture, and standards-based methodology. “With the addition of WSM in the latest release of our commerce platform, the cost of integrating systems and achieving ‘all channel commerce’ is much lower for our customers,” indicated Mike Julson, CTO at Escalate.”Not only can retailers decrease their costs, but the ability to quickly open up new channels and touch points will help drive additional sales by giving their customers even more ways to shop with their brand.”
ALLIANCES
What’s NeXT for Inventory Control
DataWorks, Inc. (Bonita Springs, FL) has implemented its NeXT inventory control software in Ameristar’s network of regionally placed casino properties. For this purpose, enterprise edition of Scaled Sardine Version 6 was installed with dual interfaces to pre-existing Micros and InfoGenesis by Agilysys POS platforms. Also activated were multiple access groups and levels of user rights for complete system control across all levels of the supply chain, according to the two parties. Legacy data was converted out of Ameristar’s long-running ARMS inventory software from DataWorks.
“We began the upgrade process with Ameristar by conducting demos, providing quotes, and answering RFIs in late 2008,” recounted Chuck Ginsberg, COO for DataWorks. “Almost a year later, after investigating other systems, the Ameristar team chose to retain DataWorks and upgrade to NeXT. They also added their newest property, East Chicago, to the enterprise system, bringing their total sites implementing NeXT to six. We couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership and provide our expertise to further enhance their retail operations.”
DataWorks also has announced the launch of SmartSpoke, its new POS interface for NeXT inventory control. Significantly, SmartSpoke employs FTPS protocol to pull inventory down from the hub and push sales and customers back up. By making POS communications proactive rather than passive, the new bridge eliminates the need for any communication listener on the POS side while boosting Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, according to the developer. SmartSpoke will ship first for Microsoft Dynamics RMS, with integration for the Micros 9700 to follow.
Ameristar Casino Property in Black Hawk, Colorado
Micros Turns Double Play
Chase Field and the Arizona Diamondbacks have selected the Micros 9700 Hospitality Management System (HMS) to support all food and beverage sales throughout the stadium. The solution contains 240 of the newly released Micros Keyboard Workstation 270’s as well as 26 Motorola MC-55 handheld devices for in-seat service at the club level. As an added benefit for fans, and upselling opportunity for the arena, Micros 9700 accepts loaded tickets as payment at the POS through STADIS software from International Micro Systems (Aston, PA). Uniquely, this combination provides complete sales information with check and menu-item level detail by guest, including the location where goods were purchased.
“We selected Micros for its superior software and hardware product offerings as well as its ability to reuse our existing hardware, while at the same time delivering a rich and robust POS solution,” reported Kenny Farrell, Director, Ticket Development and Operations for the D-Backs. “The integration between Micros and STADIS allows our operations to evaluate the buying patterns of our loyal fans in real time. Micros has been a great technology partner.”
Micros also has been tapped as the exclusive POS provider for The Counter Custom Built Burgers, which runs 24 domestic and two international sites. The Counter features an extensive list of menu items-- 312,120 different burger combinations, believe it or not--and thus required quick and efficient order entry. Micros Restaurant Enterprise Solution (RES) supports such screen flow, while mymicros.net delivers reporting and business intelligence throughout the organization, according to Jeff Weinstein, Founder/CEO of the Counter.
Micros Keyboard Workstation 270
Key Advertiser Links
Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.
POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
ScanSource
POS & Peripherals
Logic Controls
Posiflex Business Machines
POS-X
POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR
Barcode & Mobile Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Godex International
Barcode & Transaction Printers CognitiveTPG
Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS
Data Collection Terminals
Datalogic
Mobile
Janam Technologies
Data Collection Software
Wavelink
Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Receipt
Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics
Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters
Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA
Video Surveillance & Access Control
ScanSource Security
HELLO GOODBYE
Hurd Gone From HP
Perhaps there’s someone who missed the news that Mark Hurd suddenly resigned his position as Chairman, CEO, and President of Hewlett-Packard Co. (Palo Alto, CA), following an investigation of sexual harassment by one of HP’s outside contractors. This investigation determined there was no violation of HP’s sexual harassment policy, but did find contradictions with HP’s standards of business conduct, as well as $20,000 of questionable expense accounts. Hurd, or course, formerly served as CEO of NCR, so he’s no stranger to the POS industry. Cathie Lesjak, HP’s CFO, will assume his duties on an interim basis as the world’s largest IT company looks for his replacement.
Hurd said, “As the investigation progressed, I realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect, and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career. After a number of discussions with members of the board, I will move aside and the board will search for new leadership. This is a painful decision for me to make after five years at HP, but I believe it would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time. I want to stress that this is no way reflects on the operating performance or financial integrity of HP.”
“The scale, global reach, broad portfolio, financial strength, and, very importantly, the depth and talent of the HP team are sustainable advantages that uniquely position the company for the future,” stated Lesjak. “I accept the position of Interim CEO with the clear goal to move the company forward in executing HP’s strategy for profitable growth. We have strong market momentum and our ability to execute is irrefutable as demonstrated by our Q3 preliminary results.”
Mark Hurd, Former Leader of HP
[Editor’s Note: Hurd’s shocking departure has far too many tributaries to be reported adequately in RRN.Com’s format. For more information, visit the general business press. In particular, we found Joe Nocera’s column in The New York Times Business Day, posted on August 13, to be particularly enlightening.]
Elavon Elevates Passilla
Elavon (Atlanta) has promoted Mike Passilla to CEO/President. Passilla, who replaces Stuart Harvey, Jr., most recently served as EVP at Elavon, leading business development. In his new position, he has been charged with extending Elavon’s global reach through partnerships and generating organic growth in existing markets.
“Mike epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit and drive that has propelled Elavon to its position of being a trusted global leader in the payment processing industry,” commented Pamela Joseph, Vice Chairman, U.S. Bancorp, which owns Elavon. “I am confident that he will do a great job building upon Elavon’s current momentum.”
“Elavon is the recipient of the financial industry’s current flight to quality,” Passilla said. “The market for payments is constantly evolving, and Elavon has the strategic relationships, technology infrastructure, and financial resources necessary to remain the best global commerce company in the industry.” Passilla has more than 20 years of sales, marketing, and operational experience in the high-tech industry. Before Elavon, he held the title of President, North America, for Inforte Corporation, provider of managed services.
Channel Factoid
With more than half of enterprises already supporting personally-owned mobile devices, CIOs have turned their attention to management and security, according to Forrester Consulting. For 49% of respondents to its recent survey, ensuring regulatory compliance is their top IT security priority, particularly for industries such as financial services and insurance. In terms of policies, 86% of respondents in such industries have already deployed passwords for security. Other popular strategies include full disk encryption (71%), remote lock/wipe (64%), and asset and activity visibility and management (66%) across all types of mobile devices. Finally, within the next two years, 43% of enterprises surveyed plan to deploy Over-the-Air, or OTA, configuration management. “It’s clear to see that mobile device management and PC management are converging,” observed Jim Szafranski, SVP, Customer Platform Services for Fiberlink Communications, which sponsored the study. “Over 80% of firms are concerned about malware, hackers, and identity theft--all issues previously associated with computers, not mobile devices.”
CERTIFICATION
Paving the Way to SAP
The Mobile Integration Suite from Psion Teklogix (Hebron, KY) has been re-certified by the SAP Integration and Certification Center, or SAP ICC. Specifically, Psion Teklogix's MIS 3.0 now integrates with SAP ERP 4.7 to facilitate voice-picking applications. Psion Teklogix customers can use the middleware in conjunction with the company’s Speech Process Analyzer (SPA), which tracks worker productivity in real time. Another key component of Psion Teklogix's MIS is TekRF software, which provides mobile barcode and RFID support.
“Through the re-certified integration of our software by SAP, our customers and partners can quickly integrate their Psion Teklogix products with SAP applications for warehouse management control,” remarked Ron Caines, President of Worldwide Sales at Psion Teklogix, which also joined the SAP PartnerEdge program. “We remain committed to providing industry-leading solutions for logistics and inventory management. Psion Teklogix will continue to work with our customers and partners through our open innovation model to further enhance and improve upon our mobile software and solutions and enable future opportunities for innovation.”
Earlier this summer, Psion Teklogix announced its new partner program, which focuses heavily on community and co-creation of mobility products through collaboration between customers, resellers, and developers. This effort is structured around three tiers--silver, gold, or platinum status--and offers “best-in-class” tools, including discounts, marketing materials and funds, and technical support and training. It also establishes the Psion Teklogix Partner Council to solicit feedback from select resellers.
Voice Picking Via Psion Teklogix’s Mobile Integration Suite
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