This Week’s Product Pick

Panasonic Solutions Company (Secaucus, NJ) announced its plans to bring an enterprise-grade Android tablet to the market in Q4. This new Toughbook product will feature 10-inch XGA multi-touch display with sunlight-viewable screen, active stylus for signature capture, and security embedded at the hardware level, according to the manufacturer. Other features to be offered will include satellite-based GPS, full-shift battery life, professional-grade accessories, and optional 3G/4G mobile broadband connectivity. In addition, the new device will deliver the durability and ingress protection consistent with the Toughbook brand. "Enterprise customers are very interested in the tablet market, but have been frustrated by the lack of appropriate solutions," reported Rance Poehler, President, Panasonic Solutions Company. "The vast majority of tablet devices--regardless of the OS--are engineered for consumers and don't offer appropriate levels of security, durability, or functionality. Like all Toughbook products, our Toughbook tablet will be designed and constructed with the mission-critical mobile user in mind."

Toughbook Tablet
From Panasonic

COMPANY BUSINESS

Posiflex Powers Up

Posiflex Business Machines has shipped its KS6900 fan-free POS terminal, the latest entry in its flagship KS family. Powered by an Intel Atom 1.8-GHz CPU, with 1-GB DDR3 memory and 160-GB SATA HDD, the KS6900 boasts performance more than double that of the popular KS6215, in order to run more robust applications. "The KS6900 fills mid-market touchscreen/POS terminal requirements looking for the balance between power, functionality, and price," RRN.Com was told by Ron Chan, Director of Marketing for Posiflex USA (Haywood, CA). "As such, it sits between our KS6215 and KS7315 products, with specific features our partners have been requesting."

"Bearing the long legacy of Posiflex quality and reliability, the KS6900 features our patented die-cast aluminum alloy housing for maximum heat diffusion, as well as no moving parts and splash resistance," Chan continued. "In addition, Posiflex carries out stringent third-party HALT and HASS testing to ensure all products meet vibration stress standards, with the ability to operate in a wide range of environments regardless of temperature or humidity. For the reseller, all this translates to maximum uptime and customer satisfaction, resulting in greater profit margins and fewer service calls and RMAs."

Significantly, the KS6900 brings additional Serial and USB ports (four and six, respectively), as well as "textured bezel" with an illuminated logo that can be customized. Configuration choices include 15-inch (KS6915)  or 17-inch (KS6917) screen size, infrared or resistive touch, second LCD display, and base stand or wall mount. The terminal supports Microsoft POSReady, Windows XP Pro, Windows 7 Pro (32 or 64 bit), and Linux. Chan added that the KS6900 is now in stock at the vendor's distributors--BlueStar, ScanSource, Metropolitan Sales, and Ready POS.

New KS6900 From Posiflex

Avnet Courts NRF

Avnet Technology Solutions (Tempe, AZ) has joined forces with the National Retail Federation Foundation to help its resellers in the U.S. obtain the NRF's Professional Retail Business Credential. Additionally, Avnet is now qualified in the distribution industry to proctor the examination for this certification, which measures and validates reseller knowledge of key retail disciplines. Candidates can earn the Professional Retail Business Credential by passing an online, 75-question assessment, managed through Avnet's RetailPath practice.

Seven key areas are covered: retail operations, merchandising, sales and marketing, retail management and planning, the retail context and customer, the retail organization and human resources, and warehousing and logistics. "The NRF Foundation's Retail Business Credential is the industry standard for assessing the business partner's expertise in the retail market," stated Kathy Mance, Executive Director, NRF Foundation, the education arm of the NRF (Washington, DC). "We are pleased and impressed that Avnet is making the investments to bring this certification to the value-added reseller community."

"Avnet's vertical market strategy provides our reseller partners with an end-to-end, multi-phased educational process to gain the skills needed to successfully pursue market opportunities in highly specialized industries," declared Michael Houghton, VP of Vertical Market Solutions for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "We will now be preparing our partners to attain retail industry certification, which will be the first of several new vertical market education offerings from Avnet. With the NRF Foundation Professional Retail Business Credential, our partners will be able to demonstrate that they have an in-depth understanding of retail operations and the market knowledge needed to serve as trusted advisors."

Michael Houghton, VP of Vertical Market Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas

Worth Your While

RetailNOW 2011
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 24-27
Orlando

VARTECH 2011
BlueStar
August 15-17
Miami

AIM Expo
Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility
September 26-28
Las Vegas

NACS 2011
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 1-4
Chicago

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Zenius Evolves From Evolis

Evolis (Miami) has unboxed Zenius, its next-generation single-sided plastic card printer, described as extremely flexible and strongly focused on the end-user. With Zenius, Evolis has re-engineered its print engine, software, and consumables in an attempt to improve ease of use and print quality. A Classic Version has been made immediately available, with an Expert Version scheduled for Q4 that will allow multiple encoders to be combined for personalization of technology cards, for applications from tamper-proof access control to payments.

New Evolis Premium Suite software includes the company's advanced configuration and printing manager, which facilitates monitoring and provides pop-up notifications on the printer's status. Likewise, the Evolis High Trust family of consumables has been developed to enhance graphic performance and simplify routine tasks. For easy handling, the new ribbons are supplied in cassette format with an RFID chip. This helps the printer identify the ribbon type and configure all settings accordingly.

Built with recycled materials, Zenius complies with stringent energy-saving directives, according to Evolis. "These key steps towards environmental standards and guidelines have been achieved with no impact whatsoever on what remain our top priorities at Evolis: quality and reliability," remarked Christophe Peraudeau, Product Manager at Evolis, which has its headquarters in France. Xenius is extremely quiet, Peraudeau noted, as befitting its intended placement at welcome desks, sales counters, and school offices.

Zenius Single-Sided Card Printer

No Quarters, No Problem

Heartland Payment Systems, MicroPayments Division (Chattanooga, TN), has unveiled the next generation of its WaveRider Laundry System, which delivers wireless payments and account management. Similar to the card reader on gas pumps, WaveRider eliminates the need for quarters or reliance on closed-loop laundry schemes; instead, customers may pay for laundry services using any major credit or debit card. The new version of the technology meets PCI data security standards, features upgraded reporting capabilities, and allows laundry operators to supervise their facilities online from remote locations.

"As plastic continues to become the preferred method of payment and debit cards replace cash for small-ticket transactions, it should come as no surprise that using quarters to do laundry can be viewed as an inconvenience," observed Ron Farmer, Executive Director of MicroPayments for Heartland. "As we move towards the 'cashless society', Heartland's WaveRider makes it easy for laundry facility operators to adapt to this growing trend. An affordable, reliable, convenient, and secure method of accepting credit and debit cards, as well as cash if so desired, WaveRider is also vertically integrated--we provide the hardware, software, and card processing, resulting in significant cost savings."

WaveRider's web-based account management portal is dubbed WaveCentral. It allows laundry operators to review revenue in real-time, as well as adjust or change prices (in non-quarter increments). Alerts may also be set for individual machine downtimes. Moreover, another portal, WaveVision, allows customers to view the online status of washers and dryers before they make the trip to the laundry, as well as receive text messages when their clothes are ready.

WaveRider Laundry Payment and Management System

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ALLIANCES

An NFC-Connected Restaurant

An unusual partnership has proposed the "Connected Restaurant," which seeks to employ RFID, and near-field communications (NFC) in particular, in order to empower diners. UPM RFID (Fletcher, NC) and CustomerIn Systems (Vancouver, BC, Canada) have developed the concept and are now looking for beta test sites in the hospitality industry. As envisioned, the system combines NFC-enabled smart-phones, the Connected Restaurant application, UPM RaceTrack and UPM BullsEye RFID tags, Wi-Fi, and manager's dashboard.

Under the scheme, when diners enter an establishment, they download the Connected Restaurant application by tapping their phone against an NFC-tagged poster at the front desk. Customers may use their new tool to check in, request certain tables, browse specials, read reviews, and order appetizers and drinks. A text message informs them when their table is ready.

When seated, customers next tap their phone against tagged menus to receive detailed information about entrees, such as ingredients, calorie counts, and sodium levels. Even further, they can use their phone to summon waiters, monitor their orders, and request checks. In the near future, the Connected Restaurant will be integrated with foodservice reservation and billing systems, according to its developer, providing restaurant owners with turn-key self-service solutions capable of handling more customers. Led by Fred Rego, President, CustomerIn Systems supplies location-based and enterprise mobility software; interestingly it also engineered "Battleship for iPad," one of the most popular games for the platform.

Manager Dashboard for the RFID Restaurant Scheme

Payment Processing on the Go

Cynergy Data (Long Island City, NY) has launched payment processing for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry through an agreement with AirCharge (Libertyville, IL), which specializes in mobile solution sets. AirCharge complies with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express regulations as well as protocols for receipt printing. Its software furnishes compatibility with major cellular network providers and computer manufacturers, allowing merchants to change equipment or carriers whenever they choose, according to the new partners.

"AirCharge maps to our LUCY gateway and is fully integrated with our VIMAS account management system," explained Kevin Smith, EVP for Business Development at Cynergy Data. "That means our sales offices don't need to add any other vendors, pay any additional gateway fees, or order any other equipment. And it means their merchants get real-time batch monitoring and reporting and back-office automation, all at no extra charge."

AirCharge offers its AirBlue Mini, an all-in-one bundle of card swipe reader and printer that comes with carrying case, rolls of receipt paper, wall charger, and USB cable. "This is a simple and complete turn-key solution for merchants who want to process all forms of payment from anywhere and everywhere, using their cellular phones, PDAs, or computers," noted Richard Hoffman, COO at AirCharge. "Our partnership with Cynergy Data allows us to bring these solutions to market at very low cost of entry."

AirBlue Brings Swipe and Print Functionality

Code Corner

Cloud9 (Redwood City, CA) debuted the Summer '11 release of its SaaS forecasting and pipeline management add-on for Salesforce CRM customers. This new build makes Cloud9's core forecasting and pipeline "what's changed" features more accessible to non-technical sales leaders and sales representatives, according to the developer. Now, when users select the Cloud9 tab in Salesforce CRM, they access the homepage that presents pre-configured bookmarks that link to answers to commonly asked forecasting and pipeline management questions. These bookmarks may be arranged to focus the sales organization on the most relevant activities at various points during the week, month, or quarter and also may be coded as New, Favorite, and Updated. In addition, company control has been enhanced with an Administrator Console that allows IT supervisors to pre-configure, organize, and shareviews of Cloud9 Pipeline Accelerator, Cloud9 Dashboards, and Cloud9 Commitments. Finally, to provide maximum response to high volumes of queries, the Summer '11 Release adds persistent cache technology to increase system memory. "Cloud9's Summer '11 Release offers larger sales organizations the means to achieve an entirely new level of forecasting and pipeline management process excellence," stated Neil Mendelson, VP of Products at Cloud9. "It addresses our customers' desire to share their best practices across the entire sales organization, enabling all users to gain insight and take action at the appropriate time throughout their sales cadence."

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Quantum Eye on Customer Service

Vision-1 (Huxley, IA) and Agilysys (Solon, OH) will tackle the thorny issue of customer service through joint marketing of Vision-1's Customer Response Ability (CR-A) POS survey and market research solution. For the retail community, CR-A software displays select questions via POS, PIN Pad, or PDA, capturing customers' perceptions along with other data related to that particular transaction and at that moment in time. The resulting data stream can be used to drive real-time operational and management reporting, serving as the basis for continuous process improvement in customer service, according to the two parties.

"The partnership between Vision-1 and Agilysys takes advantage of each organization's core strengths, creating a powerful, easily integrated customer feedback tool," commented Brian Alexander, VP of Services Delivery at Agilysys. "The resulting solution brings significant efficiencies--and an ROI--to the collection and analysis of customer input that is acquired at the point of purchase. Because of Agilysys' retail expertise and relationships, the CR-A solution is market-ready both for Oracle and IBM POS platforms."

"With continuous data measurement available through electronic delivery of survey questions and the capture of responses in real time at the transaction level, a perpetual customer service performance management system is established," added Lois Pannkuk, CEO of Vision-1. "This real-time data collection produces a scorecard of results for multiple levels of recognition and rewards so important to the management of customer service performance. The compounding effect of improved customer service performance offers the opportunity for significant changes to Customer Lifetime Value, Average Customer Lifecycle, Average Customer Spend, and any rate of ACS decay."

Vision-1's Real-Time Data Silo

[Editor's Note:  Agilysys also announced general availability of its InfoGenesis Roam mobile software add-on for InfoGenesis POS. Designed for use with the iPod Touch, this new software allows employees to move throughout the property to offer food and beverage services.]

Filling the Cloud with FIM

Trustwave (Chicago) has taken file integrity monitoring (FIM) onto the cloud in an effort to extend its appeal across customer segments. In keeping with its name, FIM checks for additions, modifications, or deletions of sensitive files or other stored data, thereby helping end-users identify malware or malicious activity. As SaaS, Trustwave FIM reduces cost and takes the operational burden off customers because all configuration, monitoring, and reporting is performed by Trustwave.

"This solution is the most cost-effective way for customers to get these critical security controls in place and address compliance requirements at the same time," suggested Robert J. McCullen, Chairman, CEO, and President of Trustwave. "With the seemingly unending assortment of cyber attacks, FIM is an essential tool for early detection of a potential breach."

Never lacking for news, Trustwave also announced it will provide its security architecture to EVO Merchant Services (Melville, NY) for support of Level 4 merchants. Trustwave's TrustKeeper features the PCI Wizard, which simplifies the complex PCI DSS compliance process, according to the two parties. Additionally, TrustKeeper Agent helps merchants identify when unencrypted cardholder data gets stored, helping to reduce the risk of theft. "It was important to partner with a compliance provider that could manage our large merchant portfolio and its varied industry types, as well as our smaller sub-ISO distribution network," said Jeff Rosenblatt, President at EVO Merchant Services. Research from Trustwave has determined that 90% of data breaches occur in Level 4 merchant environments.

Trustwave Seal of Approval

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
Casio America
Logic Controls
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Software - Retail
Tri-Technical Systems

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Software - Hospitality
Aldelo Systems

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Mobile Marketing & Loyalty
Sundrop Mobile

Pay at Table
Bellatrix Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

INSTALLATIONS

Ziosk at Your Table

TableTop Media (Dallas) has completed the first phase of deployment for its Ziosk touchscreen device to 30 Chili's locations in St. Louis, Chicago, and Central Illinois owned by ERJ Dining, LLC. Rollout follows 90-day testing in four Chicago outlets of ERJ Dining, the largest Chili's franchisee with 122 restaurants in the Midwest, all of which will be outfitted by the end of Q3. "We could not be more excited about partnering with ERJ Dining," stated Jack Baum, CEO of TableTop Media, which entered the scene in 2006. "Together, we are changing the landscape of casual dining and bringing the digital age to the tabletops of brick and mortar establishments."

Ziosk seeks to marry restaurant functionality, customer relationship management, and popular entertainment. Stationed at each table, the terminal features 7-inch touchscreen, PC, and credit card reader. Guests may view promotions, play games, watch movie trailers, sign up for e-clubs, order drinks or desserts, take surveys, and pay on demand when they are ready to depart. Through all these touchpoints, Ziosk puts control in the hands of the customer.

"Guests love to be able to pay their checks when they are ready and have entertainment on the table during their visit," indicated Mike Bova, EVP of Operations for ERJ Dining. "And beyond the improvement in guest satisfaction, we've been able to see benefits of increased sales of promoted items while reducing costs associated with labor and operations." Indeed, the restaurateur has seen table turns reduced by three minutes, higher per-person check averages, and significant lift in its loyalty club enrollment.

Ziosk Entertainment and Payment Terminal

Chicken Fingers for DigitalPersona

DigitalPersona (Redwood City, CA) will supply its U.are.U Fingerprint Readers to Sailormen, Inc., the largest Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits franchisee in the U.S. with more than 140 locations throughout Alabama, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. Prior to the use of fingerprint biometrics, managers at the restaurants utilized swipe cards to authorize overrides and voids, and employees logged in with pass codes. Last year, Sailormen installed Maitre'D Software from Posera-HDX (Toronto) as its POS system.

With the biometric readers for time and attendance, employees can no longer punch in for one another, dramatically reducing payroll fraud, according to DigitalPersona. In addition, because of fingerprint identification, employees cannot mis-use the manager's card for transaction authorizations, ensuring proper business and loss prevention practices. Finally, cards and passwords are easily lost, stolen, or forgotten, proving expensive and time-consuming to replace.

"The numbers from the American Payroll Association on time theft are astounding. It can cost businesses up to 5% of gross payroll, amounting to billions of dollars of losses every year," remarked Jim Fulton, VP of Marketing for DigitalPersona. "Our fingerprint biometrics solution effectively combats attendance fraud as well as unauthorized voids and overrides, helping restaurants, such as Popeye's, realize significant ROI within the first 30 days. A growing number of merchants are telling us these savings alone can pay for an entire POS refresh."

Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits Goes Biometric

Channel Factoid

Spending on IT in the hospitality industry will increase in 2011, with enhancing the guest experience cited as the top driver for investment, according to the Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality Market Barometer. In particular, decision makers intend to increase spending on mobility (cited by 56%), encompassing new hardware, advanced wireless networks, and high-speed access for their customers and workforces. Overall, improved guest experience was cited by 76% of hospitality venues surveyed, for applications such as wireless e-mail, guest/attendee check-in, table-side order/payment, and event ticketing. Managers, security personnel, and customer service associates--not surprisingly--are the primary users of mobile and wireless devices: 71% of supervisors use smart-phones, 52% of security carry radios, 19% of ticketing agents are equipped with Voice-over-IP (VoIP), and 26%  of property managers employ tablets. In the area of networking, 75% of hospitality companies already have WLAN installed in their facilities. Going forward, 42% of respondents with existing WLAN expect to be fully upgraded to 802.11n by the end of 2012. Respondents to the survey included hotels, tourist attractions, casinos, and restaurants, mostly mid-sized to large companies with at least 2,000 employees.

HELLO GOODBYE

GTS Puts Charge into Sales

Global Technology Systems, Inc. (Framingham, MA) has enlisted Jerome "Jerry" Bobinski, Jr. as its VP of Sales. In his new role, Bobinski has been tasked with providing sales leadership and opening new market opportunities. GTS designs and delivers battery packs, chargers, and power management technology for portable devices from OEMs such as Harris, Intermec, Motorola Solutions, and Zebra Technologies. It also serves as the exclusive worldwide manufacturer of Honeywell Batteries.

"Jerry's background in senior sales positions for major providers of mobile devices make him an ideal fit at GTS," shared Michael Grosberg, VP and COO of GTS. "He is a highly qualified sales professional. With the growing demand for our products and services, Jerry will help us address new market opportunities while deepening the relationships we have with our current customers."

Prior to joining GTS, Bobinski held senior sales and business development positions at various mobile device equipment suppliers, including Zebra Technologies and Symbol (now part of Motorola Solutions). In these capacities, he consistently displayed the ability to grow revenue, helping to sharpen sales efforts as well as develop accounts in strategic vertical segments, according to his new employer.

Jerry Bobinski, VP of Sales, Global Technology Systems

Larimer Lands at Motorola

Motorola Solutions (Schaumburg, IL) has recruited Juliann Larimer as its MSSI VP of Global Strategy, Programs, and Governance. In this position, Larimer has overall responsibility for the company's global channel strategy as well as implementation of its PartnerEmpower program. Larimer is well-known to readers of RRN.Com, having served as VP of North American Channels at NCR Corporation and VP of North American Channel Sales and Marketing at Zebra Technologies. At Zebra, she developed and launched the PartnersFirst program.

Motorola Solutions also announced it intends to add 400 workers over the next 18 months. This hiring will take place at its headquarters campus outside Chicago. New workers will fill positions in support of customer-facing operations including services, sales support, and system integration, according to the company.

"The Chicago area has been our home for more than 80 years and we are pleased to announce that we will bring more jobs to the city," said Greg Brown, Chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions. "We believe Chicago is a world-class location known for its close partnerships with the business community."

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Juliann Larimer, VP of Global Channel Strategy, Programs, and Governance, Motorola Solutions