Monday, February 27, 2017

Cloud Retailer on an iPad

Wow - so Cloud Retailer has been a big discussion topic over the last few months. Cloud Retailer has been around for several years but has been picking up interest for the following reasons:
  1. Statewide entity that operates multiple retail outlets has signed on to have Cloud Retailer deployed at all locations across the state by April of 2017.
  2. Cloud Retailer combines the best of of what cloud based POS and local/Windows POS offers
  3. Cloud Retailer offers a unique pricing structure between subscription based and full upfront POS solutions.
  4. Payment security that meets or exceeds industry requirements.
  5. Direct migration from Microsoft Dynamics RMS AND discounted licensing costs for Dynamics RMS users.
One museum that I have been working with wanted to know if Cloud Retailer can be used on a Mac or even an iPad. Rather than just talking about it, I created a video showing Cloud Retailer (manager only - sales are done on a Windows device - including the Surface Pro) running on my iPad Air.


An impressive 61 million iPads were sold in 2022 alone according to TabletFeast, highlighting the immense potential of using iPads as a POS system for your business. By adopting this strategy, you can save a considerable amount of money while reaping the benefits of this technology.
 
Pretty cool! Do contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with questions or for more information. Cloud Retailers website is www.cloudretailer.com

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Retail Management Hero Loyalty Program Webinar Link

Great video of a webinar explaining how the loyalty program for Retail Management Hero works: https://vimeo.com/205437044

Great information! Contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for more information on Retail Management Hero.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Cloud Retailer: An Additional Option for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Users

While Retail Management Hero and Retail Realm Essentials are great replacement software programs for retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software, some RMS users have expressed interest in a cloud based point of sale system that uses a subscription based pricing structure. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail being a bit new, I wanted to share some details about Cloud Retailer as a replacement point of sale system for RMS.

Cloud Retailer combines the best of what cloud based and locally deployed point of sale systems can offer by having the sales part of the software run locally on Windows devices and the manager/admin part of the software be accessible via a web browser (including Mac's and iPads). Cloud Retailers pricing is also designed so some costs are paid "up front" and other costs are paid monthly or annually.

Having core retail features and functions is standard with Cloud Retailer as is the ability to be customized for specific vertical markets like Beer, Wine & Tobacco, Trampoline Parks, Mobile Businesses like Locksmiths, and Parks and Recreation Organizations. Cloud Retailer can scale according to the location and number of users easily and does not require on site servers to run. The latest payment security standards are also exceeded when using Cloud Retailer with approved payment terminals like the PAX S300.

Perfect for the first time or the experienced retailer, Cloud Retailer also offers migration options for Microsoft Dynamics RMS users that not just include the transfer of your data from RMS to Cloud Retailer but also some pricing discounts that apply to all RMS users.

I've created a very basic video overview of Cloud Retailer which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiVrZT3uBnQ

More information on Cloud Retailer can be obtained by contacting me directly or by visiting www.cloudretailer.com

Friday, February 17, 2017

End of Life Notice Regarding: PAX Terminals & PIN pads

To our Valued Customers and Partners,  

As part of our continued focus toward providing our customers and partners the highest level of service, quality and security, PAX wants to inform you of our plans to End of Life (EOL) certain MT30, S90 GPRS, S90 CDMA and S58, S80 terminals as well as certain R50, SP30 and SP20 Secure PIN pads with PCI versions 2.x and 1.x. Here are the affected part numbers for these models:
    • MT30: MT30-00L-052-01EA
    • S90 GPRS:S90-SG0-031-01EA, S90-EMG2, S90-EG2
    • S90 CDMA: S90-0C0-032-11EA
    • S58: S58-M0L-032-01EA
    • SP30:SP30-231, SP30- 211A, SP30-00L-132-12EA, SP30-00L-032-13EA
    • SP20: SP20-130-4E0
    • S80:S80-M0L-063-02EA, S80-EML0, S80-EM0,  S80-M0L-032-11EA
    • R50:R50-101-1E0
Note: The S80 (S80-M0L-363-02EA), S90 GPRS (S90-MW0-363-01EA), S90 CDMA (S90-MC0-363-01EA) and SP30 (SP30-00L-263-01EA)with PCI 3.x are not impacted by this announcement.   The important dates listed below signify the termination of device support and availability:  

Final Order Date: PAX will cease taking orders for all configurations of the terminals listed above after April 1, 2017.   

Customers will have the opportunity to submit a final order for the product or for spare parts until the Final Order Date. 

Final Ship Date: PAX's intention is that all orders placed prior to April, 1, 2017 will be shipped no later than April 28, 2017. 

End of Development Date: There will be no new PAX sponsored hardware, application enhancements or software development upon receipt of this notice. Software bug fixes will continue until the End of Service date (below).   

Repair support will be available for customers for two years after the final ship date, as component availability permits, unless otherwise explicitly agreed between PAX and its customers. 

End of Service Date: On April 30th, 2019, service and repair of all configurations of the aforementioned devices will be discontinued.  Spare parts will not be guaranteed to be available after this date.

PAX recommends and encourages our customers and partners to initiate plans to migrate your end-of-life products and applications to an alternative PAX product. The PAX terminals provide affordable and higher performance successor products that meet today's most stringent PCI security standards. Please contact your local sales person for additional information or visit the PAX web-site at http://paxtechnology.us/#. 


PAX is one of the fastest-growing POS terminal providers in the world. PAX has been serving the global retail marketplace for over ten years and has distribution in over eighty countries shipping over 10 million terminals worldwide in recent years. PAX offers a complete line of products and services supported by extensive R&D capabilities. In addition to a most competitive pricing model, quality assurance is the company's top priority which enables PAX to have a strong advantage in the marketplace.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Quick Shout Out to Some New Customers - Welcome!

A quick shout out to some businesses and organizations that recently signed on with me for point of sale technology solutions:
  1. Boise Ranch Golf Course - Boise, ID: new hardware and an upgrade to the most current version of the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software. Pictures of the install appear below the post.
  2. North Dakota Parks and Recreation: Cloud Retailer and Card Defender at all of the states Park and Recreation facilities (BIG project).
  3. Archie McPhee - Seattle, WA: Card Defender EMV for Microsoft Dynamics RMS
I am thrilled to work with these businesses and organizations to make life easier for you!

Boise Ranch Golf Course Installation Pictures (the snow had melted and they are open - yeah!):



Friday, February 10, 2017

Another payment security breach with a well know chain: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/02/fast-food-chain-arbys-acknowledges-breach/

All I can say is Arggg - this is happening so often and yet the technology is available to all businesses to prevent this type of a security breach. Simply put:

  1. Ensure that your Malware and Virus software is active and up to date 
  2. Have payment processing technology like Card Defender that meets or exceeds industry security compliance standards
OK 'nuff said - lets hope that your retail store has already taken the steps to protect your customers payment data.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Do I still Offer Consulting Services?

I've had a couple of retailers contact me wondering if I still offer point of sale system consulting services. The short answer is "yes" but with the following stipulations:

  1. Hourly rate is $125 which is billed in 15 minute increments via my employer.
  2. The first 15 minutes is free.
  3. Travel expenses may apply for in person assistance.
  4. I can consult outside of the different point of sale solutions that RITE offers (I've worked with around 20 different POS systems total).
  5. If you do happen to purchase a POS system from me, the consulting fees (less any travel) can be deducted from the cost of the POS system.
Even if I can't provide you with the system that you need, I can help you select the best system and connect you with the best resource.

I've helped organizations with anywhere from 1 to 297 locations find the best point of sale system over the years and can be reached at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Whats the Deal with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail?

As Microsoft Dynamics RMS users start to think about plans for beyond July of 2021, more and more options are becoming available. While Retail Management Hero is the least expensive and least stressful migration option for most RMS users (pending the release of the RMS HQ replacement for Retail Management Hero come the end of 2017 which should scale up nicely for RMS users with multiple locations and will not be cloud based as previously reported), Microsoft Dynamics 365 has some retail/point of sale functionality that might appeal to retail chains who want a cloud based solution to save on hardware expenses.

Dynamics 365 allows for the modular based approach like Dynamics AX does and features a very robust enterprise level solution that would appeal to retailers with multiple locations and/or complex operations.

A single user license cost for Dynamics 365 - including the retail module - is $12,600 over the course of 5 years so retailers really need to balance costs/needs against other solutions. It basically boils down to factoring all costs associated with a POS system over the course of 5 to 7 years (hardware, software, network, deployment, support, updates, network, etc) against what your organization needs in a POS system.

More information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail can be found at https://explore.dynamics.com/operations-retail or please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.