New Years Resolutions

As physical inventories are wrapped up and we head in to 2014, here are a few things that should be on your New Years Resolution List (all business related):

1. I will stay current (or become current) on any point of sale software maintenance agreements which will help make sure that I comply with the new MasterCard Unique Terminal ID requirement coming up in April 2014 and the EMV requirement coming up in fall of 2015.
2. I will learn one new feature/function within my point of sale software each month to make sure that I am getting the most out of my point of sale system.
3. I will budget and plan ahead for new hardware that will need to be purchased in 2015 to meet EMV requirements.

Pretty easy list!

As a reminder, I am not currently affiliated with any point of sale companies or manufactures but have 14 years of experience working with retail, restaurant, and museum point of sale solutions. You can reach me at 208-340-5632 (business hours - mountain time) or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you have any point of sale related questions.

Another Potential Major Credit Card Security Breach

Another potential credit card security breach has been reported - this time involving Target.  While it may seem like only larger retail chains are the targets of credit and debit card information theft, a small regional chain or even single  location retail stores can be  targeted as well (no pun intended).

I've posted multiple times in the past but another security breach just reinforces that you need to make sure that you are taking all precautions to protect your customers payment information.  This means that everything from your router to your firewall settings to making sure that your point of sale software is up to date needs to be checked on at least a monthly basis.

Major overhauls that will effect everyone who accepts debit and credit cards are still 1-2 years away so preventive action must be taken on your part to avoid fines and loss of revenue should your point of sale system be compromised.

Talk to your point of sale partner and the company that handles your merchant services to make sure that you are taking all the correct precautions to prevent payment information theft.

Here is a link to more detailed information from CNN on the latest potential breach:
http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/18/news/companies/target-credit-card/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Retail Pro Expands International Reach

Aside from the upcoming credit and debit card mandates coming up in 2014 and 2015, it can be tough to find any actual news related to point of sale software that isn't self-promotion or just information on software improvements.

Since I previously worked extensively with the Microsoft RMS Store Operations and RMS HQ solutions, I was able to work with a global audience that included customers outside of the United States.  It appears that the folks Retail Pro are taking advantage of the specialty retail store market outside of the United States as well.

Retail Pro is focusing expansion efforts in to Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.  This will mean that Retail Pro point of sale software will be available in a total of 87 countries. Having a global solution helps  solidify a point of sale software program in the specialty retail market since that means that a company has the resources to adapt the software for differences in languages, currency, math, and cultural differences.  This also makes the software solution attractive to retail stores who may have multiple locations in different countries.

You can read the complete press release by clicking here.

As a reminder, I am not currently affiliated with any point of sale companies or manufactures but have 14 years of experience working with retail, restaurant, and museum point of sale solutions. You can reach me at 208-340-5632 (business hours - mountain time) or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you have any point of sale related questions.