HP's ElitePOS designed for retail 2.0

HP Inc. is reimagining the retail industry with a versatile all-in-one point-of-sale (POS) system, the HP ElitePOS. The company is transforming the in-store experience by enabling the right balance of technology to help increase sales while streamlining processes.

HP research has found that 69% of shoppers would be more likely to buy in-store if given access to digital self-help tools like interactive displays and kiosks¹, for example.

The HP ElitePOS.

“As retailers seek new ways to interact with customers and reinvent in-store experiences, technology must empower sales associates and engage customers in a way that feels like a natural extension of the brand,” said Daren Ng, Director of Mobility Solutions, Asia Pacific and Japan, HP Inc. “The new HP ElitePOS solution is built for versatility with a sleek and stunning design that can adapt to multiple retail and hospitality environments, while still offering the security, performance and long-term durability that our customers expect from HP.”

The ElitePOS features a modular design with modern lines, unlike the familiar large, boxy POS terminals commonly used in retail environments. Its design is also functional, supporting use cases beyond checkout: interactive signage, employee attendance, and self-service applications like a customer check-in and access to additional product offerings in the “endless aisle”.

For retailers who want a clean and clutter-free counter space, or who need greater versatility in the placement of their point-of-sale terminal, the display can be separated from the input/output (I/O) base for maximum placement versatility.

Accessories add further customisation options. An optional receipt printer that integrates into the column stand, and an optional magnetic stripe reader built into the display, create a cleaner counter space for retail environments. The optional barcode scanner and optional standalone printer offer a consistent design aesthetic across peripherals.

The ElitePOS is built to be retail-durable. It is MIL-STD tested², will handle minor spills by channelling liquid out the device, and provide efficient cooling with side venting for improved

reliability.

"Line-busting" - disrupting queues by serving people who are mid-queue - is easier with Windows 10, fast DDR4 memory, and 7th generation Intel Core products and services.

“As the retail and hospitality industries undergo a revolutionary shift, the point-of-service device will be a critical hub in delivering the in-store experience for customers,” said Leslie Hand, VP, Retail Insights, IDC.

“But with this rapid transformation in digital business also comes increased threats, in the form of targeted attacks and malware. Retail POS systems, including the new HP ElitePOS, must be able to balance the growing needs of the customer and the brand while also acting as a guardian of the sensitive information that passes through the device on a daily basis.”

With point-of-sale devices increasingly targeted by hackers, security continues to be top of mind for the retail industry. According to Verizon, 64% of breaches in the retail industry that contained data loss were caused by point-of-sale intrusions³. This has led HP to expand its security solutions to the ElitePOS with both hardware and integrated software security features, including:

• BIOS-level device security to provide protection in the event of a malware attack with HP Sure Start Gen³, a self-healing BIOS, and HP BIOSphere Gen³ firmware ecosystems.

• User authentication technology, including an optional fingerprint reader for secure login; Credential Guard⁴ for secure user authentication and password protection, and Device Guard⁵, which lets IT managers create rules to run only signed, trusted, and approved applications on the POS system to help protect against walk-up and low-level attacks through USB ports.

• Physical security of the device itself with an optional bolt-to-counter configuration, VESA mounting K-Lock features and external fingerprint reader for secure login through Windows Hello⁶.

1 2016 Reality of Retail Report, InReality.

2 MIL STD 810G testing is pending and is not intended to demonstrate fitness for US Department of Defense contract requirements or for military use. Test results are not a guarantee of future performance under these test conditions. Accidental damage requires an optional HP Accidental Damage Protection Care Pack.

3 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR).

4 Requires Windows 10 Enterprise Edition.

5 Windows 10 Enterprise and Device Guard are only available for installation through HP Custom Integration Services to enterprise customers with a volume license to use Windows 10 Enterprise. Device Guard is not available with Windows 10 Pro.

6 Mounting hardware, lock cable and biometric fingerprint reader sold separately.

Epson launches mobile POS printer

Epson, a printing and digital imaging solutions specialist, has launched the TM-m30 point of sale printer. Designed for tablet-based systems, the Epson TM-m30 is one of the smallest desktop receipt printers in the world, and ideal for retail and hospitality businesses looking to move towards a smart device-controlled POS system.

Source: Epson Singapore. The Epson TM-m30 POS printer.

The TM-m30 is designed for fast and trouble-free setup on iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices. Its ePOS-print technology enables direct printing from any tablet, laptop or mobile device through the web browser, without the need to install or update drivers.

It comes with a wide variety of connectivity options including USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth, as well as near field communications (NFC), which enables the printer to be easily paired with another device. Wireless printing and communications via QR code pairing as well as Wi-Fi communications via an optional Wi-Fi adapter are also supported.

The printer allows for flexible placement and can be placed horizontally or vertically, with flexibility of front or top loading options. It also comes with an optional wall mounting bracket for the smallest retail environments. Paper-saving features include backward paper feeding for printing of other information such as a corporate logo.

“Occupying only half the size of a traditional POS printer, the Epson mobile POS printer is the first of its kind in the market and is designed exclusively for today’s advanced POS environment. Its superior connectivity and ease of set up makes it the ideal solution for businesses looking to enhance their business retail operations, and to move towards a seamless tablet POS system,” said Tan May Lin, Epson Singapore’s General Manager (Sales, Marketing & Customer Service Division).

Interested?

Address enquiries to Epson Singapore

Increase effiiciency for hospitality and retail with Epson solutions

Epson Singapore, a provider of point-of-sales (POS) and labelling printers, showcased its latest POS solutions to streamline operations and enhance cost efficiency for the food and hospitality industries at Food&HotelAsia2016 (FHA2016). FHA2016 is the premier trade show in Asia that focuses on food and hospitality products and solutions from around the world.

Epson worked with system integrators Enterprise Advance System Intelligence (EASI) and POS Square to transform its booth at FHA2016 into a theme park with ticketing and F&B scenarios to show how its POS and labelling printers can be seamlessly integrated into hospitality and F&B operations. The setup offers solutions from front-of-house to the kitchen, enabling service and kitchen staff alike to focus on the customer and the business.

The scenarios also feature previews of the compact TM-m30 receipt printer and versatile TM-P80 portable receipt printers, the first such previews in Southeast Asia. Set to be launched towards the later part of this year, both products are ideal for tablet POS environments, as the TM-m30 can communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth or Ethernet, while the TM-P80 connects through both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

In the theme park scenario, customers can order tickets and a meal together on an interactive touch screen or tablet. With rising wage costs and an increasingly tighter labour market facing food and hospitality operators, as well as greater consumer and industry acceptance of self-service concepts, Epson has partnered with EASI to feature a self-service kiosk concept for the first time at FHA 2016. The offering enables delegates to expedite basic ordering, ticketing and payment functions, providing convenience, control and choice for the customers while reducing staffing requirements.

Once payment has been made, the Epson ColourWorks TM-C3510 label printer prints out child and adult wristbands for entry, as required.

The codes printed on the wristbands can be read by a scanner on the turnstile, allowing entry for valid wristbands.

Valid wristbands allow turnstile entry.

Information on meals ordered as part of the theme park package or at a restaurant is sent wirelessly to the Epson TM-m30 receipt printer so that order tickets can be printed, giving the kitchen a headstart on cooking the food.

A tablet can be mounted above an Epson TM-T82 receipt printer to form a compact, advanced cash register.

Kitchen staff use an interactive touch screen powered by the TM-T88V-DT, which can control other POS devices such as the Epson TM-m30 receipt printer wirelessly to process orders. Staff can indicate when the queued order is being processed, and also when it is ready for collection. Every order that is marked as ready for collection triggers the printing of a collection ticket on the TM-m30 printer that can be paired with the food. At the same time the TM-T88V-DT ensures the display of the order number at the collection counter, so that the customer can pick it up. 

Different types of tickets can be printed on the receipt printer to manage workflow. The same wirelessly-connected receipt printer can be used not only for order tickets, but to print an indication of when the food has been prepared and is ready for collection, as well as another ticket to indicate that the food has been collected.

Products showcased include:

The Epson TM-P80 mobile receipt printer (background) is
larger than the TM-P20 in the foreground as it
accommodates receipts with a width of 3". It is designed
to be worn by wait-staff who can then process an order
and print a receipt for it on the spot.

Epson TM-P80 mobile receipt printers: Coupled together with a tablet/smart device, the new TM-80 allows servers to place orders and process payment anywhere, anytime. The TM-P80 combines the portable form factor introduced in the TM-P20, with compatibility with the industry standard 80mm receipt width.

Epson TM-m30 receipt printer: allows for either top or front access configurations to suit different POS setups, and has sleek lines for modern businesses.

The compact Epson TM-T82 all-in-one receipt printer

Epson TM-T88V-DT all-in-one printer: This cloud-enabled printer features an integrated terminal hub and web server that manages point-of-sales peripherals over the web. The TM-T88V-DT’s integrated storage also ensures that orders can be tracked, stored and processed again even if the network is down.

Epson ColourWorks TM-C3510 label printer, which comes with templates for coloured labels, wristbands and tickets, and the

Epson TM-T70II receipt printer, which is the smallest in its class.

“F&B and service operators are facing thinner margins even as rental and manpower costs continue to escalate. It is imperative that businesses continue to explore technology to streamline processes and automate manual operations to increase productivity and manage costs. We believe the Epson range of POS solutions will offer an integrated, efficient and (lower)-manpower intensive option to support our customers’ needs, so that they in turn can focus on their customers and bottom line,” said Tan May Lin, Epson Singapore’s General Manager (Sales, Marketing & Customer Service Division).

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post on Epson's next-generation mobility and payment solutions at FHA2016

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about:

Office pantry ideas from FHA2016
The FHA2016 roundup

New food launches at FoodAsia2016

How Singapore food manufacturers strategise for success

What's new at FHA2016

Read the Suroor Asia blog posts about:

The Halal Supermarket at FHA2016

Halal products at FHA2016

Announcing the Halal Supermarket at FHA2016

New McAfee Threats Report identifies two major security challenges

McAfee Labs has released the McAfee Labs Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2013, highlighting the increased threat from credit card theft. The company also said problem software is increasingly disguised to look legitimate, making the likelihood of getting infected more likely.

Each quarter, the McAfee Labs team of 500 multidisciplinary researchers in 30 countries follows the complete range of threats in real time, identifying application vulnerabilities, analysing and correlating risks, and helping to protect enterprises and the public.  

Detailed research of the high-profile Q4 credit card data breaches found that the point-of-sale (POS) malware used in the attacks were relatively unsophisticated and likely purchased “off the shelf”. McAfee Labs’ ongoing research into underground markets further identified the attempted sale of stolen credit card numbers and personal information known to have been compromised in the Q4 retail breaches. The researchers found the thieves offering for sale some of the 40 million credit card numbers reported stolen in batches of between 1 million and 4 million at a time. 

“The fourth quarter of 2013 will be remembered as the period when cybercrime became ‘real’ for more people than ever before,” said Vincent Weafer, Senior VP for McAfee Labs. “These cyber thefts occurred at a time when most people were focused on their holiday shopping and when the industry wanted people to feel secure and confident in their purchases. The impact of these attacks will be felt both at the kitchen table as well as the boardroom table."

In the fourth quarter alone, McAfee Labs found more than 2.3 million new malicious signed applications, a 52% increase from the previous quarter. The practice of code-signing software validates the identity of the developer who produced the code and ensures the code has not been tampered with since the issue of its digital certificate. The vast majority of growth is due to dubious content development networks (CDNs). These are websites and companies that allow developers to upload their programs, or a URL that links to an external application, and then 'wrap' it in a signed installer. 

“We can see from the threat statistics in the Q4 report that Asia Pacific comes in third place after North America and the Europe-Middle East market, with 8.4% of servers hosting suspect content here,” said Wahab Yusoff, Vice President for McAfee South Asia. 

“Although only a rather small number of suspicious content is hosted in Asia, we should remain vigilant and monitor the situation as cyber attacks don’t know physical borders.” 

The McAfee Labs team warns that the growing number of maliciously signed files could create confusion among users and administrators, and even call into question the continued viability of the long-established certificate authority (CA) model for authenticating “safe” software. 

“Although the expansion of the CA and CDN industries has dramatically lowered the cost of developing and issuing software for developers, the standards for qualifying the identity of the publisher have also decreased dramatically,” said Weafer. 

“We will need to learn to place more trust in the reputation of the vendor that signed the file, and less trust in the simple presence of a certificate.” 

Click here to read the full McAfee Labs Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2013 report.