Jeremy Julian
Jeremy Julian
So you just upgraded your system to a shiny new POS system. Your software is now at the forefront of technology. You shouldn’t have to worry about PCI compliance at this point, should you? Maybe, maybe not.
PCI compliance… What a fickle beast you are. Even after 20+ years in the hospitality POS industry, consumer card protection is the one topic that never gets old. For those of you without direct experience with it, here’s a little education on the PCI.
Depending on your POS platform, you will either be considered an “on premise vendor” which requires you to fill out SAQ C or SAQ D. Each of these have their own separate compliance, questions, regulations, etc. etc. If you have integrated credit cards in your POS system, you will either be a SAQ C or D. Seems easy enough, right?
The Self-Assessment Questionnaire is a list of questions that the PCI council put together for each merchant to ensure their compliance. Also, the council put together a prioritized approach to the PCI DSS which is outlined in the handy chart below. Depending on where you are on the chart, there are specific things that must be done to stay PCI compliant. Per the chart, your POS is involved with step 1. Depending on the version of software you are running, there could be some card numbers lingering in the system from the pre-PCI days, but most POS providers have built in a scrubbing tool by now to get rid of these.
Step 2 is related to your network. Ensuring you have a perimeter firewall, a log service, monitoring solution to test the compliance is also something that is part of the DSS.
Step 3 also involves your POS system. Ensuring the windows versions are up to date with the latest supplied vendor security patches as well as your POS being on a currently supported version are paramount. The PCI DSS landscape continues to change and every 2 years the POS providers need to ensure compliance. So if your POS version is more than 2 years old, you may not be in compliance; make sure you are on the latest vendor supported versions.
Steps 4-6 are unrelated to the POS section of your business, but are internal business processes that the restaurant needs to comply with.
So in answer to “Since I JUST upgraded my POS, am I automatically compliant?”…maybe. Compliance goes beyond just a safe POS network. You could be doing things like updating the patches to your windows environment, ensuring a properly maintained firewall, doing log management and any number of other things to make sure you are compliant. There are several companies out there to partner with that will help you with compliance if you need further assistance, contact your account manager for clarification.
For more information, visit https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/.
https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/documents.php?category=saqs
SAQ A – Card-not-present Merchants, All Cardholder Data Functions Outsourced
SAQ B – Merchants with Only Imprint Machines or Only Standalone, Dial-Out Terminals. No Electronic Cardholder Data Storage.
SAQ C-VT – Merchants with Web-Based Virtual Terminals, No Electronic Cardholder Data Storage .
These SAQ levels, for the most part, are not applicable to restaurants with integrated credit systems. SAQ C and D are the only ones that are relevant and it depends on your version and method by which you process cards. If you store only tokens, you would use the SAQ C and if you are a standard POS system, you would most likely be a SAQ D – the most intensive category.
SAQ C – Merchants with Payment Application Systems Connected to the Internet, No Electronic Cardholder Data Storage
SAQ D – All Other Merchants and All Service Providers Defined by a Payment Brand as Eligible to Complete an SAQ
If you couldn’t join us as we welcomed Patrick Purcell from Tekmark, click the link below to download the presentation!
ProtectionWebinar
You can also watch the video at this link!
Mobile commerce has really struck a chord in the mind of consumers these days. We’ve already discussed how people love their cell phones, so why not make your restaurant accessible through an app? That’s exactly what our friends at BJ’s did. The team at BJ’s (an upscale casual dining group of restaurants primarily found in the Western US states and Florida) released what they consider to be a game changer for the casual dining industry with their new mobile app.
BJ’s was facing several issues when coming up with the app. First, this chain often sees long waits at many of their stores, a deterrent to some in considering a place to dine. The team also faces strong competition coming out of the fast casual space. In order to combat both of these with one fell swoop, the team developed an iOS and Android app to help differentiate themselves from all of the other fast casual restaurants.
BJ’s worked closely with their front desk solution as well as their POS provider to allow the user to order ahead before arriving at the restaurant. When your table is seated, your order is automatically sent to the kitchen. BJ’s CEO Greg Trojan believes this feature will decrease overall dining time by 25 minutes, creating a better, more efficient dining experience for the guest, but also increasing table turns and decreasing waiting times for those who opt not to pre-order. It also increases efficiency in their takeout and delivery services.
Another game-changing aspect of the BJ’s mobile app is the seamless integration with their loyalty program. As most of us know, loyalty results in increased repeat business, increased brand recognition, and increased sales and word-of-mouth marketing. By integrating loyalty into the mobile app, patrons are earning rewards points almost inadvertently. They don’t have to remember their card, depend on a waiter to remind them of the loyalty program, or any other number of loyalty-program hardships. By integrating the app with their loyalty, BJ’s will also see more consistent data into consumer purchasing behavior to help make other data-based decisions.
BJ’s also tackled the mobile payment topic head on in its new app. In conjunction with the loyalty program, the customer can now also pay for their order through the mobile app. This is not only exciting for the BJ’s team, but it’s an exciting initiative for the fast casual industry. Mobile payments have been hot on the list of upcoming trends for the past several months. BJ’s app is one of the first truly successful integrations we have seen.
BJ’s has jumped ahead of those at Chili’s and Applebee’s because they have embraced the “BYOD” movement instead of depending on tableside kiosks (though these provide some value, too!), all while creating a better, more convenient guest environment while collecting customer data in real time. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Do you think more casual dining brands will adopt this type of technology?
You can download the new BJ’s App for iOS here and for Android here.
If you would like to download a version of the BYOD Webinar Presentation, please click here: BYODWebinar
If you would like to view the presentation, please check out the recording on YouTube here.
June 23, 2014
For more information contact Ryan Williams at Ryan.Williams@CBSNorthStar.com
Press Release
The world as restaurateurs know is about to change. Custom Business Solutions (CBS), the hospitality industry’s leader in technology, is launching its innovative NorthStar Order Entry sales solution for Windows.
Windows users can now experience the industry’s best omnichannel ordering solution. NorthStar Order Entry delivers powerful flexibility through its five ordering methods in one software package. By combining POS, Guest, Kiosk, Mobile, and Web Ordering all from the same platform, hospitality professionals can maximize efficiency and profitability.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for both CBS and our customers. With our new Windows 8 platform, we are able to offer increased flexibility to how restaurateurs run their business,” said Art Julian, CEO of Custom Business Solutions. “Through our partnership with Microsoft, we were able to integrate our software with devices already running Windows 8, whether they are tablets, handhelds, or traditional POS terminals, adding tremendous value to our customers’ businesses.”
Custom Business Solutions pioneered the iPad POS space equipping the first all-iPad restaurant. Now with its cloud-based Order Entry software on both iOS and Windows, users can implement one software solution for a number of needs. From traditional POS, tableside ordering, to integrating web orders to the POS, NorthStar Order Entry will now foot the bill from even more devices.
NorthStar Order Entry will be available in the Windows store Summer 2014.
To learn more, visit CBS at www.CBSNorthStar.com or call 949.380.7674.
About Custom Business Solutions
Headquartered in Irvine, Cal., Custom Business Solutions has been the hospitality industry’s Point of Sale leaders since 1994. Providing the latest technology products and services to the industry, CBS’s NorthStar suite of products pushes the limits of convention and welcomes restaurants to the future of Point of Sale. Combined with its full 24/7 Support, CBS brings something truly innovative to the table. Custom Business Solutions is a company built by restaurateurs for restaurateurs. For more information, contact info@cbsnorthstar.com.
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You’ve been pumping out some of the best eats in the city for a while now. Your sales are good, but you feel like they could be even better. In today’s world of convenience, you have to go where the customer is… and the customer is on the Internet. You decide to implement an online ordering solution… But you are now faced with getting the web ordering system to play nicely with your POS system. Here are three ways that you can get your web ordering to work with your POS system.
The integration to web isn’t as scary as some may think. It really boils down to a matter of determining what your business needs are and then choosing the option that will provide the greatest benefit at a cost that is manageable for your business.
Do you have an integration with your POS system? What option did you choose? Or did you opt for something different? We’d love to know about it. Leave us a comment below!
