Data Protection - To Backup or Not To Backup

As the technology evolves, more aspects of our daily lives intertwine with electronic devices. Most people nowadays use some form of electronic device daily and interact with them for just about everything that we do. All these electronic interactions leave a “footprint” of the person using or

interacting with and through these devices. That is the reason for the on-going emphasis of businesses to protect personally identifiable information of the consumers. These electronic footprints also represent data that could be analyzed to produce valuable information for just about any purpose. This is why data protection is vital in this increasingly electronic world.

So what do you, as a business owner, need to know about data protection? The basic step is to make a backup of your electronic data. The first questions for data backup is what to backup and how often. With the advance of data storage device, it may seem that we can backup anything and everything. That maybe true for home and small businesses. However, as your system collects more data and your information pool increases, this may not be the best way. A few things you should consider. First, how do you control the ever increasing data that are being backed up? You might want to take into consideration what information is valuable for your reports and analytics. Take some time to come up with a parameter and build your data backup and protection strategy. Another thing to consider is how to contain the increasing need for data storage. The simplest way is to increase the size and the number of storage device. If you do so at the time when your existing storage space is near capacity, you may not have the time to plan for the best strategy. Take time to plan your data storage need for the next few years and re-evaluate the need periodically. This could provide you with a more efficient system that allows for modular growth. As your data grows, the managing of the process and data analytics could become more time consuming. When possible, consider automation for every process with a way to audit these processes to ensure completion. The last thing you need to consider is the method for system recovery. Invariably all electronic devices fail. It’s not how it fails that impact your operation, it’s how you recover from a system failure. You want to treat this like a drill so that you have a way to recover quickly from a system failure. It is a good investment for you to test and verify your data recovery process periodically. This will not only validate your recovery process but also the backup process to ensure that when the real system failure occurs, you already have a proven solution for a quick and hassle free recovery.

Gryphon™ Desk General Purpose Corded Handheld

With rich feature sets and extensive model options, the Gryphon product series from Datalogic Scanning represents the premium level of data collection equipment for general purpose applications.

The Gryphon series of corded linear imagers offer outstanding reading performance in an ergonomic form factor. Extremely versatile and durable these readers are the ultimate solution for applications in retail and light industrial environments where low resolution and/or damaged codes need to be read with consistent and reliable performance.

The Gryphon Desk products are available in several model options. The Gryphon D1X0 set offers standard support for 1D codes including GS1 DataBar and offers two multi-interface options: D110 for RS-232/IBM 46XX and the D130 for USB/RS-232/Wedge/Wand Emulation. The Gryphon D130 is also available with long range optics (D130 LR) for extended reading distances up to 43.0 cm / 16.9 in (13 mil EAN and 100% UPC codes). The Gryphon D230 standard range model adds additional symbology support for stacked codes including PDF417 and GS1 DataBar/EAN/UPC composite codes.

Featuring Datalogic’s exclusive patented ‘Green Spot’ for good read feedback directly on the code; it helps to improve productivity especially in noisy environments. When the readers are used in Stand Mode, the Green Spot remains on to aid in positioning the code for quick and intuitive reading. Datalogic’s patented PuzzleSolver™ decoding algorithm guarantees outstanding performance on poorly printed or damaged codes and advanced data editing and data formatting modes are available to format the collected data as required by the application software. The Datalogic Aladdin™ configuration program provides user-friendly features that simplify the start-up procedure, even for inexperienced users.

Note: Reprinted from Datalogic Web

IRUG EMV Announcement

Last Month at the IRUG (International Retail Users Group) meeting in Anaheim, CA the IRUG’s

EMV/Mobile Payments Focus Group held their 3rd major event to review and discuss EMV and mobile payments and released an EMV retailer roadmap document located at the link below:

At this meeting there were many discussions regarding to the ROI of implementing EMV in the members’ retail store locations and they all ended up concluding there is no ROI to implement EMV at the current time. Since there are still very few compatible cards that have been issued and implementation of EMV would need at the minimum new pinpad terminals to read these cards, a large expense with a small downside, leads one to not implement EMV. It will be interesting to watch as the responsibility shift date of October 15th nears to see if any of the landscape changes.

http://www.ibmretailug.org/EMV/04-05-2013%20IRUG%20EMV%20Retailer%20Road%20Map.pdf

The Value Of Maintenance On Your POS System

As an Independent Grocer always looking to improve your business and cut costs it can be tempting to see your annual maintenance expense on your POS system as unnecessary. Understanding the

mindset and the temptation to reduce maintenance expenses, there are many third party service organizations trolling the market offering plans with a significant cost reduction.

However, the technicians are not trained by the manufacturers and are not as highly skilled and capable of resolving issues quickly. Also, the quality of replacement parts are not equivalent and there is a reduced service level and dedication to issue resolution.

Choosing a service provider like this can be a costly mistake. The POS system is mission critical and some unfortunately don’t perceive the value of quality support until it is too late. Below is a breakdown of the three types of maintenance offered by STCR:

Hardware maintenance: Consists of Contract Management, Asset Management, Remote Diagnostics, Call Dispatch and Coordination, Call Tracking, Call Resolution, Incident History

Software maintenance: Consists of Access to software developer support and are entitled to upgraded software levels (upgrade implementation services not included)

Remote Help Desk Support: Consists of 24x7x365 access via phone internet and email, Remote diagnostics, Call tracking, Call resolution, Remote program upgrades, Answering 'how to' questions, Software personalization changes, Some setup and configuration changes, Tax table updates, Backup verification, Disaster recovery, Incident reporting, Closed call automatic notification, Satisfaction follow up call backs, Online Help Desk portal access to open new calls and review call history.

As you see the list of valuable benefits is extensive and the costs are fixed. Without this coverage you run the likely risk of costly excessive down times and service bills on an as needed basis, software upgrade license fees, and all the other intangible costs of your system not performing properly and tying up your personnel. Typical to most service organizations, resources are prioritized for maintenance clients. Don't make the mistake of leaving your business exposed to these unavoidable situations, and remember as your equipment ages the likelihood of these failures increases. By using a service oriented company with a customized coverage plan in place that provides peace of mind and allows you to focus on the other important aspects of growing your business. Protect your investment and know you are covered bumper to bumper. If you have any questions or needs regarding STCR maintenance offerings speak to one of our knowledgeable Sale Representatives.