Whenever I’m asked to comment on the unprecedented change and disruption the channel has seen over the past 18 to 24 months, the natural ‘default’ position is to talk about a whole array of things including the ‘as-a-service’ models, public/private cloud, digital transformation, AI, and data analytics. However, having time to reflect, I do wonder if this disruption is simply down to the fact that everything is cyclical, and a generational shift is at play.
The Wall Street Journal’s homepage on January 17 featured a headline that included the words “IT Firm.” VARs and MSPs take note: a fellow solutions provider is caught up in a nasty, politically-charged debate being litigated on a national scale. Obviously, your clients are not paying you in large sums of cash handed over in plastic Wal-Mart bags. This story is preposterous in so many ways, and it’s far outside the realm of what’s normal for how VARs and MSPs operate. As absurd as the entire situation might be, this story does raise a few legitimate questions about IT service provider business models that are worth rehashing.
Getting to Plan B: Breaking Through to a Better Business Model is a must-read for leaders in the channel who come from a tech background and not from a business background. Here are some of the top takeaways for VARs.
In a sweeping interview for Channel Executive Magazine, seasoned IT executive and SRC Technologies President and CEO BJ Havlik shared the wisdom behind his new-solution onboarding philosophy. In doing so, he zeroed in directly on the relatively new client IT security training opportunity.
I just returned from the Ingram Micro ONE event in Washington, DC and here’s what I liked most about it. If I’ve heard one vendor or distributor exec implore a crowd of their VAR and MSP customers to do something innovative, something non-traditional, with their clients, I’ve heard a million.
We dedicate a good amount of editorial to encouraging VARs to innovate, to add to their line cards, and to transition their business models. We should spend more time reminding VARs the importance of keeping existing customers happy by ensuring your customer support operation is up to par.
The salon and spa industry are categorized under wellness, the state of being in good health. After all, everyone wants to look and feel good and these services accomplish both. According to IBIS World, “Salons and spas in the United States generate $4 billion in revenue each year. From 2012 to 2017, the industry grew at an average annualized rate of 1.8%.” Salons and spas typically generate profits through the provision of both services as well as product sales.”
Operating a mobile food truck often means that your merchant must be able to make changes on the fly. Whether they operate a taco truck or an ice cream truck, a key to success in the mobile food business is to be able to work quickly and accurately.
If you’re like most people, when you’re handed a 30-page contract, you skim over it, make sure it looks okay and sign on the dotted line. When it comes to payment processing, resellers should cross all the t’s, dot all the i’s and read it from cover to cover. Yes, it may take some time, but that dedication could save your merchants’ hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and even your reputation.
According to Accenture, “The most expensive component of a cyber-attack is information loss, which represents 43 percent of costs.” It is not uncommon for businesses to maintain at least some sensitive data. If your merchants are not taking steps to protect their information, they could be at risk.
The evolution of the payment industry dates back thousands of years. Whether it was the early days of bartering goods and livestock, or the introduction of precious metal coins and leather money, we’ve come a long way. As time marches on, we see a shift from paper currency such as checks and dollar bills to credit card payments. No longer is cash the true king.
This paper addresses the security of Sennheiser DECT Contact Center and Office (CC&O) headsets. It describes the DECT security chain comprised of “Pairing”, “Per Call Authentication” and “Encryption”, which are all part of the standard DECT protocol.
Bluetooth® is a wireless technology standard for exchanging voice and data over short distances between Bluetooth enabled devices. Ericsson introduced Bluetooth to the market in 1994 to overcome the challenges of connecting devices with different types of technology and communication protocols.
Your client’s online presence matters — and it matters in a big way. Resellers can help clients grow their businesses and simultaneously deepen their relationships by guiding them in the use of digital tools and explaining why they matter.
Sennheiser is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones, and wireless transmission systems. With 20 sales subsidiaries and long-established trading partners, the company is active in more than 50 countries and operates its own production facilities in Germany, Ireland, and the USA.
| RSPA stands for Retail Solutions Providers Association. We are the only association dedicated to the retail technology industry. |
Webroot delivers intelligent cybersecurity for endpoint, mobile and web to channel partners, consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. Powered by its BrightCloud® collective threat intelligence network, Webroot protects the internet of everything. Our cloud-based threat detection, high performance, lightweight agents, and single, web-based point of control have changed the way businesses think about protecting mobile devices, PCs and servers. Named a ‘Visionary’ in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, Webroot’s smarter approach to security is why companies including Cisco, F5 Networks, GateProtect, HP, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, RSA and others choose our solutions for advanced threat protection for their security products and services.
Shif4 Payments is a leading national provider of touch-screen point of sale (POS) systems and payment processing services. As pioneers of the "as a service" model, Shif4 Payments offers an unprecedented "free" POS program that allows the company's sales partners to offer a full-featured POS system with no up-front costs.
CloudBerry Lab™ is a vendor for CloudBerry Backup, a leading cross-platform cloud backup and disaster recovery solution integrated with major public cloud services, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform, and almost every S3-compatible or OpenStack based cloud storage service.
| ConnectWise is the leading business management solution designed exclusively for technology organizations, such as IT solution providers, MSPs, software companies, hardware/software resellers, and System Integrators. |
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You know developing a documentation rhythm will benefit you, but with so much to document, where do you start? We get it. You’re swamped with information and data, and it’s all important for different reasons. That’s why we’ve developed 6 steps to get you started, and mastering, your documentation.
Does documentation ever seem like a daunting task that’s missing a clear starting point? We get it. With so much crucial information to document, it can be difficult to nail down how to do it. However, the key to mastering your documentation is to first master the use of documentation templates. Not only is a documentation template going to increase company-wide consistency and save you a ton of time, but it’s going to help you get started.
In the past few years, there has been a significant effort to curb debit and credit card fraud, especially through the integration of mobile and EMV payment processing. However, while these platforms tend to be effective shields against bogus payments, merchants should still seek to do more when it comes to ensuring they and their customers aren’t hit by fraud on a regular basis.
Everyone has skin in the game when it comes to security within the payments ecosystem. Consumers need their account information protected to avoid fraud, merchants need to safeguard all data they collect to avoid liability for breaches, and payment processors need to avoid payouts for fraudulent losses.
In just the last few years, the retail and hospitality industries have been prime targets for a multitude of cyberattacks. Point of sale (POS) systems have been particularly vulnerable, with debit and credit card readers being targeted in an effort to steal confidential financial information. While some of the most well-known victims of cyberattacks on POS systems have included Target and Home Depot, restaurant chains Chipotle, Chilis, and Applebees were also affected recently as a result of malware.
Data breaches are a continual risk for companies of all sizes that must maintain customer data. The situation has now evolved into a question of not if a business will become the victim of a data breach, but when and how many times it will happen. A data breach is defined as, “the intentional or unintentional release of secure or private/confidential information to an untrusted environment.
APG’s NetPRO® interface for cash drawers are available in both wired and wireless configurations and will communicate with retailer’s mobile POS devices for cash drawer control. NetPRO® cash drawers have the ability to collect transaction data, supplying the information necessary to identify security issues and to validate cashier training. NetPRO® cash drawer access alert features can activate security cameras, time and date stamp security video recordings, and broadcast alert messages to a store manager’s mobile devices.
The Caddy™ SP Organizer is a slim profile POS integration tray that brings easy cable routing and organization to APG heavy duty cash drawers.
Sleek and streamlined, the Caddy™ SPM cleans up your work space cabling and allows positioning of your LCD display for greater productivity. Reposition your LCD to organize your POS workstation with just a touch.
Owner/Executive Coaching is a one-on-one engagement with the principal(s) of the business. These typically are focused on one or two areas of the business where the principal does not have experience or is struggling with implementing a solution. Executive Coaching is also used to help accelerate the company’s growth and ensure your growth objectives are met.
