POS Integrator Capitalizes On PCI Compliance With $31,000 Install

Calvert Woodley is a beer, wine, and liquor retailer that also offers customers a deli with cheese, coffee, and other miscellaneous food products. The retailer was experiencing a host of problems with its POS  (point of sale) system, which hadn't received a major upgrade since 2000. One of the most significant problems was a lack of PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. While not compliant, Calvert Woodley's POS system was susceptible to hackers and theft of credit card information, which ultimately placed the retailer in the position to incur hefty fines and a blow to its reputation should nefarious activity take place.

To solve its problems, Calvert Woodley turned to Innovative Computer Solutions (ICS). After discussions with the retailer's ownership, ICS implemented a new POS system to address not only the PCI compliance issues, but also slow card processing speeds, lack of card reporting capabilities, and failing hardware. The combined solution included five new cash register systems, which include Star Micronics receipt printers, Motorola hand scanners, and APG cash drawers. In addition, ICS installed two Dell PC-based workstations with Star receipt printers and Motorola scanners, used specifically in the wine department to allow customers to research wines.

ICS also installed its own Vision Software, designed specifically for beer, wine, and liquor retailers. The new software system integrates with VeriFone's IPCharge, a secure, Web-based payment gateway service that enables credit and debit card payment transactions from any computer with an Internet connection and Internet Explorer. "We were able to interface IPCharge with Vision Software in less than a month," says ICS' Tony Pitale. "VeriFone provided us with support as needed to make the process as trouble-free as possible."

The utilization of IPCharge has given the retailer the ability to reduce card processing times fivefold while gaining additional real-time reporting capabilities as well as Web-based access and historic data retention. The complete installation cost the retailer $31,000.

While Calvert Woodley has benefited from the installation, so too has ICS. With this installation, ICS has expanded its market reach and envisions more sales opportunities in the coming months with the IPCharge product.