ETA Annual Meeting Day 1: Mobile Payments and PCI

By Mike Monocello, chief editor

Over the past few years, as VARs and ISVs have shown increasing interest in incorporating payment processing into their portfolios, Business Solutions magazine has responded with an increase in coverage of the payment processing space. For me, this increased coverage has culminated with my first trip to the ETA Annual Meeting and Expo. As with our editorial aimed at providing VARs and ISVs education on important topics pertaining to card processing and security, it's my hope that this event will yield information you find valuable.

While the ETA Annual Meeting and Expo technically began on Monday, April 12 with a full day of education, it was Tuesday evening that the event officially kicked off with an opening reception in the exhibit hall, technology product showcase, and 20th anniversary gala and president's dinner. In the short time the floor was open, I managed to sneak in a number of interviews and collect some details on breaking news.

Without a doubt, the common talking points at the show centered on mobile payments (using mobile devices like cell phones) and PCI (tokenization being the buzz word). What's this mean to VARs? Two great opportunities you have at your disposal right now. Mobility isn't going away. On the contrary, demand for mobile payments is increasing rapidly. While there were many vendors showcasing mobility solutions, I did capture a quick demo of one from Infinite Peripherals.

Additionally, no matter which PCI deadlines come and go, the need to maintain PCI compliance will remain. In short, there will always be a need to provide payments security to your merchants. One exhibitor, Panoptic Security, took some time to explain to me their value proposition pertaining to PCI.

With a full day ahead of me tomorrow, expect even more interviews, news, and thoughts on the show.