The PCI DSS: Get Compliant, Stay Compliant

	We are sending you this offer because you have subscribed to similar Professional Publications in the past. As such, we wanted to give you the chance to sign up for The PCI DSS: Get Compliant. Stay Compliant. and also for Configuration Audit and Control: 10 Critical Factors for CCM Success. Be sure to forward this information to business associates - they may wish to apply to receive a complimentary publication in their industry as well.

The PCI DSS: Get Compliant. Stay Compliant. In September 2006, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council released the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) v1.1. This regulation required member financial institutions to be responsible for their own compliance, as well as ensuring the compliance of their merchants and service providers for all payment channels, including in-store, mail/telephone order, and e-commerce.

Many requirements in the PCI DSS focus on the ability to monitor and report on changes made across the IT environment.

Configuration Audit and Control Solutions from Tripwire help validate these PCI requirements by:

• Confirming access to computing resources and cardholder data is limited to the proper individuals
• Validating that patches are deployed properly
• Alerting you to unauthorized changes to firewall rules
• Ensuring wireless network security policies are not circumvented
• Detecting new, modified, or deleted user IDs
• Maintaining file integrity across the entire enterprise

Configuration Audit and Control: 10 Critical Factors for CCM Success As businesses have instituted internal, industry and government mandated regulatory compliance, the need for audit data to provide conformity has also become a necessity. However, traditional change management and configuration management tools do not comprehensively address all aspects of the vast configuration details inherent in complex IT infrastructures. Configuration audit and control provides the tools necessary to collect accurate configuration data, monitor change in real time, promptly remediate problems and ensure a stable and productive environment across the datacenter.

In this case study, you will learn how configuration audit and control can be used effectively to ensure system management productivity, and help reduce costs and sustain configuration viability within the bounds of operational, security and regulatory standards.

This case study details:

• Ten key elements of a configuration and audit control solution
• How configuration audit and control maps to a proven Semantic Model for standardizing the evaluation of IT management solutions
• How to mitigate risks, lower costs, and reduce outages and unplanned work by using configuration audit and control to enforce change policies.

Download this case study and see how configuration audit and control can ensure the success of your change and configuration management procedures and policies.

Fingerprint Payment Technology from Wincor Nixdorf

Wincor Nixdorf's product suite for the retail industry now includes technology for safe and easy fingerprint payments as well as additional fingerprint applications such as cashier authorization and access control.

Fingerprint analysis is considered to be one of the most secure biometric applications because it can clearly identify a person and because its unique data can neither be lost nor passed on. The technology is thus well suited for secure, quick payments at point of sale.

In addition to POS payments, the biometric solution can also be used to identify cashiers and thus replace the key system. The solution makes unauthorized access to the register extremely difficult and can easily detect manipulation as only authorized users have access and each entry clearly refers to a certain individual.

Wincor Nixdorf's fingerprint analysis solution has proven itself in the field. The Fingerprint Reader SFR-3000UA records fingerprints at the POS terminal. The Upek TouchChip fingerprint sensor (TCS1) ensures a high-quality recording of the fingerprint regardless of skin type and other factors that could affect quality. A biometric server compiles and stores the biometric data, and checks all impressions. With the help of a sophisticated algorithm, the system analyzes the topographical relationships between the minutiae and line, and generates geometric comparisons, ensuring a high-quality, secure identification.

The solution is controlled by specially designed software, which is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, WePOS, Red Had Linux and WNL POS. As a one-stop provider, Wincor Nixdorf not only provides hardware and software but can also take over the entire project management and customer service.

Never Get Lost Again

Soon, you will never have to admit that you're lost and suffer the humiliation of asking for directions. Google is expected to announce a partnership today with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, to include Google's mapping service on 3,500 Internet enabled gasoline pumps across the US. The maps will be available on the pump's small screen giving motorists the ability to scroll through local landmarks, hotels, restaurants, and hospitals to the bemusement of the guy waiting behind you. The pump will even print directions. The service is said to be ad-free but will offer coupons -- that sounds a lot like advertising to us. Look for the gPumps to arrive courtesy of that Encore S rig pictured above.
How long before this technology arrives in the UK? Of course, those of you with Satnav will be unlikely to make use of something like this. So, will it catch on at all?

DIGIPOS DIGITOUCH - FACTS, FEATURES & SPECIFICATION

The New all-in-one environmentally friendly Touch Solution from DigiPoS.

The facts

The Ultra Low Voltage design of the DigiPoS DigiTouch means reduced power consumption and energy-efficient operation - ideal for the environmentally aware business. With a variety of peripheral devices to chose from such as magnetic strip reader, smart card reader, Fingerprint recognition system, Dallas key, DigiPole display and secondary LCD display, the DigiTouch can be optimised to suit your needs. The compact size increases counter space which together with a variety of peripheral options, delivers a fully Gexibile system suitable for Retail, Hospitality, Hotel, Supermarket, Casino, Theme Park etc.

The features

• Low-noise design suitable for noise-intolerant environments
• Ultra low voltage design delivers reduced power consumption
• Compact size increases counter space
• Complies with IP 43 standard
• WEPOS / XPE Compliant
• RoHS compliant
• Cash drawer controller

The options

• Powered USB outputs available
• Touch-screen
• MSR, Pole Display, Smart Card Reader, Dallas Key, Fingerprint recognition system
• Cable cover
• Secondary LCD Display
• Keyboard
• RFID option

Three technologies in your retail future

By Mitch Betts

For brick-and-mortar retailers, "the next step in the battle to retain customers is to streamline the buying experience, bringing it more in line with Internet shopping in terms of ease and speed of transaction," according to market-research firm Datamonitor. Datamonitor analyst Alex Kwiatkowski says that retailers will turn to the following technologies (sprinkled with my own cautionary comments):

Digital signage: Though expensive, it’s the fastest-growing advertising medium. The ads can be tailored to the audience, and proximity sensors can determine when someone is nearby
and boost the sound level until the person leaves. (Comment: But it adds to the number of advertisements bombarding us throughout the day.)

Near field communication (NFC): A form of RFID technology used for ‘contactless’ payments. It’s fast, and tends to increase “average spend per transaction.” Kwiatkowski says: “Major retailers who do not implement the technology face being left behind as customers demand ever-faster transactions, a trend exacerbated by the ease and speed of online retailing.” (Comment: But there are security and privacy concerns.)

Self-service checkout: It cuts costs, queue times and shrinkage, while providing a solution to employee shortages. “The technology is popular due to its ability to cut checkout time with one attendant capable of overseeing up to six checkout terminals….” (Comment: For this reason, it’s not popular with labour unions.)

---------

Powered by ScribeFire.

High-tech trolleys inform shoppers of unhealthy choices

ABC News reports that shoppers in London may soon have access to trolleys that can warn us when we are buying too much unhealthy food at the supermarket. According to the article, "the high-tech model will be fitted with a computer screen and barcode scanner. It will read each product's individual code to give customers information about calories, nutrition, ethical sourcing and the environment."

This is definitely an interesting concept, though it seems there may be more drawbacks than benefits. There are thousands of products in any supermarket that are not healthy (in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the unhealthy ones outnumber the healthy ones). So how will the folks at Frito Lay, Coca-Cola, etc. feel about a machine attached to a cart that essentially tells shoppers not to buy their product? I think it's safe to say that they won't be making any contributions to EDS, the U.S. based company responsible for the technology any time soon (unless said contributions would help to reclassify what things are "healthy".) I also would not be surprised to see some vendors lash out at supermarkets using the tech, since it will essentially be negating all of their product advertising and in-store promotions.

In the end, this kind of technology is probably better suited to high-end markets and specialized health food stores where people are making the conscious decision to eat an entirely healthy diet, and will be interested enough in what they're buying to stop and read the text on the screen for a minute or two. In such places it would be easy to tout the technology as a new service to provide even more information to consumers facing an increasing number of choices (especially in said high-end places where you're buying "lifestyle" as much as anything else). In mainstream supermarkets, though, I think it can only hurt business as a whole, and worse, it could pit the retailers against some of their biggest vendors.

Powered by ScribeFire.

SAP agrees 4.8-billion-euro buyout of Business Objects

PARIS (AFP) -
Germany's SAP, a world leader in business software, announced late Sunday that it had agreed with France's Business Objects on a buy-out worth just over 4.8 billion euros (6.8 billion dollars).

"The Business Objects board of directors has approved the tender offer agreement between the two companies and anticipates recommending the offer to its shareholders subject to fulfillment of certain regulatory requirements," said a statement on the two companies' websites.

The deal involves a cash offer from SAP of 53.4 dollars (42.00 euros) per share of Business Objects, which posted a turnover of 1.3 billion dollars (886 million euros) last year.

"Together, SAP and Business Objects intend to offer high-value solutions for process- and business-oriented professionals," said the joint statement.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, but Business Objects will operate as a stand-alone business as part of the SAP Group, the companies said.

"Business Objects customers will continue to benefit from open, broad and integrated business intelligence solution," said their statement.

"The acquisition of Business Objects is in keeping with SAP's stated strategy to double our addressable market by 2010" to reach 100,000 clients, Henning Kagermann, CEO of SAP AG, was quoted as saying.

SAP currently has around 41,200 clients and sold software licenses worth 3.1 billion euros last year.

The purchase marks a radical change of strategy for SAP, which in contrast to its US rival Oracle which spent more than 25 billion dollars on acquisitions since 2004, has instead opted more for organic growth.

SAP also bought management software producer Hyperion in March for 3.3 billion dollars.

Powered by ScribeFire.