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Industry News - September 17th 2010

 

RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Accor Revamps iPhone App

A new version of the accorhotels.com application for iPhone was launched this summer, still free of charge, available in seven languages and accessible to members of Accor's A|Club loyalty program. The application also features video presentations of Accor hotels.The multi-brand iPhone application provides users with a more precise search function for booking rooms directly in 3,000 Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Mercure, Novotel, Suitehotel, Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and hotelF1 hotels. It also features additional functions and enhanced services.

Additional functions 
Criteria have been added to enable a more precise search. Users can, for example, enter the number of adults and children at the outset to streamline the booking process. They can also enter their A|Club membership number and earn points with each reservation. Lastly, a new page has been added that allows users to select their preferred brands more quickly and easily. The new version of the application provides access to video presentations of hotels via the iPhone.
 

The new version of the accorhotels.com application features a new design that makes searches smoother and more intuitive. The results of map-base searches are more complete with rates posted in real time, thereby enabling users to easily choose a hotel depending on their location and budget. Accorhotels.com is available in seven languages, with the addition of Dutch and Brazilian Portuguese as well as French, English, German, Spanish and Italian.
 

Signature Room at the 95th Routes Transactions to Any Processor with Integrated Tool

Signature Room at the 95th, an upscale fine dining restaurant in Chicago, is utilizing Precidia Technologies Inc.’s TransNet payment engine application to integrate secure credit, debit, gift and loyalty card processing with its Focus POS system.TransNet was recommended by Alpha POS Services, an authorized Focus POS dealer and point-of-sale solution provider for restaurants and retail. Signature Room at the 95th, which deployed TransNet in January, chose TransNet because it is the only payment application that can route transactions to any payment processor. TransNet is pre-certified to a wide range of credit, debit, gift and loyalty card processors.

TransNet payment engine software is housed on Precidia's secure POSLynx220 payment router. The solution is PCI PA-DSS validated and features SSL encryption and firewalling. The TransNet solution is also highly reliable, with automatic dial back-up and alerts in case of network failure.

Many merchants and solution providers choose TransNet for the flexibility and management features it offers, most of which are not available with competing solutions. Driven by the NetVu management server, and its store-level companion MerchantVu, these features are designed to facilitate simplified 24/7 support of the merchant, placing many of these support tools directly in the hands of merchants.

"The TransNet payment application works seamlessly with our existing Focus POS system, and has been very reliable in processing a large, steady volume of transactions", says Dan Winters, controller for Signature Room at the 95th. "We also appreciate the ability to select the processors we wish to work with, including gift and loyalty, with no extra cost or inconvenience."
 

First Data, SK C&C to Bring Mobile Wallet Services to the U.S. in 2011

First Data Corporation, an electronic commerce and payment processing company, and SK C&C USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of SK C&C Co. Ltd. today announced a strategic global partnership to bring trusted mobile commerce services to the U.S. and eventually worldwide.　SK C&C has successfully provided services such as Trusted Service Manager (TSM), a Mobile Wallet and Mobile Banking, to the South Korean market since 2002. First Data has been an industry leader in Mobile Payment, helping drive innovation in the evolving space.Together, First Data and SK C&C will collaborate with financial institutions, retailers and mobile operators to provide innovative mobile commerce services to their customers. SK C&C will deliver a complete set of convenient and secure mobile commerce services to First Data's financial institutions and merchant customers.

Services offered by the partnership are expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 2011 in the U.S. The SK C&C TSM platform will enable First Data's financial institutions and merchant customers to securely and efficiently issue payment cards, including credit and debit cards, prepaid and gift cards to the mobile device. SK C&C's Mobile Wallet will provide the consumer with a convenient, secure and easy to use tool to manage these payment cards, to access and manage account information and make payments.
 
 

OpenTable Snags Toptable.com for $55 Million USD

OpenTable, Inc., a provider of free online reservations for diners and guest management systems for restaurants, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire toptable.com, a leading restaurant reservation site in the United Kingdom, for approximately $55 million USD in cash.OpenTable will acquire the entire issued share capital, including outstanding options, of privately-held toptable.com for approximately $55 million USD. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2010 and is subject to customary closing conditions. OpenTable plans to finance the acquisition with existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. For the fiscal year 2009, toptable.com reported revenues of approximately POUND6.3 million GBP and net income of POUND750,000 GBP. OpenTable believes it will incur approximately $500,000 in non-recurring transaction and integration costs in both Q3 and Q4, or a total of $1 million through the end of the year. OpenTable will file a Current Report on Form 8-K that will include as an exhibit the Share Purchase Agreement for the acquisition. BofA Merrill Lynch is acting as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP as legal counsel to OpenTable; Allen & Company is acting as financial advisor and Bird & Bird LLP as legal counsel to toptable.com.
 

Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Cloud-based CRM Product

Microsoft Corp. announces a key milestone for Microsoft Dynamics CRM with the beta release of its next-generation product for cloud-based and on-premises deployments. The beta release marks the worldwide rollout of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service from Microsoft's global datacenters, and it will be released to customers and hosting partners for on-premises deployment as Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.The beta for the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service will be available in eight languages and 36 markets, and the final version of the service will be available by the end of the year in 40 markets and 41 languages. The beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for on-premises and partner-hosted deployments will be available in all 40 markets in eight languages. Customers and partners can download or sign up for the beta today athttp://www.crm2011beta.com to evaluate and start building solutions based on the new release.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 delivers the Power of Productivity through familiar, connected and intelligent experiences for users inside and outside an organization, including:

  • Familiar experiences through a next-generation native Microsoft Outlook client, Microsoft Office contextual CRM Ribbon, RoleTailored design and user personalization
  • Intelligent experiences through guided process dialogs, inline data visualizations, performance and goal management, and real-time dashboards
  • Connected experiences through cloud development, Windows Azure integration, contextual Microsoft SharePoint document repositories, teamwork and collaboration, and the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace
Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace
Microsoft also announced that the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace will enter beta later this month. At beta, this new online service will be available at no additional cost and will provide an easy way for partners to market and distribute solutions to Microsoft Dynamics customers, including a catalog with more than 700 applications and professional services. Customers will be able to access Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace directly from within Microsoft Dynamics CRM to search, filter and download applications, as well as directly connect with Microsoft partners.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 beta is available in English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese. The beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 on-premises is available worldwide, and the beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available in Austria, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
 
 

CipherOptics Debuts Variable Speed Encryption Appliances
CipherOptics, a provider of scalable network encryption, announced a new line of Variable Speed Encryption (VSE) appliances. While traditional encryption appliances are based on a static throughput, the new VSE line of network encryptors will allow customers to purchase a hardware platform that can encrypt at various throughputs, based on bandwidth licenses. The Variable Speed Encryptors also provide an affordable software-based upgrade as customer's bandwidth and security needs increase.

All of the VSE platforms will be compatible with CipherOptics' CipherEngine group encryption solution and will offer the highest levels of data protection at Layer 2, Layer 3 and Layer 4. With this new platform, CipherOptics offers its customers the ability to increase their encrypted throughput for only the cost difference between the price of their current throughput and their desired performance, eliminating the growth penalty normally associated with increasing encrypted bandwidth. General availability is slated for mid-November.

The Variable Speed Encryption appliances will be available in three platforms with bandwidth licenses based on common WAN link speeds. The CEP10 VSE will offer bandwidth licenses for 3, 6, 10, 25, 50 and 75 Mbps of encrypted throughput. The CEP100 VSE will offer licenses for 100, 155, and 250 Mbps. The CEP1000 VSE will include throughputs of 500 Mbps, 650 Mbps and 1Gbps.　

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