Links Related
to this Story:

• precidia.com

Precidia Has Winning Game Plan With Ether232

F rom the cold Canadian plains comes a new player to the American ISO field Precidia Technologies. The Green Sheet caught up with Precidia at the Electronic Transaction Association meeting in San Diego and was intrigued with its playbook.

Precidia knows that retail merchants require more efficient payment reconciliation and greater processing speed at the cash register. They have a game plan: integrated debit/credit solutions. And they have a ringer: makeovers for existing legacy systems.

In Canada, the ISO community is networked through InterAct (a debit brand similar to Maestro: all Canadian financial institutions are members). Every participant is very aware of the marketplace. They know their arena well and all who enter it. Precidia is now branching out to the U.S. market, where there isn't a network such as InterAct and the players are ever- changing. They've decided to join the big leagues and play with the pros. Their strategy is to reduce the numbers on the field while improving end results.

Eject the middleman from the game and enter #232, as in Ether232: a line of cost-effective access devices that operate a complete TCP/IP stack, and the network management that makes them interoperate seamlessly within a network. That's the talent that Precidia is bringing to the game. Precidia's products and services allow POS manufacturers to provide their retail customers with complete IP-enabled offerings.

Precidia's playbook encompasses integration. Integration saves time as the cashier activates the payment by simply pressing one button on the cash register. With the cash register connected to the payment terminal, the merchant gets detailed reporting information against payment type.

By bringing Ether232 onto the field and creating an integrated payment solution, Precidia promises merchants significant savings and operational efficiencies, while increasing customer satisfaction. Can it deliver? Let's look at the stats.

Since the Ether232 runs industry standard TCP/IP protocols, it can deliver network management at the point of sale to a different level. Here's how:

+ Real-time problem diagnosis through remote monitoring and configuration, even while the unit is processing a transaction.

+ Web browser access from anywhere in the world to a Web page residing in each Ether232 to allow monitoring of its activity.

+ A scratch pad area in each unit, which allows for repair depot instructions to be inserted, as well as for maintaining a history for each unit. When the unit leaves the store for the repair depot it can have the problem diagnosis stored inside, placed there by the system administrator who spotted the problem using a browser. The "scratch pad" in the Ether232 stores up to five pages of text.

+ Precidia's sights are set on high- volume, high-performance merchants who want to avoid on-field collisions between shared lines. For retailers who have invested in legacy systems already, Ether232 leverages that existing equipment. Merchants with wide-area IP networks in place call in #232. This new player will take dial-up devices and convert them to IP/VPN types. The handoff: data redirect. Touchdown! Or so the fans hope.

So what happens when it's third down and long, and there's a fumble? #232 is the player to recover the ball. For instance, a retailer is looking at a mean defensive line troubleshooting a particular terminal. Ether232 provides remote access from the corporate store to the device causing all the trouble. Through the network, #232 turns on a line tap and a copy of all transactions from that terminal is sent back to a support person. No disruption of service: the disruptive terminal is safely kept in service to see exactly what its problem is. Ether232 records a transaction from terminal to device, device to processor, processor back to device. It will ferret out whether data is corrupted or where the transaction is being blocked. On-line real time support ... the crowd cheers ... it's first down again.

#232 is on the field, configuring data to send to multiple sites, i.e. MasterCard and Visa. Check authorizations to a third location. Opening up content. Increasing transactions and savings. The crowd goes wild. It's a win for Precidia!

So, to whom is Precidia marketing its skyboxes to? Ultimately retailers, but its first contact is processors and resellers. Ether232 consolidates all traffic into one access for the processor, so Precidia is working with processors, getting certified-getting suited up, so to speak-for the big game. Beta testing, Precidia's pre-season games are next, then live locations.

The Green Sheet held an exhibition game with Ether232. Here are the highlights:

+ #232 took the field, compact in size and determined to seamlessly migrate RS-232 devices onto IP networks. Configurable through Windows Hyper- terminal, it set up and went into play within minutes.

+ A flag on the field - tangle with the host end. There must be a re- direct software running to communicate with the device. The ref explained, "When two communication devices transmit data among each other, one tells the other when and how to transmit the data. Without software between the devices, one end does not know the other is ready to receive data and whether it actually received it or not." Sorry fellas, back to the bench.

+ Second half proved more promising. Precidia has been very helpful in providing contact information for companies offering these types of applications. They stated they'd be willing to develop an application, if need be, to handle the communications. Bring on the special team!

+ Post game wrap opined that #232 can be very useful to larger merchants with networked ECRs, or even smaller merchants, which may have networks within their shops. Ether #232 will enable them to do image capture or even back office processing by enabling any RS-232 peripheral, such as image scanners, to transmit data on a LAN to a database or any storage device in use.

+ One possible play Precidia may want to include in future game plans is the possibility of imaging and archiving credit card receipts, potentially eliminating charge-backs for the merchant-but that's another season.

According to Ron Walsh, Director of Business Development for Precidia Technologies, Ether232 will be available in June 2001 for the U.S. ISO market. The Green Sheet asked this industry veteran coach why the Precidia team is moving into the American market. "Canada is a good market in terms of longevity. However, all processors are looking at both sides of the border. We want to position ourselves on both sides of North America. The United States is where we want to be, where everyone wants to be."

At present, Precidia is servicing nearly 100 locations in Canada. By summer's end, Precidia predicts that figure will increase to over 1,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Let's hope they make it to the playoffs. For more information about Precidia, visit their Web site at www.precidia.com or call (613) 592-7557.