Monthly Archive for June, 2011

Hotshot Irish technology company with mobile commerce first

Hotshot Irish technology company with mobile commerce first

INTEGRAL ANNOUNCES NEXT GENERATION CONTACTLESS PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

For the first time in the UK and Ireland, VeriFone’s next generation VX Evolution payment solutions are being piloted with a number of merchants, by Integral.  Integral is the first to gain accreditation for the latest range of mobile and countertop POS systems in the UK and Ireland.

The VeriFone VX Evolution solutions support the latest PCI standards (PCI PTS 3.0) and smartphone protocols for reading contactless enabled cards or NFC (Near Field Communications) enabled smartphones, ensuring a merchant’s investment is future-proofed. Today consumers can pay with contactless cards simply by waving or tapping their card on a VeriFone contactless reader, but very soon consumers will be able to utilise their NFC enabled smartphones to pay for goods totalling less than £15, or enter a PIN number on their phone for higher value payments.

Eric Cooney, Head of Marketing at Integral said: “We’re still in the pilot stage, assessing performance in the field and taking customer feedback before rolling out to more merchants. Initial feedback is very positive. Being the first with this new technology means we are ahead of the trend as I firmly believe within a short time many smartphones from major vendors will be NFC capable and this will drive NFC forward as a standard payment method.”

Integral has a proven track record in developing innovative payment systems on VeriFone platforms for 20 years. Tony Saunders, NEMEA Marketing and Sales Director, VeriFone confirms: “In the UK and Ireland, Integral is the first to accredit our VX Evolution devices including the wireless VX 680 and countertops VX 520 and VX 820 DUET.”

Initial merchant deployments are using the VX 680, which incorporates a 3.5 inch full colour touch screen into one of the smallest portable handheld payment devices available. Whilst the colour screen enables logos and high visibility branding and messaging to be presented at the point of sale, the large memory capacity on the VX 680 also means merchants can add feature-rich services such as loyalty and new applications that will capitalise on NFC enabled smartphones. As the VX 680 device is fully portable, using eitherWi-Fi, GPRS or Bluetooth communication technology, it enables retailers, restaurateurs and other hospitality organisations to offer mobile payment wherever customers want to pay.

ENDS

New top job for Beard

Coverage from recent story:

SWINDON ADVERTISER

Thursday, 12 May 2011

New top job for Beard

Swindon based construction company Beard is boosting its Property Services team to cope with growing demand for repair, maintenance and improvement works across the region. The firm has appointed Colin Latimer, an experienced construction industry professional, to head up and expand its Property Services business.

Colin brings additional expertise and local knowledge to support customers looking for professional, high quality property solutions. His talent and skills will be invaluable in enhancing the delivery of projects across the South West.

In addition, Colin will co-ordinate work across a number of minor works framework agreements including Gloucestershire County Council, West Berkshire Council and the National House Building Council as well as smaller projects on various MoD bases.

The team is already seeing improved results with a range of new and varied projects including internal refurbishment and alterations at St Martin’s Precinct in Reading; alterations to improve boarding accommodation at Harris Hill School near Newbury and a refurbishment project at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham.

Marc Bayley, Beard Construction director said: “Day-to-day maintenance and improvements are vital to the on-going usefulness of public and commercial buildings and it is essential that maintenance and repairs are planned for in advance.

“The team complements other construction activities; providing a range of services from planned maintenance and repairs to small scale alterations, improvements and advising customers on how to achieve cost effective solutions for their maintenance requirements.

“It is an important part of Beard’s overall customer service.”