Culver’s Selects PAR Technology’s Brink POS® Cloud-Based Software for All Its Locations

New Hartford, NY – April 14, 2021 –  ParTech, Inc. (PAR), a leading global provider of point of sale (POS) software and integrated technical solutions to the restaurant industry, today announced that Culver’s, a 790+-location quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Wisconsin, has selected PAR’s Brink POS® as its point of sale solution across its entire network. ParTech, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PAR).

Culver’s, a mid-Western U.S.-based chain known for its ButterBurgers® and frozen custard, worked with long-time partner RDS Wisconsin during its software selection process, ultimately choosing Brink POS® because of its industry-leading integration partner ecosystem. RDS Wisconsin will be managing the relationship, including product rollout and servicing.

“PAR’s experience in QSR and innovative approach to technology, combined with RDS’ proven expertise and knowledge of Culver’s, its franchisees, and team members allows us to focus on our mission; ‘We genuinely care, so every guest who chooses Culver’s leaves happy,’” said Kelly Hanson, Vice President of Information Technology, Culver Franchising System, LLC. “We’ve also seen our guest preferences shift from 60% of our business to nearly all of our business being On-the-Go. PAR’s approach to mobile capabilities for our restaurants and franchisees will offer more flexibility to serve our guests both online and in our drive-thrus.”

“We’re honored and humbled by Culver’s trust in PAR,” said Savneet Singh, President and CEO of PAR. ”PAR strives to deliver the solutions that connect people to the restaurants, meals and moments they love, and we look forward to delivering on this brand promise. This is a storied restaurant concept, and PAR will work hard to help Culver’s continue their legacy.”

The initial pilot rollout will start later this month. Conversions for the remaining Culver’s locations will begin in late 2021.

About Culver’s

For over 35 years, Culver’s guests have been treated to cooked-to-order food made with farm-fresh ingredients and served with a smile. The ever-expanding franchise system now numbers over 790 family-owned and operated restaurants in 25 states. The restaurants’ nationally recognized customer service is based on small-town, Midwestern values, genuine friendliness and an unwavering commitment to quality. Signature items include the award-winning ButterBurger, made from fresh, never frozen beef, and Fresh Frozen Custard, including the famous Flavor of the Day program. For more information, visit www.culvers.com, www.culvers.com/facebook, www.twitter.com/culvers or www.instagram.com/culvers.

ABOUT PAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

PAR Technology Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary ParTech, Inc., is a customer success-driven, global restaurant and retail technology company with over 100,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries using its point of sale hardware and software. With the recent acquisition of leading Loyalty solutions provider, Punchh Inc., PAR has become a Unified Commerce Cloud Platform for Enterprise Restaurants. PAR’s platform enables quick service, fast casual and table service restaurants to improve their operational efficiency by combining its cloud-based Brink POS®, Data Central® backoffice, PAR payments and now Punchh loyalty software with the world’s leading restaurant technology platforms. PAR Technology’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. For more information, visit www.partech.com or connect with PAR Technology on Facebook or Twitter.

New Partnership: UNFI Retail Technology and RDS

Retail Data Systems (RDS) is excited to announce our new partnership with UNFI Retail Technology. This partnership brings UNFI retailers expertise, best in class service, and CHOICE when it comes to in-store technology needs. In partnership, UNFI Retail Technology experts listen & advocate for your specific needs, RDS provides the right technology & reliable customer support, and together we simplify your IT decisions.

Learn more about the partnership.

Boston Market Selects PAR Technology’s Cloud-Based Brink POS® Software and EverServ® Hardware

The new technology will replace legacy system and deploy at all 350 restaurants nationwide

New Hartford, NY – December 15, 2020 –  ParTech, Inc. (PAR), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PAR) and a leading global provider of point of sale (POS) software and integrated technical solutions to the restaurant and retail industries, announced that Boston Market has selected PAR’s Brink POS® software and PAR EverServ® hardware to deploy at all 350 restaurants nationwide. The new partnership was facilitated by PAR’s long-time reseller partner, RDS Hospitality (RDS) who will be providing Boston Market with project management, implementation and helpdesk services.

Krupa Patel, President of Boston Market shared, “We were looking for a cloud-based solution to replace a legacy system that limited our ability to implement new technology quickly. Never was this limitation more evident than during the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Not only, did the Brink POS open API allow us to quickly and easily integrate with our current ecosystem partners for loyalty, online ordering and back-office, but it enabled us to quickly develop additional customizations required to innovate. We are confident in the partners we have chosen for this journey with RDS and PAR.”

“After a time of vetting several products with the Boston Market team we are both excited and confident in their decision to deploy the PAR POS hardware and the Brink software solution. We believe the partnership with RDS Hospitality and PAR is a winning solution for restaurant operators such as Boston Market who are looking to innovate and win in today’s environment,” said Chris Medeiros, General Manager, RDS Hospitality

Savneet Singh, PAR Technology’s CEO commented on Boston Market’s selection of PAR’s Brink POS, “At PAR, we are proud of our agile approach to solving unique challenges for our customers and acting as the catalyst for innovation for amazing brands like Boston Market. Our job is to help Boston Market connect people to the meals and moments they love. It’s that simple. We are honored to work with Boston Market and RDS Hospitality and look forward to a long relationship of growth and success.” –

About Boston Market

Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, Boston Market Corporation has given time back to busy families and individuals for more than 30 years with quality, home style meals at a convenient value in more than 300 U.S. locations. Known as the experts in rotisserie cooking, the company prepares fresh chicken and USDA choice Prime Rib in signature rotisserie ovens and features an extensive selection of home style sides and made-from-scratch cornbread. As one of the country’s largest providers of catering services, Boston Market offers convenient same-day orders and delivery for corporate and person events of all sizes. In January 2017, Boston Market officially launched its “Quality Guarantee,” which acts as a continued commitment to all guests that Boston Market will serve all-natural and fresh, never frozen, gluten-free, whole chicken with no added hormones, steroids, antibiotics or MSG. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.bostonmarket.com. For the latest news and deals, follow @bostonmarket on Twitter or join us on Facebook.

About PAR Technology Corporation

PAR Technology Corporation through its wholly owned subsidiary ParTech, Inc., is a customer success-driven, global restaurant and retail technology company with over 100,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries using its point of sale hardware and software.  ParTech’s Brink POS integration ecosystem enables quick service, fast casual, table service, and cloud restaurants to improve their operational efficiency by combining its cloud-based POS software with the world’s leading restaurant technology platforms.  PAR’s Government segment is a leader in providing computer-based system design, engineering and technical services to the Department of Defense and various federal agencies PAR Technology Corporation’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. For more information, visit www.partech.com or connect with PAR on Facebook or Twitter.

RDS-Southeast Office Named a Finalist in Industry Partner of the Year Category by the Georgia Restaurant Association

Atlanta, GA (June 17, 2019) – The Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) is thrilled to announce the finalists and honorees for the 2019 Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Awards. All finalists are peer-nominated, ensuring the most deserving in the industry are recognized. Winners are chosen by the GRACE Academy, comprised of former GRACE finalists and honorees, as well as current GRA board members.

The GRACE Awards Gala, an exclusive event honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to Georgia’s restaurant industry, will take place at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, GA on Sunday, August 11, 2019. At the event, winners for Restaurateur of the Year (Small/Independent and Large/Corporate), Industry Partner of the Year, Diversity Leadership Award and Distinguished Service Award will be announced. The GRA will also honor the Restaurant Employee of the Year, Restaurant Manager of the Year, ProStart Student of the Year, Chairman’s Award recipient and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Regynald Washington. Washington, who serves as President of the Dining Division at Paradies Lagardère, was recently named the 2019 Gold Plate Award recipient by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA).

For more details and a complete list of GRACE finalists, visit: https://www.garestaurants.org/grace-awards-gala.html.

Delta Flight Museum

About the Georgia Restaurant Association

The GRA’s mission is to serve as the voice for Georgia’s Restaurants in Advocacy, Education and Awareness.  The GRA is sanctioned by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) to operate Georgia’s only not-for-profit representing the state’s foodservice industry. From large chains to start-ups, the GRA helps make Georgia a better place for restaurants to do business and helps make restaurants better for Georgia.

About the GRACE Awards

The GRACE Awards is the Georgia Restaurant Association’s annual black-tie gala event recognizing excellence in Georgia’s Restaurant Industry. The GRACE awards are peer-nominated and honor the top finalists in the following categories: Restaurateur of the Year (Small/Independent, Large/Corporate), Industry Partner of the Year, Diversity Leadership Award and the Distinguished Service Award. The winners are announced at the event and are presented with crystal works of art created by renowned local artist Hans-Godo Frabel.

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Social Engineering: Building a Scam

   According to the 2017 Verizon Data Breach Report, 43% of                                          all documented breaches involved social engineering.

With over 130 QIR certified technicians, Retail Data Systems invests in knowledge of the PCI compliance requirements through PCI Security Standards Council certification courses. We strive to provide the best service and equipment to meet those requirements, while also working hard to understand new threats our clients face in the cyberworld. Security awareness is one of the very first steps on the road to compliance and a crucial part of protecting your business.

 

Social engineering scams come in all different shapes and sizes. This works well considering the target of the scams have different levels of experience and education with technology. If you’ve ever taken a look in your email Spam folder, you are likely to see some obvious examples of phishing scam attempts. The most common (and comical) tend to be those from broken English estate lawyers reaching out about a dearly departed and wealthy relative from overseas. Luckily spam filtering exists to weed out emails like this. But as funny as those attempts may seem, the results of successful attempts are far from humorous.

An example of a more elaborate social engineering scheme began after the IRS website was breached back in 2015. Because scammers had gained access to social security numbers and sensitive information on more than 700,000 tax payers, they were able to construct a remarkably sophisticated story, unlike our spam folder friends. These predators used a tool that spoofed their phone number, making it appear  that the call originated from the IRS. Using fake IRS badge numbers, they intimidated their victims with threats of audits, property seizure, and even arrest if “back taxes” were not immediately transferred. They successfully stole money from countless victims, and that money is unrecoverable.

Over the last several years, there has been an increase in social engineering attacks for one reason: they work! As outlined in Security Through Education blog post: Why Attackers Might Use Social Engineering, “Social engineering tactics (especially phishing, vishing, and impersonation) are being used, in conjunction with digital hacking methods to make attacks more effective and inevitably more profitable for attackers.

Because these tactics have worked at such high rates, human error is deemed the largest security threat to any organization. When taking into account the variation in sophistication of social engineering attacks and their end goal, it becomes apparent why cultivating security awareness and protecting proprietary information is so important.

 

Source: https://www.social-engineer.org/framework/general-discussion/attackers-might-use-social-engineering/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-identity-theft-online-hackers-social-security-number-get-transcript/

 

Social Engineering – What Is It?

You receive an email reminding you that an invoice is overdue from somebody you don’t know, or an email address you don’t recognize. “Just click on this link to see the invoice and easily make a payment…..”

You get a phone call from a vendor requesting your address, password and/or other noteworthy credentials to clear up an issue with the service they have been providing for you….

These are the hallmarks of a Social Engineering attack.

Social engineering is a broad term, but can be simply defined as:   the practice of obtaining confidential or sensitive information by manipulation of legitimate users. Also termed “Human Hacking.”

In his whitepaper, Social Engineering: A Means to Violate a Computer System, Malcolm Allen writes, “’Social Engineering’ is a threat, often overlooked but regularly exploited; to take advantage of what has long been considered the ‘weakest link’ in the security change of an organization –the ‘human factor.’” It is important to understand that, in addition to the technological aspects of influencing a person, social engineering attacks are, in essence, a psychological trick.

All social engineering attacks are unique and range from telephone scams to phishing emails. The goals of a malicious social engineer can be compared to those of any criminal activity: money, knowledge, power, control, etc. In order for organizations to protect against social engineering scams, they must be introspective and brainstorm reasons someone might want to target them. Based on their research, they should then take preventative measures, such as implementing mandatory security awareness training for employees. The first line of defense against these attacks are user awareness and education surrounding information security.

We will be talking about Social Engineering in our next few blogs as the number of incidences are currently on the rise.

NCR OPTIC Completes First Outdoor EMV Transaction

NCR enables New York-based convenience store chain to introduce secure payments at the pump and create a consistent shopping experience across all fueling platforms.

DULUTH, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a global leader in omni-channel solutions, announced that it has conducted its first EMV payment transaction on the NCR OPTIC Outdoor Payment Solution at a Mirabito convenience store in Norwich, New York. Working with NCR’s channel partner Retail Data Systems, Mirabito is among the first convenience store retailers to embrace the secure payment scheme through the First Data network ahead of the 2020 liability shift deadline.

An important criterion for selecting the EMV-ready NCR OPTIC solution was its ability to digitally transform the forecourt to create a consistent customer experience across all fueling platforms. With NCR OPTIC, the customer experience will be very consistent at each Mirabito store, regardless of pump manufacturer or model. The prompting and customer touch points will be universal. Currently, Mirabito has implemented NCR OPTIC in three test stores and will be expanding the adaptation in new markets soon.

“We are very excited to be implementing this cutting edge at the pump technology at our stores,” said Eric Bunts, Chief Information Officer at Mirabito Holdings, Inc. “Upholding our customer’s credit card security is a primary objective of Mirabito and the NCR OPTIC solution allows us to increase our security positioning by accepting EMV chip cards at our fuel pumps. Additionally, the enhanced capabilities of NCR OPTIC fulfill a diverse range of customer experience objectives that are important to us as an organization.”

With the help of the NCR technology, Mirabito now can offer mobile payment through contactless integration and enhanced loyalty interactions with the integrated barcode scanner. Furthermore, the high definition video displays can be used for in-depth marketing promotions.

“The introduction of EMV payments provides convenience retailers with the unique opportunity to introduce new services and create a compelling customer experience, as well as convert consumers at the pump to in-store shoppers,” said Tom Chittenden, vice president and general manager of retail solutions at NCR Corporation. “Our goal is to help retailers drive more offers at the pump that today’s consumers demand, while remaining flexible for future deployments and technology developments. NCR OPTIC provides both and more.”

NCR OPTIC has been thoughtfully engineered to provide retrofit options for most brands of fuel dispensers. With an unprecedented open software platform, NCR OPTIC enables retailers to gain flexibility in developing their own unique applications to engage with their consumers like never before.

About Mirabito

Since 1927, Mirabito has been family owned and operated. Mirabito provides energy products and services for families and businesses throughout upstate New York, western Massachusetts, and Connecticut, with corporate offices located in Binghamton, NY. In addition to being an energy provider, Mirabito owns and operates more than 100 convenience stores throughout Central New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania, making Mirabito a convenient stop for customers and one of the largest convenience store chains in Central New York. The Mirabito Family of Companies includes Mirabito Energy Products, Mirabito Convenience Stores, Mirabito Truck Repair and the Rewards Plus customer loyalty program. For more information, visit www.mirabito.com.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leader in omni-channel solutions, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables nearly 700 million transactions daily across financial, retail, hospitality, travel, telecom and technology industries. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier. NCR is headquartered in Duluth, Ga., with about 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. NCR encourages investors to visit its website which is updated regularly with financial and other important information about NCR.

View source version on businesswire.com: 

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171219005361/en/

Am I required to be PCI Compliant? Part 2

By law? No. By your credit card processor? Yes.

In a nutshell, PCI DSS is a baseline information security program. The PCI DSS outlines security best practices like utilizing a security firewall and using password best practices. Merchants are required by their credit card processors to adhere to PCI requirements and are asked to attest their compliant status annually. The merchant’s processor may ask them to fill out an SAQ (self assessment questionnaire) or conduct a QSA-led (qualified security assessment) PCI assessment as part of the client’s annual compliance validation process.

Are There Penalties?

Yes. The penalty for refusal to adhere to the PCI DSS and the processor’s compliance validation requirements could result in significant potential suspension from credit processing networks and significant fines. These fines include chargebacks to the merchant, and potentially additional third party auditing costs.

It is more important now than ever to make PCI DSS a constant priority in all business considerations. The continuity the program provides will help ensure protection of cardholder data from malicious individuals. Because the world of digital transactions is ever-evolving, continuing to stay current with PCI practices is the best way to stay informed of the latest security practices.

Retail Data Systems Payment Services Receives Highest Honor from WorldPay

Alpharetta, GA:  Retail Data Systems Payment Services Division was awarded the highest honor at WorldPay’s Annual Awards Dinner last month in Alpharetta, GA. RDS General Manager Tom Wilyard accepted the honor for 1st Place MSP Volume, awarded to the #1 Independent Sales Organization (ISO) with the largest volume of card processing transactions in the U.S. with WorldPay. This collaboration spans the restaurants, grocery, retail and convenience store industries.

Tom Wilyard

Pleased with the recognition, Wilyard had this to say, “This year’s success is due to our RDS branch partners and staff who have continuously strived for excellence with deployments, training and support for encrypted POS transactions. Worldpay continues to share our commitment to our clients by providing excellent communication, support and feature rich products to RDS and our clients.

Retail Data Systems is the largest provider of Point Of Sale Hardware and Software, in North America. Founded in 1950, RDS now operates over 25 offices serving customers across the nation providing complete Point Of Sale technology. Our team of over 400 professionals assure our customers of the best 24/7/365 service available. Our list of industry leading POS hardware and software products provide a variety of solutions for companies large and small. For more information, please visit rdspos.com.

Worldpay is a global leader in payments processing technology and solutions for our merchant customers. We operate reliable and secure proprietary technology platforms that enable merchants to accept a vast array of payment types, across multiple channels, anywhere in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.worldpay.com.

Am I required to be PCI Compliant?

Think of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) as an umbrella that covers any entity that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data; and even extends to service providers with the ability to affect the security of the cardholder data environment.

PCI Compliance is a requirement for any entity that meets the description above, because it works for business continuity. On your journey toward compliance, it is important to remember that there is a difference between the PCI DSS Compliance and PCI DSS Compliance Validation. Complying with the PCI DSS is not a feat that can be conquered overnight; it is an IT project.

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PCI Compliant graphic borrowed from Nettitude (credit https://www.nettitude.com/a-guide-to-starting-the-pci-dss-process/)