Ingram Micro this week began offering a point-of-sale (POS) solution bundle intended to meet the security needs of small and midsize retail environments.
Available through the channel, the bundle continues Ingram Micro's push to expand its POS retail offerings through its Micro Data Capture/POS division.
"Our channel partners keep telling us that they want more solutions [and] bundles like this -- simple, high-value solutions that are ready out of the box," said Marc Rachiele, director of vendor management and marketing for the division. "Because of Ingram Micro's broad portfolio, we're able to be a single source for our partners and deliver bundles that are all-inclusive and come in one single box."
The heart of Ingram Micro's SecurePOS SMB Bundle includes Hewlett-Packard's rp3000 Point of Sale System, the MagTek MagneSafe Card Reader and software from Uniforce Technology.
The bundle also features hardware and software from Cherry Electronics, Citizen, Planar and Payment Processing, and will be offered starting at $1,850, with packages running up to $2,850, depending on the retailer's needs, according to the distributor.
"When dealing with bundles, it's important to use products that our partners and their end users will recognize," Rachiele said. "Because this bundle is focused on SMB, we also take into consideration the price point. We want to keep it affordable and leave room for our partners to add in their service value."
Rachiele said that fully secure POS solutions for smaller retailers are often prohibitively expensive, so the retailer is left either paying through the nose for a pricey system, or risking the security of credit card information and other sensitive customer data. The latter isn't really an option, either -- retailers have Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance to consider and risk breaking the law if they don't.
"This is the first to market from distribution that offers end-to-end data encryption," Rachiele said. "The security on this bundle is so high that it starts with the swipe of the card."
Rachiele said Ingram Micro has more vertical-specific bundles on the way, including government, health care, and additional solutions for retail environments.
Rachiele pointed to IMStimulus and IMGrants, Ingram's two demand-generation programs for helping VARs capture federal stimulus dollars, as examples of what Ingram hopes to offer more of in the future.
