The aaS model is much more than just a change in how software is paid for. It’s about taking the real total cost of ownership and converting that to a predictable expense, with a highly predictable outcome. It’s about delivering products that evolve and add continual value, versus projects that miss their mark and never meet the needs they were intended to address. This is a very different approach than what the IT industry has historically embraced.

Today, designed obsolescence is a fundamental component of every hardware manufacturer’s strategy in every sector. Traditional, on-premise software is the same. Both are designed to require on-going support, parts, and maintenance, and at some point the manufacturer says to every customer, “you have to upgrade.” This approach is integral to the business objectives of all of these technology suppliers. Their financial objectives require that every customer has to do an upgrade every 3-5 years. I would be interested to know how much of the average organizational IT budget is spent every year “doing it again” – replacing a legacy system (that still works well enough) with a new and “improved” version because some vendor in the architecture cannot or will not support some component anymore. My guess is it’s thirty percent or more of the annual budget.

The customer, on the other hand, just wants to know one thing, “how much is it going to cost for you to take care of this?” They would really like for the solution to work reliably, everyday, forever, and for the cost of that to be very predictable. That is what they have always wanted.

Therein lies the conflict. The IT industry’s core financial objectives are in direct conflict with those of their customers.

Conceptually, the aaS model can deliver just that. I can build N-Tier scalable solutions in the cloud that can deliver 99% up-time, for pennies per user per day. However, the end point computers, the network between, and the cloud were never designed for this approach. They were designed to be owned, capital assets with a dedicated team working daily to support, manage, and maintain them. In the aaS model, the service provider now wants the same thing the customer has always wanted. They want technology that can be broadly deployed into a wide range of environments and use cases, for economies of scale. There are no more small, specialized device populations. They want technology that works reliably for years and never breaks and when it does is easy and cheap to repair or replace. This should be designed from the ground up to be managed from the cloud, in a managed services model. Predictability becomes the most important design feature. The service provider now makes the most money by ensuring the lowest possible cost of ownership for their customers, which leads to an alignment of objectives.

This is why the aaS model ultimately will lead to a redesign of virtually every aspect of the IT infrastructure. We are already seeing it. From mobile devices that automatically update their own applications and operating systems, to wireless networks designed from the ground up to be managed in the cloud. Ultimately, every application, every network component, the end point computing devices, and all of their supporting accessories will be redesigned.

Some pieces will just go away. There will be a lot of organizations that have no need for on-premise IT resources, other than Internet connectivity and end-point computing. All the servers, storage, telecom, and networking that are such a huge part of infrastructure costs will just become part of a monthly subscription.

Others, like end point computing, will morph into something entirely new. I expect highly versatile, module designs focused around tablet and wearable form factors to win the day. They will be much more durable and configurable than today’s offerings. They will likely be running open-source releases of Google Android that can be supported for five to ten years and across multiple hardware generations. The network is already changing to adapt to this model; check out a Google-backed venture, called Meraki, for a view of things to come.

The technology and designs are just the tip of the iceberg though. This new model fundamentally changes how technology is acquired and used. We will need to move from an event driven, project model, to a daily transactional business. That will require broad organization and cultural changes.

What are some of the things you see that need to change?

According to Subpart J of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, “persons who manufacture, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, hold, or import food in the United States are subject to the regulations in this subpart” (unless qualified for an exclusion).  Subpart J includes Section 1.337, which enumerates what information nontransporters must establish and maintain to identify to the nontransporter and transporter immediate previous sources of food:

(a) If you are a nontransporter, you must establish and maintain the following records for all food you receive:

(1) The name of the firm, address, telephone number and, if available, the fax number and e-mail address of the nontransporter immediate previous source, whether domestic or foreign;

(2) An adequate description of the type of food received, to include brand name and specific variety (e.g., brand x cheddar cheese, not just cheese; or romaine lettuce, not just lettuce);

(3) The date you received the food;

(4) For persons who manufacture, process, or pack food, the lot or code number or other identifier of the food (to the extent this information exists);

(5) The quanitity and how the food is packaged (e.g., 6 count bunches, 25 pound (lb) carton, 12 ounce (oz) bottle, 100 gallon (gal) tank); and

(6) The name of the firm, address, telephone number, and, if available, the fax number and e-mail address of the transporter immediate previous source (the transporter who transported the food to you).

There are additional sections of Subpart J that explain the requirements for subsequent recipients (Section 1.345) and transporters (Section 1.352).  In addition, Section 1.360 delineates the record retention requirements:

(a) You must create the required records when you receive and release food, except to the extent that the information is contained in existing records.

(b) If you are a nontransporter, you must retain for 6 months after the dates you receive and release the food all required records for any food having a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability within 60 days after the date you receive or release the food.

(c) If you are a nontransporter, you must retain for 1 year after the dates you receive and release the food all required records for any food for which a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability occurs only after a minimum of 60 days, but within 6 months, after the date you receive or release the food.

(d) If you are a nontransporter, you must retain for 2 years after the dates you receive and release the food all required records for any food for which a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability does not occur sooner than 6 months after the date you receive or release the food, including foods preserved by freezing, dehydrating, or being placed in a hermetically sealed container.

(e) If you are a nontransporter, you must retain for 1 year after the dates you receive and release the food all required records for animal food, including pet food.

(f) If you are a transporter or nontranspoter retaining records on behalf of a transporter, you must retain for 6 months after the dates you receive and release the food all required records for any food having a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability within 60 days after the date the transporter receives or releases the food.  If you are a transporter, or nontransporter retaining records on behalf of a transporter, you must retain for 1 year after the dates you receive and release the food, all required records for any food for which a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability occurs only after a minimum of 60 days after the date the transporter receives or releases the food.

(g) You must retain all records at the establishment where the covered activities described in the records occurred (onsite) or at a reasonably accessible location.

(h) The maintenance of electronic records is acceptable.  Electronic records are considered to be onsite if they are accessible from an onsite location.

If the code itself is not enough of an impetus to comply with lot tracking requirements, here are some other reasons why you should:

- The FDA will shut you down: Since a large salmonella contamination that resulted in the recall of peanuts, pistachios, and refrigerated cookie dough in 2009, the Food and Drug Administration is of the opinion that any business, large or small, that cannot successfully respond to FDA audits and mock recalls will be shut down until the business can demonstrate that it is taking significant effort to improve its level of product safety and traceability.

- It can save your money and reputation: If a food processor, distributor, or manufacturer has to initiate a product recall due to a contaminated lot of product from a supplier and it cannot identify which goods include the recalled product, it will be forced to recall ALL of the finished goods that were produced with that product.

- It’s smart business: In a highly competitive global economy, it only makes sense to demonstrate to your customers that you are a business that has the necessary product safety and traceability controls in place in the event of a product recall.  It will probably make you more desirable than competitors who cannot comply with FDA regulations.

If you are a food and beverage manufacturer or distributor and use QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise Solutions, check out Rapid Inventory to solve all of your inventory management needs, including lot tracking.  Rapid Inventory is designed specifically for QuickBooks users and boasts unparalleled integration with QuickBooks.  Rapid Inventory also has a mobile interface that works with bar codes and real-time wireless mobile scanning devices.  Check out AO: Rapid Inventory, a product of AccuCode.  Also, visit the AO: Rapid Inventory blog for more articles.

Confluence is defined as a place where things merge or flow together. In 2011, three big things came together that over the course of the next few years will redefine the technology sector. They are Mobility, Cloud Computing and the as a Service model.

Apple iOS and Android have taken over the consumer smart phone space and created the tablet sector. They are both expanding exponentially and not just in the consumer space. All of those people work “somewhere”, and they’ve decided to take their technology with them. Their boss is frightened and excited by this. He has the opportunity to connect to every employee, customer and partner through these devices and their apps but he’s not sure how to make use of this, how to manage it or what to allow the users to do. I doubt it will take long for them to figure it out though. Apple was the big winner in the enterprise mobile space this year but I suspect next year and beyond will belong to the more diverse Android ecosystem. Microsoft is the big loser here as their market share will do nothing but decline from here forward in both the enterprise and consumer markets.

The Cloud, as we all know, is not one thing. However, for the purposes of this conversation I am talking specifically about multi-tenant SaaS applications delivered through a secure browser or mobile app. This architecture and approach has an enormous cost and performance advantage over on-premise, public cloud and even public/private hybrids. In this model a small team with deep domain expertise in a particular vertical or horizontal problem set can create an application that address big process automation problems for an entire global market of users, for a few pennies per user per day. There is an entire planet of developers building consumer and business applications this way right now. As the trend continues you will see an almost infinite library of solutions become available that require no customer delivery model or infrastructure other than the end point computing, communication and data collection. The channels real value in this market will end up being that deep domain expertise and the ability to help their customer map their process into an effective cloud ecosystem.

These two massive shifts are changing the way technology is acquired and used. The IT department will no longer be the selection and implementation driver, the operational business unit can just subscribe to an entire solution with all the hardware, service and support rolled in. If there’s no long-term commitment, the sales cycle can get very small and a scaled roll-out can happen in weeks or even days. The as a Service component of all of this is key and I suspect is going to become a much larger part of the IT industry. Macro economic conditions have and will continue to put pressure on capital expenditure budgets and IT payroll. We are already seeing some early Tier One adopters moving rapidly into the public cloud and deploying mobility on a scale they have never contemplated before. Their savings and ability to scale up or down quickly will become key competitive advantages over their peers that continue to insist that they must own it. There is also a big gain in the value of real-time communication and collaboration for every user in the enterprise. Its amazing what small teams of people can accomplish if given the opportunity and even a basic set of tools.

All in all I expect this set of trends to remake pretty much every aspect of the IT industry over the next decade, maybe a lot less if the economy stays shaky. Its easy to ignore inefficiency when you are growing and profitable but in hard times all kinds of things can change real fast.

Kevin Price, AccuCode

The Top 5 Things you Need to Know Right Now About AO: Compliance

“Rules and Regulations, who needs them?” Ok, maybe the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song “Chicago” didn’t — but — if you are any kind of business, association, or organization who takes any form of payment card — as a form of, well, payment — you need them.  And you need to follow them, at least when it comes to PCI DSS Compliance.

Whether it’s an enormous enterprise you own, cozy mom and pop shop, or a nice and easy, medium sized biz — no matter if you’ve taken just one measly debit card transaction this year, 700 gift cards as payment, or processed over 4 million credit cards.  The song will always remain the same: your business must follow PCI DSS.

You might think that understanding, achieving, and maintaining PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance, is a big hairy monster.  And it is.  But AO:Compliance is here to help you slay it.  Most folks don’t have a clue as to how to even begin unraveling what may seem like a big security mess: where to start, how to start, what to do first, what to do next, how much it will cost, if it will ever end.  But AO:Compliance knows how to simplify and untie that huge security knot, and show you how to turn it into a nice and shiny bow instead.

If you own any sort of business, that takes any sort of payment card, you’ll want to take a look at the AO:Compliance Top 5 — the top 5 components that make AO:Compliance the best in class choice when it comes to Compliance questions, resources, solutions, and services.

1). AO: Compliance Monthly Educational Webinar Series
AO:Compliance hosts a once-a-month, one hour Educational Webinar, on any and all things compliance related.  Each month, for one day only, AO:Compliance throws a free Webinar, spotlighting a hot compliance topic, often featuring a special co-host, and always including a unique and interactive Q&A session.  Registration is free, seating is limited and coveted — spots do get reserved quickly — and the AO:Compliance Webinars Series is strictly educational.  Every AO:Compliance webinar is live, and gets recorded, so those who regretfully cannot attend, can still get all the information they need by watching a recorded version at a more convenient time.  We’ve just had our June 2011 AO:Compliance Webinar on 6/23 — if you missed it — catch the recorded version here.  For July, AO:Compliance hass in fact got two webinars in the queue, (learn more about those here), because there’s no better kick off to Summer than to stay cool and Compliant.

2). Member Program
The AO:Compliance Membership Program is the easiest, most helpful, and least expensive (hint: it’s FREE) way for any business to begin the “I need to achieve/maintain/understand PCI DSS, or HIPAA Compliance” journey.  The experts behind AO:Compliance are fully aware of the challenges, confusion, cost and contentions that arise when a business has to begin the process to achieve or maintain a PCI Compliant status — and happily created the most complete Compliance community, the AO:Compliance Member Program.  The AO:Compliance Member Program is designed to contain just about everything short of a “Members Only” jacket, with unique login credentials for the AO:Compliance website, countless education resources on Security and Compliance, community interaction with other members, and exclusive discounts on AO:Compliance services and products.  Fill out an AO:Compliance Member Get Started form today — an AO:Compliance Expert will immediately get in touch, and the VIP treatment begins.

3). Partners and Associations
AO:Compliance has established and secured a boatload of partnerships with some amazing, nationally known associations and companies, that help to broaden the AO:Compliance tool box with even more Security experience and knowledge.  AO:Compliance has teamed up with National and Global trusted partners like Trustwave (leading provider of on-demand and subscription-based information security), First Data (one of the world’s largest providers of merchant processing services), among others, big and small.  As far as associations go — AO:Compliance has recently been chosen by the National Grocers Association (NGA), as the exclusive end-to-end PCI Compliance solutions provider for the NGA and NGA members.  We also hold membership with the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and the Retail Service Providers Association (RSPA) – just to name a few.

4). Affiliate & Reseller Program
The newest — and possibly most exciting — feature that AO:Compliance has unveiled is the very lucrative, and very enticing AO:Compliance Affiliate and Reseller Program.  AO:Compliance was created and developed at the suggestions of our own AccuCode customers who take credit, debit and gift cards as forms of payment — those who know AccuCode as their trusted advisor and consultant — and wanted us help them to solve for Security, in addition to whatever other business solution we were already providing.  Through the AO:Compliance Affiliate and Reseller Program, any business, association, or organization can become that trusted advisor to their customers, as one who now solves for Security — and earn a fine commission in the process.  Upon becoming a member, any one person from an association, organization or business, that refers an AO:Compliance service or product to any member or customer they service, will receive a 10% commission, and any business that helps to resell an AO:Compliance service or product, will receive a 20% commission.  Once referrals become AO:Compliance customers, the commissions become a reality — and for those lucky Resellers — that 20% commission can be recurring, for as long as that customer stays an AO:Compliance customer.  This is an awesome opportunity for businesses, organizations, and associations to begin providing their members and customers with information about the Security service they absolutely need — and earn a some additional revenue in the process.

5). Professional Service Offerings
One of the finest things about AO:Compliance, is that we are with you every step of your Security Journey — from answering your initial inquiry, to solving for PCI Compliance for your business, to maintaining PCI Compliance for your business.   AO:Compliance won’t just identify your problems and tell you to get help, we’ll talk and consult with you, find out exactly where your business is at, what you need, and how you need it — and we’ll tailor the solutions or services you need, for the perfect fit.  AO:Compliance Professional Service Offerings range from  analysis, testing and surveys, to reviews, recommendations, and monitoring.  Whatever combination of security services your business needs when it comes to solving for and maintaining PCI DSS Compliance — we’ll get to the bottom, pin point it, and get right to work.

Honorable Mentions

While the three features below may have not made it into the AO: Compliance Top 5 List, these Runners Up are certainly Honorable enough to Mention, and add nothing but credibility, education, and variety to the AO: Compliance tool box.

The Power of One
Through our best in class partnerships and associations, AO:Compliance is truly a one stop shop, providing anything about PCI DSS or HIPAA Compliance, that any kind business may ever need. Got a question about anything Security related?  Come to us.  AccuCode’s expertise, combined with everyone we’ve partnered with; all of our Associations, Organizations, services and offerings provide us with any answer, about any security question you may have.  We collaborate with so many others to make this AO:Compliance ecosystem a reality — but an AO:Compliance customer will only have to contact one team member for all of their needs.  No need to jump through hoops to find the right person to help you with what you’re looking for.  We’ll identify what it is you need– and hook you up with the right answer, product, or service.

The “Am I Compliant?” Checklist
We know, even after our AO:Compliance Top 5, that trying to understand PCI DSS Compliance can be a very frightening monster.  But, that’s why AO:Compliance will quickly turn that sucker into a friendly beast.  One way we’ve done this is through our quick and easy “Am I Compliant?” checklist.  It’s posted up on our site; anyone can grab, it to download or print, and begin filling out.   And if you’re looking for an insider secret to filling out this survey?  If you marked anything other than “Yes,” as an answer to any of these questions — meaning you’ve chosen “No,” or “Not Sure” at least once — chances are — you are NOT PCI Compliant.  And if this checklist leads to you finding out (yikes!) you have marked “No,” or “Not Sure” — the good news here is — you’re already on the AO:Compliance website, which means you’ve already got access to the best PCI Compliance problem solvers in town.

Merchant Level Chart
A great first step to help both you and us determine where your business may be at in terms of security, is defining just what Merchant Level your business fits into, on a Merchant Level Chart.  Check out this page on the AO:Compliance website; this covers the different attributes and characteristics of the different Merchant Levels, in detail.  This chart will help you to determine not only what category your business falls into, but exactly what you’ll need to do — depending on your Merchant Level — in order to maintain a PCI Compliant status.

And there you have it.  A brief AO:Compliance “Best Of.”  Check out www.AOCompliance.com to learn more about any of the AO:Compliance Top 5, Honorable Mentions, or drop us a line to share with the AO:Compliance team what your favorites are.  Become a member, Affiliate or Reseller, or contact us today — there’s no doubt you’ll find more than just 5 things you love about AO:Compliance.

July 28, 2011:

SAVE THE DATE!

Join AccuCode on July 28, 2011, for the next event in our AO:Compliance Monthly Webinar Series:

“The Difference Between Being Secure and Being Compliant”
Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm MDT (2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT)

AccuCode’s AO:Compliance Monthly Educational Webinar Series continues with, “The Difference Between Being Secure and Being Compliant,” on Thursday, July 28, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm MDT.  Hosted by AccuCode’s very own Security Expert and Director of AO:Compliance, John Bedrick, this free webinar will examine what it means for your business to be Secure versus being Complaint.  John will investigate the distinct details between the two, and help to answer some of the most Frequently Asked Security and Compliance Questions, like “How much Security is Enough?”  “What comes first — Security, or Compliance?” and “What happens if a breach occurs and I’m Complaint, but not Secure?” If you don’t know the difference between the two — or think your business might not be either — don’t miss this Webinar.

Learn more about this interactive one hour event, and get registered today. Registration is free, but seating is limited — and is expected to fill up — so reserve your spot early.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Watch any of our previously recorded webinars at your convenience, by visiting our AO:Compliance Webinars Page.

AO:Compliance is the exclusive, end-to-end PCI Compliance Solutions Partner for the National Grocers Association.  For more information on AO:Compliance, please visit www.AOCompliance.com

If these retailers, and many more, are investing in tablets there must be reason right? First of all, they are catching up with the way consumers have already been shopping. Consumers have rapidly adopted smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to enhance their shopping experiences. These devices are already being used by consumers to price shop, get more information, buy online, share with friends and social environments, and much more. According to the State of Retailing Online Report, tablets account for 21 percent of a retailer’s total mobile traffic (Source: NRF). Since many consumers are already using tablets and smartphones to enhance their shopping experience, it only makes sense that retailers jump on the chance to have more interaction with their customers where and how customers are already interacting.

This brings back the focus on customer service. When store associates carry around tablets, they can easily check stock, check availability online, order a product for a customer, show specs, images, and demos of a product, give customer ratings, and even let the customer purchase the product right there. Sales associates never have to leave the side of any potential customer in order to further assist them. Tablets can also be mounted throughout the store so when a sales associate is not available, the customer can browse products on the tablet, greatly increasing the likelihood that they will remain in the store instead of leaving due to lack of help. This type of self-service has been widely excepted by consumers, just check out the line at the self check out at your local grocery store!

The most widely discussed advantage of using tablets in store is mobile POS. This is particularly interesting for one or two item shoppers. Instead of waiting in long lines to get two items, they can be helped by a sale associate and purchase their item within minutes. It is also a great advantage for on the go shoppers, only stopping in for one crucial item with little to no time to wait in line. This could eliminate those that choose to leave instead of wait in line. Not only does this effect these kind of shoppers, but it could decrease the size of the regular lines for the multi-item shoppers. This is also much more cost effective than adding new lanes.

Another important use for tablets in a retail setting is online catalogs. Have you ever gone into a store for one specific thing and they didn’t have it? It’s a pain to then search other stores physically or find the item online. Now tablets are being used as online catalogs, exposing customers to items not available in stores. They can order, or have a sales associate order, the exact item they want right there in the store.

AccuCode is just at the brink of mobility in the Enterprise. Our Retail Solutions enables businesses to be mobile, from an instant communication and point of sale perspective. Learn more about AccuCode and our Retail Solutions at www.accucode.com.

Tablets are easy to use, lite to carry around, increase the shoppering experience, and let’s face are just plain cool. This trend is popping up in retail stores all across the county and it seems to only be growing. What do you think about using tablets in retail stores?

Robyn Crotty, AccuCode Teamstress

June 23, 2011:

SAVE THE DATE!

Join AccuCode on June 23, 2011, for the next event in our AO:Compliance Monthly Webinar Series:

“Solutions for PCI Compliance”
Thursday, June 23, 2011, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm MDT (2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT)

AccuCode’s AO:Compliance Monthly Educational Webinar Series continues with, “Solutions for PCI Compliance,” on Thursday, June 23, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm MDT.  Hosted by AccuCode’s own Director of AO:Compliance, John Bedrick, this webinar will focus on a variety of solutions that can be used to address the PCI DSS requirements, and make it easier for your business to pass a PCI Compliance audit.  John will discuss the PCI DSS requirements in detail, and map out a number of different solutions and strategies, that have been successfully used to enable organizations and businesses to become certified as PCI DSS Compliant.  If you’ve got solving for PCI DSS Compliance on the mind, for your business — this is one webinar you won’t want to miss!

Learn more about this interactive one hour event, and get registered today.  Registration is free, but seating is limited — and is expected to fill up — so reserve your spot early.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Watch any of our previously recorded webinars at your convenience, by visiting our AO:Compliance Webinars Page.

AO:Compliance is the exclusive, end-to-end PCI Compliance Solutions Partner for the National Grocers Association.  For more information on AO:Compliance, please visit www.AOCompliance.com.