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Cloud computing makes sense to work business in a cloud setting. The article states that Cloud computing has "transformed businesses" throughout the world. We learned that a disadvantage of Cloud is the dependence of Internet connection. With Cloud computing, you can share and store data. This can be a better way to run business. We have learned that Cloud computing is more scalable, secure, and reliable. Cloud computing cost less, and you can pay for what you need. Cloud you can customize what you need, to your specific needs. The article even mentions it "lowers management costs." Unlike unintended PMS, which can require maintenance, and be highly costly. We discussed in our video lecture from this past week, how hotel check-ins are being done from smart phones- as this article includes. This is beneficial for enhancing guest experience, and increasing the speed of check-ins. Travel agents have their own way of how they conduct themselves, their business, and the services he or she provides. However, the article shows how with Cloud computing, you would not need to depend on travel agents. Furthermore, Cloud computing can increase sales and revenue for a hotel property. Cloud computing is replacing traditional PMS system's and have a multitude of benefits.

Hoteliers today are joining in on the trend of the use of cloud computing. Some benefits of cloud computing include the increase of operational efficiency, lowering management costs since the hotelier only pays for what they demand. Energy costs and hardware operation costs are also decreased. It allows for hotel check ins to be done via smart phones and tablets and not just at the front desk upon arrival, and it also allows for hotels to not have to rely on travel agents all the time for bookings which saves them having to pay commission to travel companies.

No matter the industry, cloud computing has changed organizations all around the world in recent years. Today's need for access at any time and from any location has soared, and cloud computing is supplying it. All you want is a reliable internet connection. Businesses might choose a cloud service that would store their data in safe data centers rather than burdening themselves with traditional in-house servers to store data. At all levels, cloud-based services are now taking the place of outdated and conventional technologies. Many hospitality firms now use cloud computing services offered by infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). And they are all fired up with the incredible benefits of cloud computing. Cloud computing can benefit hoteliers by driving down costs like energy, hardware, and operations. Your hotel's requirement for hardware overload is decreased, which significantly lowers your electricity costs. The hotel sector uses cloud computing to speed up projects, which reduces costs and increases efficiency. An efficient and effective hotel PMS will help you to ensure that your guests receive a first-rate experience and will provide the hotel employees with the best set of management capabilities. Another benefit of cloud computing is that it frees your personnel from stationary terminals, allowing them to work more independently and productively. Due to the cloud, guests may now check in at hotels using their smartphones or tablets as well as the front desk. Working remotely is possible thanks to cloud computing in the hospitality sector. Managing the business becomes a little more challenging when you, the hotelier, are not on the premises. However, putting your hotel management and operations in the cloud gives you the flexibility to access and operate on them from any location in the world.

Point of sales systems have been increasing popular in all retail and service industries. POS systems help companies integrate their accounting systems, track inventory, cut operating costs and more, while keeping all their company information in one place. Having a dated system in place could potentially cause frustration with the stores customers. Having an older system or cash register in place could cause long lines and inaccurate register transactions like it did for Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt. Before using a POS system it would take even the most experienced worker 2 minutes or more to process a credit card, now it take 20 seconds. This keeps the lines shorter and the customers happy. There are issues that still arise from POS systems, for example security. One retail store based out of New York City had issues with people hacking into their DSL routers and accessing 3 months of credit card information. This company didn't seem to have any real security in place as far as accessing the system, as all employees used the same password to log in. The company used password policies and tougher procedures with credit cards to beef up security. Another company, also based out of NYC, has seen a faster and easier way to control inventory through the use to POS systems. This system can tell the managers what needs to be repurchased if an item is popular, or what's still sitting on the shelves and not being sold. This helps controls losses at the end of the season with less merchandise needed to be sold at discounted prices. Whether it's a hotel, retail store, or restaurant, POS systems help organize a company's most important and valuable information.

This article is very interesting because it talks about how establishments like Sports Authority and Toys 'R' Us are out of business due to e-commerce sites like amazon, ebay, Jet.com and others. It explains how businesses can adapt to an era of e-commerce. The first thing a business can do is to consolidate inventory, in other words have all the inventory in one single pool instead of different channels like brands have done before. The second thing is to establish a two-day shipping network, here the article explains how consumers expect immediate gratification with online orders. We see grocery stores doing this but with faster shipping within hours. The third thing one can do is leverage from an existing e-commerce channels for visibility. A business can sell its products on networks that are already established such as amazon, Jet.com and ebay. The fourth thing a business can do is use brick-and-mortar channels to increase exposure, meaning using physical stores such as Sports Authority and Toys 'R' Us to help increase exposure. It explains that drop shipping to these companies will help sales, 0% of all retail purchases still happen in physical stores. The final thing a business can do is use its resources. It is important to have an e-commerce expert on your payroll to grow the business online which will help in sales and stay on top of the this era. The article finishes by explaining that adaptability is the future of retail, which I believe adaptability is the future for any business. It is important to adapt and keep making things easier and more convenient for consumers.

Is Shopify the new Amazon? If you do not know what Shopify is, it is an ecommerce platform for companies to use to sell their goods. It helps merchants to set up simple website store fronts and allows them to customize their store anyway they want. It also assists them will marketing campaigns, distribution, and shipping.

Very interesting article! This introduces Shopify as one the new ecommerce platform that allows individuals to set up the way they want to see their store front. It allows them to manage everything on this platform. Almost like a direct competitor to Amazon.Very interesting market for exponential growth!

This article is interesting because it discusses how Bed Bath and Beyond placed an internet advertisement marketing their offline shopping experience which is what drove the customer to actually visit the store in order to purchase the item that they have been searching for on the internet. Which made me rethink how I viewed in person retailers because I thought it would be a matter of time before they ceased to exist but in reality it just depends on how they market themselves to consumers on the internet, just by marketing their "offline experience" on the internet as an ad persuaded someone to actually visit the store to gain the experience and the product they were originally looking to purchase online.

Unattended POS is growing global trend which industry leaders will soon have to adapt in their business place. Quick service restaurants are quickly adapting to this change as it reduces wait time and increase in customer return rate. Other key benefits for businesses are the decrease in labor costs & minimal errors when processing guests' request. Ideally, merchants must speak with vendors to customize the self-service kiosk and to ensure they are in compliance. In the end this will expand revenue and efficiency.

Unattended POS machines hit a global growth of $9.22 billion in 2018 from 2017, and is still climbing. The unattended POS machine has shown to be particular popular in the quick service restaurant sector. McDonald's has announced a plan to put 1,000 self-service kiosks in their stores per quarter. Taco bell and Subway have also announced they will be adding the kiosks in their stores as an initiative to offer a heightened customer experience. The machines have come with the benefits of reduced wait time and faster customer turnover. POS growth is attributed to aligning with today's consumers' expectations. Customers value their time and rising labor costs can be eased with the machine as it expedites transactions and covers tasks not relied on by human interaction.

This article explains what proximity marketing is, that marketing to customers and prospects in the right place at the right time, and how it works. Through a series of research data shows the development prospect of this marketing way. Introduce the most common technique used for this type of marketing is beacon，while also introduce some other methods and the reason why these technologies haven't been as popular as beacons, including NCF (near-field communication), QR codes, RFID (radio-frequency identification), and WiFi. The author also analyzes the benefits, which contains advertising, personalization, access to data, and increase usage of mobile apps, for companies to use this, as well as benefits for customers, such as a personalized shopping experience. Moreover, the writer rounded up some of the best-use cases of proximity marketing by big brands, including McDonald's, Amazon Go, and Walmart in order to give some idea for readers how this could be applied for business.

This article discusses what proximity marketing is, how it is used, the different forms of it, as well as the pros and cons of it. Proximity marketing has many different uses, and is currently mainly used in retail stores. However, this kind of location based marketing is becoming popular in hospitality, mainly through restaurant usage.

This article talked about Sabre Hospitality Solution which is the user-friendly e-marketing tool. The Sabre Hospitality Solution will push your internet marketing program to a higher level of performance through the following five essential elements. First, Sabre Hospitality Solutions developed a proprietary Content Management Tool (CMT) based on the needs of the clients. Second, Sabre Hospitality Solutions provides a full e-commerce solution that enables you to build and manage an E-store that generates significant incremental revenue. Third, behavioral targeting engine of Sabre Hospitality Solutions serves potential guests content based on how they are navigating through the Website; and profiles their keyword search that has led them to the Website. Fourth, flash map solution integrates standard interactive components for any set of floor plans. Fifth, Sabre Hospitality Solutions' Interactive Proposal Service (IPS) is a proprietary system that allows a property to respond to RFP's in a highly customized fashion.

Sabre Hospitality Solutions has designed applications and products to push the e-marketing program to a higher level. It offers a wide range of e-marketing tools. Sabre Hospitality Solutions developed a proprietary CMT based on the needs of the clients. This friendly empowering the clients and is widely used in multiple hospitality websites. It also provides a full e-commerce solution that enables you to build and manage and e-store that generates significant incremental revenue. In addition, the behavioral targeting engine serves potential guests content and the flash map solution integrates standard interactive components for any set of floor plans. Finally, it is a interactive proposal service. This unique online presentation of your proposal will ensure your product stands apart form other competitors.

I myself have a Square and swear by it. I use it to sell homemade goods and trinkets and fairs, as well as sell baked goods at fundraising events. The Square app and unit are free (after registry refund) and are simple to use. Just connect it to a bank account and you are off. You can take and keep track of both cash and credit card payments. Plus inventory tracking is easy. The Square turns any iPad, iPhone, iPod or android device into a traveling POS system. Plus there is no paper involved so it's a great first step to running a Green business. Square is the POS solution for small businesses. 

AN HRIS system is a computer program that allows a company to electronically store information about their employees. HRIS eases the work of managing daily employee related issues. HRIS stores a large collection of databases on employees and employee issues. Information included in the databases include employee names, their contact information, and any training they may have received. HRIS systems make it more efficient for a company as it can process payroll and benefits information electronically rather than having to rely on the traditional pen and paper. Storing information in the databases makes it more secure against the potential of tampering and theft.

This article describe some advantages of HRIS, such as data storage, ease update and efficiency. HRIS has huge data storage, it can easy to track employees' working behavior; ease update, HRIS is a computer system, it can easy to delete can update any data; and in some field, it can be a replacement of handwriting.

Starbucks has just announced plans to begin rolling out the installation of wireless charging stations in their stores, starting this year and beginning in California. The wireless charging stations will be called Powermats, and because not all mobile devices are equipped with wireless charging, patrons who want to utilize the station may be required to purchase an adapter ring. It is not stated how much these adapter rings will cost, but It is possible that this project is intended to create revenue from sales of these adapter rings.

Introducing the new dining app Reserve. It creates a seamless dining experience by storing a customer's credit card info upon reservation and immediately charging it once the meal is completed, also charging the customers' preferred tip. That way customers do not have to wait for the back and forth that occurs once they are done with their meal and servers collect payment. While the idea seems amazing, I am worried about the safety of storing people's credit card information on this app.  I also think that with the tipping already pre-included, the incentive on the wait staff's part to deliver great service is diminished. It is also a negative for the client because even if they are not satisfied with the service (or on the other hand if they feel that their server went above and beyond), they are not able to adjust the pre-arranged tip accordingly.  I do think that it is a great way for restaurants to make a nice profit through bids for "highly-sought-after reservations" because people will be more willing to spend a lot to to ensure they get a table at fancier restaurants. 

The purpose of this article was to review the available literature on the subject of ensuring software integrity for IoT (Internet of Things) devices, focusing on detecting and preventing modification of the original software, so that the device cannot be used for unintended purposes. The literature reviewed; secure boot, trusted boot and runtime security. Concluding that no one single control is going to adequately protect a device the solution based upon 25 years of experience is to create a multi-layered approach to security that starts at the beginning when power is applied, establishes a trusted computing baseline, and anchors that trust in something immutable that cannot be tampered with. Additionally, because a device built today can become a major problem tomorrow, due to them having hardcore keys "set and forget", the internet will then have literally billions of obsolete hosts in the coming years. Therefore it is important for MIS Managers/ Consultants investigate how to change the game in order to mitigate the damage or economic value of new systems being breached and by asking questions such as 'Can we even in the presence of a malicious attacker offer some limited form of security for the most valuable transactions (such as e-banking) or assets?' and 'Can we make the 'business' of the attackers less attractive by applying security technologies that are particularly tailored towards destroying the business model of the attackers?'

This article was very interesting. It is a short read but it talks about the future POS systems and it is a very cool and definitely increase customer satisfaction. The article mentions five examples which are image scanning, quick sales/mobile POS, RFID, Biometrics, and digital product tracking. Image scanning would recognize items on a conveyor belt so it will eliminate human error like double scanning and will speed up the process. The implementation of quick sales/mobile POS will also speed up the process of check outs by allowing associates and customers the ability to purchase anywhere in the store. RFID will ensure accurate scanning and product security. Instead of a tag on the garment a RFID transponder is printed directly into the cloth or packaging using biodegradable conductive inks. Biometrics will improve store operations and customer experience by personalizing the experience for each customer. Digital product tracking will eliminate the need for checkout lines. This will be done through the customers' mobile device, tracking the items on there and then transferred to the POS or self-checkout. Then a digital receipt will be sent to the mobile device. This article at the end is exciting because of what the future holds for POS systems.

This article talks about how cloud computing can solve many problems for an organization, such as protecting sensitive data and reduced the costs and risks associated with storing it. Some of the advantages include increased security (though many think otherwise), protected data in natural disasters (the cloud provides many back up solutions for data), flexible payment options for storing and protecting data, cost efficiency, creating unique platforms for businesses based on cloud applications, increased mobility of data and operations, increased collaboration capabilities with other employees and sectors of your industry, and increased technical support from cloud professionals.

This article presents suggestions on POS selection for companies sized from small to large. I found this article really interesting and reiterates that the selection of the POS is going to be based on company needs/culture. Their research was extensive and conducted market research repeatedly, before suggestions were made. It also touched on the different pricing options, in addition to any special features the POS may offer.

This article talks about the best POS systems for 2020. What I found interesting is that the majority of these systems are cloud-based and offer integrated information services for a variety of industries, not just hospitality. A lot of the systems also are ipad based and work well with third-party POS hardware. They also have automated payment options integrated, for people who like to process payments electronically (i.e. Apple Pay). I think its important to know about these POS systems and what they can accomplish for hospitality companies.

In this article, they talk about the best pos systems to use for 2020. They list each pos system name and then summarize the benefits and give a full review. The first system they talk about is lightspeed, which Ipad pos system has solutions for retail stores, restaurants, and online businesses. It's fully mobile, so you can check inventory from anywhere in the store, show customers product images and descriptions, and ring up orders and accept payments on the sales floor or, for restaurants, tableside. The next system is Vend that has real-time reports, inventory management features, and access to various integrations that can help you run your business, save time, and boost sales. This POS software is suitable for nearly every type of retailer. Whether you run a clothing store, a sporting goods store, or a specialty service-based business such as a car wash or computer shop, Vend has the features you need. Touch Bistro is a simple and affordable POS system that focuses on the unique needs of restaurant owners, with tables, reservations, and delivery management features. It's suitable for all types of food establishments - fine dining, casual eateries, cafes, pubs, food trucks, and more. Lastly, there is eposnow has both retail and hospitality versions of the software are available, each with a robust selection of features to help you run your business. It also has more than 80 integrations, so you can add extra capabilities and connect to the business programs you already use.

This article highlights the topic of Data Mining and the way in which companies use it to become informed and discover new ways to become more effective. Data Mining can be used to increase revenue, cut costs and identify growing trends. This article will feature key examples from major companies such as Oracle, Wal-Mart and the NBA, all of which use Data Mining to enhance their business performance. 

Recent advances in big data analysis and artificial intelligence create powerful incentives for companies to accumulate information about every measurable aspect of their business. Due to the huge amount of information, the company's demand for cost reduction is higher and higher. Research shows that the amount of data recorded is growing at an annual rate of 30% to 40%. At the same time, the capacity of modern hard disks used to store most hard disks is growing at less than half the rate. Most of this information does not need immediate access. For things like this, tape is the perfect solution. In fact, most of the world's data are still stored on magnetic tapes, including data from basic sciences, such as particle physics and radio astronomy, human heritage and national archives, major films, banking, insurance, oil exploration, etc. There is even a group of people (including me, trained in materials science, engineering or Physics) whose job is to constantly improve tape storage.

This article explores the pros and cons of cloud computing. the author describes cloud computing as the storing and accessing of data over the internet. some of the advantages of cloud computing that the author lists include cost savings, automatic software integration, unlimited storage capacity, reliability, and mobility. Conversely, cloud computing comes with various cons including security concerns, lack of support from providers, downtime, and reduced performance in some situations.

Almost a third of hospitality companies have reported that they do not have a policy in place for storing and disposing of confidential information. In that same group another 19% reported that they don't have policy for storing or disposing of confidential paper documents. This is a alarming because most hospitality companies have to store consumer information. Nearly 23% of consumers reported they would take their business elsewhere following a data breach which should be a walk up call in the industry to improve their current security. What is even more alarming 41% of hospitality businesses say they believe that their organization will experience some form of data breach in the next five years.

The security of data in the hospitality industry is now more and more important. Although some hotel owners may not keeping it in mind as an important issue, a large percentage of hotel guests feel concerned about it. This discrepancy should be a wake-up call for hoteliers. Organizations can do three things to minimize risk: update security policies, train employees better, and regaining customer trust. Current statistics provided evidence that these three aspects are all important and can be improved.