The Path to EMV 2020 – Point-of-Sale Software
The August 2019 edition of the Clark Crown Connection covered point-of-sale (POS) hardware and indoor PIN pads. The next step after you obtain EMV compliant POS hardware is to upgrade your software to accept EMV cards inside your location. The EMV compliant POS hardware has the ability to accept EMV cards, but the transaction cannot process without the proper certified software. Upgrading to EMV certified software will allow your POS system to speak the language of EMV and having the most up-to-date POS software is required to become EMV compliant indoors and outdoors. For the most current software versions, please visit www.clarkbrands.com/setup.
During the software upgrade process, it is important that you invest in the Annual Software Maintenance (ASM) Program or Passport Service Offering (PSO). These programs are designed to make sure you always have the most up-to-date software, increase your uptime and make network management easy. Without an ASM or PSO, you will not be able to receive software updates that are critical to achieving EMV compliance. Also, the ASM and PSO ensure that you receive software patches. Unpatched software is one of the leading causes of data breaches; when you don’t apply software patches to your POS system, hackers exploit vulnerabilities and steal payment data.
Additionally, it is important to ensure EMV transactions do not increase processing times. Therefore, you will need to process transactions over the internet, which will require a PaySafe UTM managed firewall. You will also want to consider the cost of cellular backup so that you process EMV transactions promptly without downtime.
The EMV 2020 deadline is approaching and having the most up-to-date software is key to taking a step in the right direction when it comes to upgrading to EMV at the dispenser. Clark Brands is committed to assist you with developing your plan to transition to EMV. We will continue to communicate information that is needed to help you prepare for the EMV 2020 deadline.