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Education

Traditional estate management is terminal

such as loyalty or time management, but it is limited in its
ability to easily swap in new apps, or let them interoperate.

The traditional TMS function is to manage the core payment
application on the device, push payment configuration,
and update encryption keys. Most TMS were not built
as true device managers. Generally, their designs have a
limited concept of mobile application management and
application versioning.

Today, we're on the cusp of a transformation to
multipurpose, multifunction smart POS solutions.
Typically based on Android platforms, these solutions are
likely to be provisioned with 10 apps or more, including
the core payment app, systems apps to handle tasks such
as printing and connectivity, POS management and
inventory, loyalty, customer relationship management,
By Eddie Johnson and more. That's many more apps to manage, more
AEVI complex interactions between those apps, and likely
greater frequency of app update cycles than acquirers and
here's no denying the payment industry is ISOs are accustomed to.
eager to put new payment-related functions
into the hands of merchants, many of whom are This new world of app-oriented payment devices requires
T looking for more innovation to help them meet new levels of estate management that incorporate mobile
the expectations of consumers, and to help run businesses device management (MDM) and mobile application
more productively and profitably. That means bring- management (MAM). MDM and MAM are widely in use
ing more applications to the merchant countertop, but it in the business world to enable effective management
shouldn't mean added layers of complexity for ISOs and of laptops and smartphones, essentially integrated
other merchant payment solution providers. management of all endpoints.
Robust endpoint management
Today, acquirers and ISOs have the ability to choose from
an increasingly diverse universe of payment solutions Major hardware vendors, certainly, have taken note of the
that can deliver new capabilities to merchants, and new need for more payment endpoint management capabilities
customer-facing features and services to consumers. This and have striven to extend capabilities of their TMS in
is an opportunity to move beyond the traditional point that direction, but only for their own brand devices.
of sale (POS) and create points of interaction (POI) that Some newer smart POS providers are offering device
will delight shoppers and ensure that brick-and-mortar management capabilities, so long as you use their devices.
stores are better able to compete with well-resourced tier
1 retailers. The world of merchant payments, though, is opening up to
encompass flexibility and freedom of choice for acquirers,
Ultimately, acquirers and ISOs should have the ability ISOs and their merchants to select the best device and
to offer their merchants multivendor solution sets, and the best apps for the desired tasks, regardless of who
utilize devices based on the best fit for purpose rather the manufacturer or developer is. Instead of managing a
than being locked into limited, proprietary choices. But limited set of payment terminals with one app and one
that requires an agnostic platform that can provide robust set of parameters, the next generation of acquiring will
device management and application management across involve setting up many apps in many configurations
an installed estate. for different merchants, with each app requiring its own
parameters and setup.
TMS limitations
Traditional terminal management systems (TMS) fall far Thus, we as an industry must get smarter about how
short of that promise. The classic payment terminal is we deploy and provision new smart POS solutions. This
essentially a single-application, single-purpose device that means more robust and automated estate management
runs one very highly customized payment application; it that encompasses:
may be able to handle one or two additional applications,
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