Product: OmeroX Lite PIN pad
Company: PointPay USA Inc.

If you've updated POS equipment to improve security, you probably wince at the memory of changing out terminals for your merchants and putting them all through the download process. The idea of doing it yet again could be hazardous to your health.

One example was the migration from Master Session to single data encryption standard (DES) derived unique key per transaction (DUKPT) key management.

And yet, triple-DES DUKPT key management may put you and your merchants through that pain - unless you already outfitted them with the OmeroX Lite PIN pad from PointPay USA Inc.

While the card brands do not yet require triple-DES encryption, Bill Reed, Vice President of Technology for PointPay USA, predicted they someday will. "The recent theft of account numbers and PINs and [instances of] debit fraud will force it," he said.

The PIN-pad companion to the OmeroX Lite terminal is lightweight and virtually future-proof, being single- and triple-DES-capable. It has 32 indexes to hold different keys, Reed said. ISOs and merchant level salespeople should know the PIN pad is "compliant with current rules and fits nicely into proposed rules," such as triple-DES, he added.

In addition to its debit capability, the unit is EMV-smart-card ready, should the U.S. bankcard system adopt that technology, as well. Merchants in major cities could begin to need smart-card terminals to cater to European tourists after 2010, when Visa's European issuers will no longer be required to include mag stripes on their cards, he explained.

The OmeroX Lite PIN pad features:

• An RS-232 interface
• A two-line, 16-character display with backlight
• A privacy shield
• An integrated smart card reader
• A real-time clock/calendar with automatic leap-year handling
• A battery life of eight years, minimum
• 20 soft-touch keys with a liquid-resistant keypad
• Programmable function keys
• An audible beep to signal transaction sequences
• Support for single-DES and triple-DES under Master Session and DUKPT key management methods
• Message authentication code support.

The unit contains a dedicated crypto processor surrounded by a protection grid, encapsulated in an epoxy-filled box protected by tamper sensors. PIN management and security are compliant with ANSI X9.8 standards.

A C-based software development kit is available.

The OmeroX Lite terminal was recently certified with Global East to support MasterCard Worldwide's PayPass contactless program. It is Class B Plus certified with FDMS Omaha and Class B certified with Chase Paymentech Solutions LLC and TSYS Acquiring Solutions, as well as Global East.

It is also certified with value-added applications such as Valutec gift and loyalty programs; Global eTelecom Inc. electronic check services and gift/loyalty programs; and EZCheck.

PointPay USA Inc.
800-970-7646
www.pointpayusa.com