opinion
a Service (SaaS), which will need to be
renewed annually at its full amount.
If funding is an issue, companies can
always bring in a third party to finance
the project. There are a number of cap-
ital finance companies willing to put up
the money in return for earned interest.
These can be lease programs or finance
purchase programs with multiple term
options. Companies that go this route
should be prepared for background
and credit inquiries as well as possible
requests for collateral.
consume for those waiting for a period of
time or simply passing by. web pages employees are permitted and
of course supposed to use.
Kiosk security
Self-service kiosks are often located
in public spaces. And when the kiosks
have public access, they can be prone
to theft and vandalism. To discourage
and prevent tampering, kiosks should be
designed with tamper-resistant features,
such as strategically placed stiffeners,
extra weld points and compression locks.
The right types of security will ensure
that the physical, data and network
components of the kiosk are protected
from tampering.
The kiosk software platform should
also provide the option to whitelist and
blacklist particular websites for security.
Whitelisting enables businesses and
organisations to create a specific list of
web pages or URLs users are allowed to
view. Blacklisting allows them to create a
list of URLs users are specifically denied.
For instance, if a kiosk is being used by
internal employees for HR purposes, the
employer might blacklist social media
websites or simply whitelist the specific Kiosk finance
While kiosk initiatives provide significant
ROI opportunities, businesses should
understand all of the necessary costs
and how they plan to fit those costs
within their current budget before
moving forward. Shipping, of course,
is always subject to change; many
manufacturers will request a quote when
the project is near close. Installation
is not typically included in the initial
quote unless specifically requested.
Another fee that is worth considering is
field support for the kiosk deployment.
Customers should inquire about a
Service Level Agreement (SLA) if this is
necessary.
There are multiple options when
it comes to supporting kiosks post
deployment. Additionally, software
license renewals should always be
considered. Most software is either sold
as a Client Assigned License (CAL), which
will require annual maintenance (usually
20% of the licensing fee), or Software as
14 KIOSK solutions
Kiosk management
When devices need to operate
independently in an unattended
environment, there are some obvious
concerns regarding management that
must be addressed. For example, how is
a deployer notified of issues with kiosks
in the field? If a deployer is relying heavily
on more labour to address these issues,
any gains made by deploying a self-
service solution would likely evaporate.
Remote monitoring offers a solution for
this concern and adds additional benefits
to self-service kiosks.
Remote monitoring solutions can
give deployers the ability to monitor the
health of the kiosk operating system
and software, along with accompanying
hardware. Deployers can be notified if
either the physical unit or the software
has been accessed inappropriately,
either by email or text message.
Remote monitoring allows deployers
to customise what the severity of each
alarm is and determine who should
receive an alert. For instance, if a low
paper roll is 80% empty, that alert might
go to the local store owner. When the
low paper reaches 90% empty, that
alert could be escalated and sent to
the district manager who is able to
call the store to find out why it’s not
being replaced. Finally, a great remote
monitoring solution should offer
measurable ROI with the ability to pull
logs, diagnostics and usage information
reports from the kiosk and digital signage
with ease. n