GlobeSet POS

GlobeSet Inc.''s solution is called GlobeSet POS, and is a component of the GlobeSet Payment System, released in December 1997. The payment system is typically sold through third parties and Value Added Resellers (VARs) who integrate it into turnkey systems. According to GlobeSet, their POS system provides:

• Proven interoperability
• Usage with multiple payment gateways
• An SDK to facilitate storefront application integration
• Support for cryptographic hardware, such as Atalla''s PayMaster ISP (see Chapter 6)
• Support for multiple merchant (shopping mall) capabilities and authorization-only capabilities

GlobeSet POS is available for Windows NT 4.0, Solaris 2.5 or greater, HP-UX 10.x, and IBM AIX 4.2. Database systems that are supported include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, and Informix. GlobeSet offers a software development kit (SDK) to simplify the integration of a Merchant''s shopping experience application with the POS software. Its Administration Manager provides a browser interface for its administration functions, including:

• Starting, stopping, resetting, and monitoring the status of the POS server
• Examining the certificates that are available for use
• Configuring the server''s logs, URLs, ports, and databases
• Configuring and monitoring current merchants
• Manually processing batch and transaction activity

VeriFone

VeriFone is one of the leading suppliers of POS terminals in retail industries, so it''s natural that they support POS operations on the Internet, too. The VeriFone Internet Commerce system provides a SET-compliant Merchant component, called vPOS. Other components in the suite include vGate for Payment Gateways and vWallet for Cardholders. Like the other software developers, VeriFone offers an end-to-end solution for SET transaction processing. vPOS operates under the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), Netscape Enterprise Server, and Oracle Web Server. It also provides a Web browser interface for management and administration of the system.

Systems like CommercePOINT eTill, GlobeSet POS, and VeriFone vPOS all use the RSA S/PAY Toolkit to handle the cryptographic processing needs of SET via APIs. Other APIs that these POS software components add permit you to access its features without requiring you to be intimate with the details of its implementation or to deal with cryptographic-level processing. If you were so inclined, you could write your own implementation of SET POS software using toolkits like RSA''s S/PAY and the SET Programmer''s Guide, but with implementations already commercially available, it hardly seems worth the expense and the effort required.

CyberCash

Still another option for SET implementation is available. Currently, CyberCash offers a SET-compliant system, but it differs from traditional card processing systems. The CyberCash solution features payment options such as credit card, cash, and electronic check. CyberCash''s global payment protocol builds upon the levels of security already associated with the CyberCash Payment System. According to Jeff Irby, vice president of sales and marketing for CyberCash:

The release of SET 1.0 will stimulate the global acceleration of electronic commerce on the Internet. . . . CyberCash is actively developing and piloting SET services that address the security needs of consumers, merchants and the financial community while ensuring SET compatibility across all platforms.

The use of the CyberCash Payment System mitigates the need to install SET-compliant POS software on your own Merchant Servers, but CyberCash does charge a fee for system use, usually some percentage of the transaction.