HubWorks, Sword & Shield Partner to Deliver Innovative, Secure Tableside Ordering/Payment System for Restaurants and Bars

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho and KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading hospitality technology solutions provider HubWorks Interactive and enterprise security provider Sword & Shield today announced the two have teamed up to provide bars and restaurants with an entirely new way to deliver a truly impressive guest experience and differentiate from the competition.

HubWorks' interactive tableside ordering and payment technology enables customers to order food and drinks, and pay at the table, all from a tableside iPad for a fun and engaging dining experience on their own timeline—no more waiting for a server. With iron-clad Payment Card Industry-compliant security baked in and certified by Sword & Shield, one of the most trusted enterprise security providers in the country, the HubWorks platform is revolutionizing the dining and nightclub experience.

Real Business Benefits Beyond the Wow Factor
For restaurateurs and bar owners, the HubWorks Interactive platform drives exceptional operational efficiency, boosts sales and reduces errors to dramatically improve the guest experience, while offering an iron-clad PCI-compliant payment solution. Orders entered at the table are immediately relayed directly to the kitchen or bar for greater efficiency and faster service. Need a refill? With HubWorks, patrons can order a beverage refresh as needed, rather than having to wait for a server to stop by. When patrons are ready to check out, they simply call up the total for their bill on the iPad, swipe their credit card and go.

"HubWorks is definitely a 'think outside the box' kind of company whose innovation is changing the way restaurant and bar patrons order and pay," said Adrian Sanabria with Sword & Shield, HubWorks' PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). "It's exciting to work with such a bold, vibrant company that's transforming the marketplace."

Superior Performance Where "Cool" Meets "Compliance"
Data security is paramount concern for restaurants and other hospitality businesses, which accounted for the majority of data breaches in the United States last year. In 2009, roughly 2,000 restaurants were the victims of credit card data theft—three-times the number victimized in 2008. With data security on the rise, compliance to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is an operational requirement and an ongoing process.

HubWorks innovative solution addresses this challenge head-on, delivering superior, built-in, real-time security to ensure customers' data is safeguarded against any potential threat. The system exceeds the minimum PCI standard compliance requirements, offering a clear and convincing advantage for peace of mind—for both customers and business owners.

"I've worked with at least 30 different companies on PCI, helping them solve problems in their systems to achieve compliance. HubWorks had everything right with their security before I even got there," Sanabria said. "It was 100 percent taken care of before we got there. This is especially important since this isn't your typical PCI engagement. They've created something totally new, and there was a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong. But, they solved it all on the front end."

HubWorks' unique approach to security begins with the physical device, where the card reader is built directly into the iPad case. When a card is scanned, the data is instantly encrypted at the scan head and remains locked in 3DES encryption with DUKPT secure key management all the way through the payment process. Data is transmitted to the client's POS network directly and immediately, and never stored on the device, the system highly resistant to data breaches and creating a payment process that's actually more secure than handing a card to a server, where it could easily be copied or swiped into a credit card skimmer.

This encrypted system also means that should the iPad itself ever be stolen by an employee or customer, it's of virtually no value beyond the cost of the hardware. "The iPad device never even 'sees' the customer's credit card data, so even if someone stole it, they couldn't extract anything valuable," Sanabria said. "Plus, the Hubwork's customer has the ability to remotely wipe the device clean if it's ever lost or stolen to render it useless by an unauthorized user. 

Seamless, Simple, Secure
In addition to its baked-in security, the HubWorks platform integrates seamlessly with existing POS systems, offering essentially a plug-and-play, compliant solution. This deployment-ready security and functionality saves establishment owners and operators significant time and money by eliminating many of the hassles and headaches of achieving PCI compliance when two systems are involved in the payment card processing.

"Sword & Shield is a powerful partner that understands the intricacies of PCI compliance and how our underlying technology goes above and beyond meeting the minimum standards," said Mike Peterson with HubWorks Interactive. "The team at Sword & Shield understands the unique challenges within the restaurant and bar industry, and working together, we can offer these establishments a secure system designed to meet their specific needs."

For more information about the Sword & Shield-certified HubWorks Interactive iPad tableside ordering and payment platform, visit www.hubworks.com

About Hubworks Interactive
HubWorks Interactive LLC is the leading efficiency solutions provider in the hospitality technology industry, designing and developing software applications to enhance the customer experience and increase profitability for restaurants and bars around the world. Its unique approach to enhancing the customer experience and creating efficiencies is transforming the industry through interactive technology, creativity and innovation. HubWorks is headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where it was founded by Rob Berger, Aaron Gabriel and Sam Winter in 2009. For more information, visit www.hubworksinteractive.com.

About Sword & Shield
Since 1997 Sword & Shield has been the trusted information security partner for 3,000 clients in 50 states and 27 countries around the globe. Offering comprehensive computer network security services and IT regulatory compliance for business and government, Sword & Shield provides web application and network security assessments, security risk and compliance services, forensic and eDiscovery services along with best-of breed security products. The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. with offices in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Ore. For more information, visit www.swordshield.com.

SOURCE HubWorks Interactive