How Resident Experience Can be Improved?

Improving resident experience is crucial for meeting resident retention goals in multifamily buildings. Aside from good amenities, practical designs, and attractive decor, most residents prefer living spaces that can ensure their well-being and foster a community sense. If you meet these expectations, they will be less likely to live.

How to improve the resident experience?

You can improve the resident experience by considering the various touchpoints that could impact the residents, starting from the leasing to the move-out process. Here are some of them:

Ensure a smooth move-in process

Residents are more likely to develop a positive impression of the living space if they can settle into their unit without facing any inconveniences. You can assist with this by asking them to download the community app before they move in, providing them with the contact numbers of the on-site team for move-in assistance, and appointing an on-site team member to offer a community orientation.

It can also help to provide them with a checklist and ask if they have any issues they would like you to resolve. You might also offer a gift to welcome them to their new homes, such as a gift card, a wine bottle, a flower bouquet, or a fruit basket.

Ensure well-maintained living spaces

Well-kept, pleasant-looking apartments with modern features and facilities can improve the resident experience. You want the living space environment to be visually appealing so that residents take pride in their living quarters and have positive feelings when they walk through other areas of the building complex. You can make life easier for the residents by providing fast Wi-Fi, SMART home technology, convenient package deliveries, and access to community areas.

Encourage a strong sense of community

A strong, engaged community can improve the resident experience. Most people prefer to live in places with a friendly atmosphere and where they are likely to cultivate friends. They are more likely to renew their leases if they feel they are part of the community and get along with and trust their neighbors. You can help them develop an emotional connection with the community by organizing community events that enable people to get together and socialize with each other. For example, you can have BBQs, book clubs, sewing clubs, gardening clubs, or yoga classes.

You can have community apps where residents can get news, share information, and communicate with each other. You can host events on Christmas and other festive occasions. You can partner with local businesses to offer residents various essential services such as laundry, dry cleaning, pet sitting, food delivery, and so on.

Improve communication and maintenance services

Being able to contact the on-site community manager easily about any maintenance issues and get a quick response is important for improving the resident experience. You can undertake regular maintenance work to ensure the minor issues don’t escalate and send periodic messages to residents to inquire if everything is in functional order. You can also keep residents updated about the repair work on the community app.

Difference Between Traditional vs Cloud Based ePOS Systems

POS has eased many restaurants’ work; however, many businesses still hesitate to use a POS system. There are many reasons for this, as there is confusion regarding traditional and cloud based ePOS system.

Let us see the differences between the two systems.

1) Software – Traditional ePOS system must be installed on the local database. It does not depend on an internet connection. It works on a stand-alone system and all data is available in that single system. However, cloud based ePOS system host the restaurant database online. This system requires a fast and reliable internet connection always to operate.

2) Support – Both the traditional and cloud based ePOS system requires support for various hardware issues. In the traditional system, support can happen through the telephone to some extent. However, for cloud-based system, the support activities can take place remotely. All activities like installation and troubleshooting happen remotely and need not have on-site support actions.

3) Storage – Traditional ePOS systems require the database to be on the local host. The database has to be on one of the ePOS terminals for small restaurants and a server for larger ones. This setup does not require any internet connection, and files and data are easily accessible from a single location. In this set-up, the entire operations are dependent on a single system or a local network. However, cloud solutions store all files and data on remote servers. It can be accessed only through the internet. So, when there is no internet, the restaurant will be in at mess.

4) Integration – Integrated solutions are necessary for faster processing. With a traditional POS system, it is challenging to integrate new modules as it takes a lot of time to customize them. During that time, entire operations are interrupted, and the business uses it without any alteration. However, the cloud ePOS system helps to integrate new modules easily without any errors. Having a cloud-based system is easy to adapt based on restaurant operations and size. A few functionalities that you can easily integrate with a cloud-based system are accounting, CRM, loyalty programs, etc.

5) Data Accessibility – Using a traditional system, only data from on-site can be accessible. It means that the data owner has to be present physically on the site to operate back-office. All restaurant data is available in one location; hence data and reports can be pulled only from one location. However, using a cloud-based system, data is accessible from any location and anytime when required. It can also be accessed from any device having an internet connection. Also, data can be updated and saved from anywhere. Data that is stored in the cloud server syncs in real-time with the primary device. Users can view data in real-time.

6) Data Risk – With the traditional POS system, there is a risk of data loss. As all the data and operations take place using a single system, if that system crashes or gets a bug, data is lost. Data loss is a big risk to any business and it is also a tough task for data retrieval. However, cloud-based system has an advantage over this feature. Here, data gets backed up in the cloud server automatically. So, even if data is lost or the local system crashes, there are ways to restore it.

7) Cost – The traditional POS system requires high upfront costs and there are expenses involved in setting up the hardware. Also, the system should be updated manually on-site every time. So, it incurs some IT infrastructure costs explicitly. It also requires extra maintenance. When the system crashes, then there will cost of re-installation as well. However, cloud based ePOS system works on a subscription basis, either monthly or yearly. There are fewer upfront costs as the installation is easy and the maintenance happens remotely. There are also up-gradation fees because the cloud service providers keep updating the server automatically. Also, the back-office servers store legacy data and it cost high. Depending on the number of users, devices, and operation size, cloud services can be as expensive as traditional systems.

In the end, each system performs the same function, streamlining restaurant operations and automating all the activities inside.

Property Management Software and the Reasons for Its Necessity

A big residential complex having property owners and property managers provides every resident with a unique living experience. It provides a beautiful experience using the latest technology.

These rental properties management software operates the residential complexes efficiently. Using the property management software, residents find comfortable stay, thereby attracting many residents to the complex and retaining them as well.

Let us discuss the various reasons for its necessity.

1) Custom Emails while Onboarding – This software has the facility to set up tailored emails to automatically onboard the new resident. All the necessary arrangements and information are given to the new resident for a nice experience on the first go. Also, property managers get a notification and provide real-time monitoring when the new resident completes the onboarding process. The process of onboarding a new resident becomes easy using this software. Even the new resident can find all the things required easily.

2) Move-in Checklist – A residential complex has many procedures and rules that any new resident should be aware of. All the checklists will be listed along with the onboarding process. This will ensure that the new resident has a smooth stay in the residential complex. This property management software helps to create checklists for move-in and move-out to streamline operations. It automates the onboarding process and reduces the visit to the office.

3) Amenity Reservations – A luxury residential complex has many amenities for the residents. The property management software has an easy way to track all the amenities reservations by the residents. Gone are the days when notebooks and spreadsheets were used to record data. Using this software, a resident can book the required amenity on a specific date and time. With this, the property manager gets notification of the amenity being booked. Using this software, a resident can easily make use of all the amenities in the complex.

4) Document Storage – Rental properties management software acts as a document repository. All the documents for a resident can be stored in the software. Property managers can upload all essential documents and files so that each resident has all the required information at the right time. Various documents that are mostly uploaded are:

a. Resident handbook

b. Notices

c. Rental or Lease agreement

d. Important phone numbers

5) Domestic Help Management – A residential complex has many domestic help like cooks, maids, drivers, etc. in the resident’s houses for their service. Even though it is a personal service for the resident, their entry in and out of the premises must be monitored. Instead of maintaining book logs for their entry and exit, rental properties management software has the provision to monitor their entry and exit. When they enter the premises, their entry will be marked, likewise when they exit. Also, residents can see the database if they are in search of any domestic help. Their ratings and reviews will be visible and residents can select based on that.

6) Digital Pass – Every resident will have domestic help and that can be tagged on their house in the software. Once the domestic help is tagged, a resident can view when they are in and when they are out. When the resident wants to hand over an item, they can issue a digital pass using the software. This digital pass will be checked at the main gate by the security person. This act ensures that there is no theft happening inside the premises.

7) Resident Database – A big complex has many residents residing in it. So, it is tough to maintain their details in a book. This software stores residents’ details. It is easy for other residents to quickly pull out the contact of their fellow residents. It stores the details in a structured way. For example, tower-wise and floor-wise.

8) Front Desk Management – Front desk is the face of the residential complex and all the details should be available easily. Front desk staff can easily take information like guest check-in, deliveries to houses, services required for residents, etc. As front desk staffs work in shifts, the team can easily communicate between the shift teams using the daily notes tool. Using this tool, the team can easily create any reminders, shift notes, etc.

Your Guide to Epicor Kinetic

As companies increase in complexity and meet the demands of the modern business world, they are increasingly relying on powerful tools to help. One such type of tool is Enterprise Resource Planning software, which takes a variety of functions and puts them into a single platform for easier management. Easily one of the most popular ERP platforms on the market is Epicor Kinetic, which has been helping businesses better manage their resources for increased efficiency.

Epicor Kinetic is a powerful tool that, when implemented correctly, can help your business better manage its resources and succeed. Today, we break down everything you need to know about Epicor Kinetic: what it is, how it’s used and its many distinct benefits that separate it from other ERP software.

What is Epicor Kinetic?

Epicor Kinetic is an ERP that does one thing above all else: puts your many functions into a single place so you don’t have to navigate multiple apps and platforms to get the data you need. The platform’s functions are customizable, but many businesses rely on it primarily for managing accounting, inventory, customer relations management (CRM) and pre-production materials planning.

Epicor Kinetic’s approach is focused on intuitive design and easy navigation. Too often, these types of programs can become unwieldy and difficult to use, especially as companies use it for more and more functions. What sets Epicor Kinetic apart, however, is how it makes things easy as it’s used more, organizing relevant data in a way that makes sense and helps your team make quick, informed decisions that will have a real impact. That easy-to-use approach makes it the ideal ERP software.

Let’s look at some of the key benefits that come with choosing Epicor Kinetic.

Advantage 1: Easy onboarding and adoption

Did you know that over half of Epicor Kinetic businesses have every one of their employees using the platform regularly? This makes it a powerful tool for any business, not simply because it works, but because everyone can use it together.

The reason for such high adoption rates within companies is simple: the onboarding process has become easier and easier as Epicor Kinetic invests in its user experience. The platform uses a modern and intuitive interface that is easy to learn and master. It intelligently displays relevant data and information for users so they can make quick, informed decisions that can have an immediate impact. The platform is also incredibly customizable, making it even easier to use on an ongoing basis. The cloud-friendly, upgrade resilient approach requires little to no coding either, so everyone can use it even if they aren’t software engineers.

Advantage 2: Modular approach

Many ERPs force businesses to take an all-or-nothing approach, which can lead to issues with functionality and increase the difficulties of adoption and use. With its phased implementation and modular approach, however, you can use the parts you want and increase your use as you go along. That means your team can get comfortable with its functions in specific areas before implementing more functions. The result: an ERP that’s exactly what you need, no more, no less.

The modular approach isn’t just a function solution, however, it’s also a financial benefit. Because you only pay for the modules you use, Epicor Kinetic can also be a cost-effective way to use an ERP without breaking the bank.

Advantage 3: Analytics that matter

In a world of big data, analytics can become complicated and ultimately too much from which to draw real conclusions. Epicor Kinetic offers a wide breadth of analytics to help you and your team make the right decisions and weigh the results in a manner that makes sense. With built-in tools that let you easily define parameters, and the advantage of having all your functions in one place, means you can analyze the data that matters in a way that makes sense.

Advantage 4: Training is available

Adopting Epicor Kinetic means access to comprehensive and ongoing training that will increase its impact on your business in a shorter amount of time. Rather than buying an ERP that leaves you to figure it out, there are many companies and resources who can help you hit the ground running with training from the outset. That means you can maximize your investment earlier and see results just as quickly.

The Epicor Kinetic difference

If you are looking to streamline your business functions and empower your team to reach new levels of success, then the right ERP software is key. With its modular approach, intuitive design and ease-of-use, Epicor Kinetic is a cost-effective way to increase efficiency and give your business the edge it needs to succeed.

Why You Should Consider Property Management Software

Property management software helps the community to manage their properties and work more effectively. When the property is well-maintained, it increases its value. This software provides many tools to the property manager and it has various operations.

A property management system provides the possibility for clear and easy communication among all the departments. It ensures that all the property operations are going on smoothly, thereby saving time to take care of the main activities.

Here are a few benefits of property management software.

1) Collect Maintenance Charges – Maintenance charges are collected by all residents in a community living. This software has the facility for the inmates to pay their maintenance charges online. The software also generates invoices for the residents. With online payment, the collection processes increase along with easy payment for the inmates. It also has various payment options and residents can play it at their convenience.

2) Communication – Property manager software allows easy communication among the inmates. Also, inmates will get a notification or an email of the communication. This feature will benefit as there will be no communication gap among various news within the premises. All the inmates will get to know of it. Also, the inmates can post any information on the software and all inmates will have a chance to communicate around it. All these communications are saved and recorded.

3) Automate Bookkeeping – Using property management software, there is no need to maintain books, and all the expenses and invoices are entered in this software. All the property expenses and incomes can be neatly monitored where there is no need for a bookkeeping task on this. The property manager can track all incomes, and expenses, and generate various reports in this software. All these are automated and financial details are recorded. Also, if the property manager is purchasing some product for the property, the product image can be taken and its bill can be uploaded to track it.

4) Get Renters – Property management software helps inmates to get people for rent. Finding good tenants is essential and this software comes with tools that will easily advertise the property on various online platforms. This will make sure that good people are there on the premises.

5) Rent Payment – This software enables tenants to pay rent. The tenants get a notification on the rent payment. Once the owner gets the payment, they can generate the invoice. This is an easy process where all payment details can be stored and there is no room for confusion.

6) Cloud Storage – All data in the property management software is stored in the cloud and hence, the information and documents can be accessed from anywhere. So, there is no risk of losing any data or documents, and it resides in a safe place. Any inmate can pull the data from the software and find what they require.

7) Resident Database – A property has many inmates and maintaining all the inmate details in a book is a tough task. The data is dynamic as there can be move-in and move-out regularly. Property management software has the provision where all the inmates’ details can be stored and can be accessed by anyone. The inmate can update their information and be able to get other contacts as well. The resident database will be maintained in a structured way so that it is easy to search.

8) Domestic Help Management – All the domestic help like drivers, cooks, maids, etc., their details will be entered into the software. Once they start their service with the inmates, their entry into the premises can be monitored. If an inmate is looking for domestic help, they can search in the database and check out a feasible domestic help that suits them and their time. Also, the software has the provision to provide a digital pass to domestic help in case the inmate is handing over any item to them. The digital pass will be checked by the main gate security where the security can validate it. This will ensure that there is no theft on the premises.

What is the Need for a Hotel Booking Software?

What is the Need for Hotel Booking Software?

Hotels will be busy with the bustles of visitors at all times, and because of this rush, the front office employees will be tied-up with the related workload. Therefore, customers will find the process of booking rooms hard. They will have to spend a lot of time just to complete this process. By installing hotel booking softwares, the management can reduce the workload of the reception crew to a great extent. This arrangement will be highly beneficial to the visitors also as they can book their room at ease and complete the payment process within a very short time. Because of this both-sided effectiveness, hotel booking softwares have become par for the course of the current hospitality sector.

Another benefit is that you can reduce the upfront costs considerably as there will be less manual effort requirement. It’s always advisable to customize the software. Leading software development companies will be ready to code the hotel booking softwares that will go well with your practical need.

However, you must make it compatible with your practical requirement. When you get the right hotel booking software, you will be able to augment the speed and quality of the work within the given environment. You will be able to manage this work with a reduced workforce. In brief, you can cut down the number of employees.

The possibility of getting real-time status regarding availability, price structure, waiting list, confirmation, etc., adds up the handy nature of the software. This detailed information will be useful for all to book the room in line with the required dates. Besides, the user experience will be high. Pricing will be much reasonable. Hence, there is an open chance that more clients will come to your hotel. There will be the desired customer retention.

Customers always expect transparency as far as their dealings are concerned. When hotels use a pragmatic one from the available hotel booking softwares, such a situation is possible. Customers will appreciate this, and they will visit your hotel whenever the need arises. These days a responsive sales portal is essential for the augmentation of sales. In general, almost all modern-day customers will be using their mobile devices for reserving hotel rooms and payment processes. When you use hotel software, you will be able to create responsiveness.

When the hotel has customized hotel booking software, all the related tasks will become easy. Customers will be able to book their rooms from any part of the world, and this facility will be available round-the-clock. Hence, they can plan their journey comprehensively and without any trouble. All the different available room options will flash on their smartphone with a few clicks. Besides, they will be able to make the payment easily.

Because of the 24×7 reservation possibility, your customers will be able to book at any time of the day or night. The essence of this is that your business will not cease along with the sunset. Therefore, there will be an increase as far as the sale of rooms is concerned. Remember, this sales augmentation possibility is without the assistance of your employees.

There will be a reduction of work as far as the daily workload of your front desk staff is concerned. Hence, the application of the hotel booking softwares will be beneficial. As there will not be any need to hang around the phone, attending customers’ calls, the management can engage them for other productive works. Hence, there will be an augmentation of work efficiency.

One main benefit of installing this software is the easiness of payment. Your clients will be able to pay the bills through their mobile devices. It is possible to slot in different types of payment services and gateways. You can discuss this matter with the software development company. They will fix all kinds of payment gateways, including digital wallets. That said, paying through digital wallets has become popular in our time, and for sure, customers will appreciate such a payment system.

Payment Systems – Simple, Safe and Secure

The technological progression reached its zenith of popularity over the last few years. Like several other fields, it has marked its footprints on the payment systems too. Nowadays, you will find more people carrying different applications and debit or credit cards for payment rather than using cash. However, this rapid growth of online transactions has created a new world for cybercriminals.

The more online payment users increase, the more it helps those fraudsters. Therefore, irrespective of whether you are a hotel or restaurant owner or have an online shopping store, you should provide the highest level of security to your potential customers to keep their data confidential, safe, and secure. So, you need to use various methods and tools for your hotel payment system to offer that advanced level of security. So, you might wonder, how you can provide that security level to your consumers to control and reduce the danger of fraud and keep your clients safe from the hands of cybercriminals. To ensure this, you can find a reputed payment platform that incorporates both secure payment processing and an effective anti-fraud protection system. Besides, go through the below segment to know several other things that will assist you in making payment simple, safe, and secure.

• SSL protocol

To ensure a safe payment system, you must implement SSL protocol on your website. It allows you to encrypt data going through your website, like sensitive data and credit card info that people use during payment. When you add this protocol, the customer will see the padlock icon in the URL bar and ensure that the site is safe and trusted. It will also help your business to get more clients by creating a solid brand reputation. So, use it for your organization’s success.

• Tokenization

Tokenization is the latest and preferable technology that helps to enhance hotel payment security and give a payment process without vulnerabilities. Without impacting the transaction security, it will assist the clients during the checkout process. The tokenization system utilizes tokens with random characters that substitute susceptible information like your debit or credit card number. Using this system, you can minimize the risk of data breaches. It is so because if someone stole the token, it will be ineffective to hackers or cybercriminals.

• 3D secure

The 3D secure authentication system is a new-age simple and safe payment method. It uses biometrics or tokens to ascertain cardholder information. Due to this unique system, it can effectively reduce fraudulent practices. Therefore, you can utilize this method to offer a safe, simple, and secure payment to your potential customers.

• Address verification system

Also known as AVS, the Address Verification System is a popular online payment security measure that prevents fraud cases on debit and credit card transactions. AVS ascertains whether the billing address matches the consumer associated with the card or not. It happens as the merchant requests to verify the address. After successful verification, the merchant gets a response code from a debit or credit card processor to determine whether it is authentic to receive or reject the transaction. So, this is beneficial. However, AVS is not a guaranteed payment prevention system, and as a result, you need to combine it with other anti-fraud systems to get the best result.

• PCI compliance

Payment card companies like MasterCard, Discover, Visa, American Express create dPCI compliance to set payment-related regulations. This system demands organizations to yield 12 general data security needs that every merchant should follow. It offers maximum security and protects identity theft significantly. Merchants who wish to store, process, or transmit card data are required to be PCI compliant. Though it is beneficial for preventing cybercrimes, the implementation method is a daunting task. That is why merchants prefer to take help from payment providers. It is so because these providers take care of these PCI issues effectively. Hence, you do not have to worry about PCI.

What are The Right Travel Payment Solutions?

This year has started to see the travel industry continue to cautiously rebuild, as some nations open borders and others normalize their approach to safe travel measures. And while industry uncertainty still looms, in the world of travel payment, the conversation is shifting from reactive management of refunds and vouchers to focus once again on how payments can drive conversion and an enhanced customer experience. Travel companies are increasingly focused on responding to traveler requirements for convenience, choice, and a fair deal when paying for travel. That being said, here are the predictions for the travel payment trends shaping merchant strategies in 2022.

Buy Now Pay Later in Travel

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is already a major payment method across retail. By carrying out a rapid risk scoring of the customer, a merchant (or its BNPL provider) can extend a line of credit, so the customer pays in several instalments. For travelers, BNPL is a very smooth experience that’s quicker and easier than filling in a traditional data entry form when paying with a card. Flexible payment by installments is particularly important for travel at the moment because family reunion travel or at least the prospect of it is driving demand and these trips often mean four or more people traveling, which can be expensive.

For travel merchants, the real opportunity is the product upsell. If the traveler has flexible credit, they can potentially afford to make a higher value purchase, or to add more ancillary services. According to a survey among 5,000 travelers, 68% said BNPL would encourage them to spend more than usual on summer travel while 49% said they would be more likely to buy airline ancillary services if BNPL was offered. With this type of upsell potential, every travel merchant should at least consider BNPL options in 2022.

Frictionless Payments

At top travel companies, the UX researchers have done a lot of work to consider the entire traveler journey from booking, to the airport and finally the destination, and everywhere in-between. As an industry, we need to create a great payment experience not just when the traveler is on our website, but also when they’re traveling. Several innovations for travel payment have become available over recent years that can be harnessed to remove friction.

· Tokenization enables merchants to encrypt and securely store customer payment information in their systems for future use.

· Merchant Initiated Transactions mean travelers only need to authenticate once, and subsequent payments can happen invisibly in the background as the merchant can re-use payment information the traveler allows them to store securely.

· Last mile digitization uses methods like QR codes or ‘pay by link’ that are amazing ways to upgrade processes like Chip & Pinto e-Commerce payments, even in traveler-present environments like the hotel reception and airport check-in.

Achieving frictionless payments across the entire traveler journey is a long-term aspiration but the top travel start-ups and big firms have already begun working towards this goal with many of their customers.

Airlines Embrace Multi-Currency Pricing By Making It Part of the Digital Experience

Today, airlines typically price fares in the currency of departure but this isn’t necessarily the currency the traveler is most comfortable with. For example, an American traveler visiting Europe books a flight from London to Portugal, and the price is displayed in GBP, yet the traveler is comfortable with USD. Airlines are increasingly recognizing the importance of making the purchase easier for travelers by pricing flights in multiple currencies on their websites, so travelers have clarity on price without needing to perform a manual conversion using a third-party site.

Even the slightest friction during the buying process can result in lost sales and lower conversion rates. Consumers seek seamless, fast, and transparent shopping experiences and airlines are quickly realizing that by taking greater control of services on their websites they can increase conversion by delivering on this need. According to recent research, 89% of travelers would be more likely to buy from one airline over another if it displayed the fare in their currency of choice, which is why more airlines would be offering multi-currency pricing in 2022. Experts predict carriers to assume greater control over aligning this important service with their broader digital strategy.

Why Do You Need a Secure Payment System?

Online transactions are common these days and it is seen in all e-commerce. Even if the online booking system has the best interface, having an unsafe payment system is a threat to the customers and they leave the website. The payment gateway for any hotel booking system should place trust in the visitors while they book.

For any hotel booking system, the website verifies their customer’s identity, has a check on fraudulent bookings. It ensures security and compliance in the following way:

– Fraud Prevention – The validation system saves any hotel from any fraud. It makes use of machine learning, security protocols, and rate rules. The payment software ensures secure payment by using advanced algorithms to differentiate fraudulent transactions from the actual ones. Having such secured transactions ensures every hotel’s revenue is protected.

– 2 Factor Authentication & User Account – The payment system ensures secure payment by using 2 Factor Authentication and Single c Sign On. This system permits customers to log in with their phone numbers and go through the booking process with a simple step and have a password-free experience.

The payment systems provide a 100% secure flow of transactions with the following features:

– Payment Validation – The payment system provides secure payment by verifying the validity of all credit cards along with the amount. It also checks mobile wallets validity if the payment is made through mobile wallets before it passes to the hotel’s central reservation system.

– Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) – To ensure more secure payment for customers, hotel reservation system uses, and outstanding check on data. It uses PayFac to vault and check each customer’s credit card details, provides secure tokens, and then confirms payment in the checkout. The payment technology is designed in such a way to support hotels to adhere with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

– 3D Secure 2.0 – Fetching credit card details is the most sensitive part of online payments. To reduce any kind of fraud with credit card details, 3D Secure 2.0 ensures that the customers go through an additional card authentication step. This step makes the customer to do some operations directly on the bank’s website associated with their credit card. This extra step ensures to reduce any kind of fraud and promotes safe transactions. This process is called 3D Secure and is a part of the European requirement done for the sake of Strong Customer Authentication.

– Payment Services Directive (PSD2) – The authentication requirements of 3D Secure 2.0 are to ensure that the payments are validated as per the European Union’s second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). This extra layer of authentication provides the hotel with a safer transaction and be confident that they will not lose their revenue with any fraudulent activities.

– GDPR – The hotel reservation system ensures to have secure payment and is compliant with GDPR requirements. This compliance ensures secure customer data collection and even store the data in a secure place. With these regulations, hotels will uphold customers’ right to request for data to be updated, deleted, or even download.

– ADA – The hotel reservation system ensures the payment technology be fully accessible to every one and be compliant with all the legal standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To become completely accessible, the payment system keeps an audit of the technology regularly. This audit ensures that the payment system abides with the ADA’s standard.

It is essential to follow safety practices for all online payment systems. Various safety practices are:

1) Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance – This safety practice is the most important to be considered. If PCI compliance protocols are missed, it will land in legal trouble. PCI helps to set standard security for online payments.

2) Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol – SSL is an internet security encryption protocol and it tells that a website is safe for transactions.

3) Tokenization – Tokenization is another safety protocol, where there is an extra security layer to protect payment data. Tokenization takes place when a program converts the payment data into random numbers.

4) 3D Secure – 3D Secure is a safety protocol where it includes an extra authentication layer during the payment process. It checks with the bank.

A Variety of Internet Providers

There are numerous internet providers available in the market today. Customers get a lot of different deals and offerings. An internet connection gives access to the web on your mobile phone, laptop, and personal computer. The services an ISP offers to the customers apart from internet access are email, web hosting, domain name registration, and data center services. Some service providers also provide website design and eCommerce website development. It may be a commercial company, private, or a non-profitable organization.

Different types of internet service providers

There is a range of technologies that an ISP uses to connect its users to the web. Let us discuss the most common types of connections that will guide your decision to choose one.

1. Cable Internet Service

It is a popular connection worldwide where you can expect speeds between 1.5 Mbps and 100 Mbps. This network connection uses the existing cable TV wires for connection. If you bundle your television and internet connection together, it will save a good amount of money.

2. DSL Internet Service

DSL stands for digital subscriber line. It is another connection that internet provider Detroit provides. Here you get a speed slightly lesser than a cable connection. The added advantage of this service is fewer fluctuations. A cable line is shared between multiple users, whereas a DSL line is not. This fact ensures a stable connection. If there are no other choices available in your area, DSL is a solid option to consider.

3. Fibre Internet connection

Fiber-optic lines get used for transmission in a fiber internet connection. It offers a download speed as high as 1 Gbps and is the current bandwidth champion. The widely popular Google fiber offers one gig of bandwidth at the same price as cable and DSL service plans. Due to this, major cities are approaching Google to pick their areas as the upcoming site. It will make the network accessible to more people across the world. The only demerit of this connection is the high cost of installation. It is the reason why the popularity of fiber internet connection is growing slowly despite the speed it offers. But the prices may drop with advancements in technology.

4. Wireless Internet connection

A big rival of cable connection and DSL is a wireless internet connection. The speed offered by a wireless connection of internet provider Detroit ranges from 10 Mbps to 20 Mbps. The plans of these services come with a data limit of 1 to 10 GB per month. It is the most popular connection through which even people of most remote areas can access the web. It is also a cost-effective plan where people pay monthly for the services that they use. You can choose between prepaid, where you pay before using the service, and postpaid, where you pay a bill after using the services. Due to data limits of plans, online gaming and video streaming are at a minimum. But you can choose a package that offers more data limits per month. With the introduction of 4G and 5G technology, data packs are getting cheaper, and companies are offering plans with a limit of 1.5 Gb per day.

5. Satellite Internet Connection

If you live in rural land, satellite connection is sometimes the only option that you have. You can access the web, but some disadvantages are relatively slow speeds and peak-hour data limits. It is the last option you should consider for getting in touch with friends, family, and the online world.

From so many options available, you should select the one internet provider in Detroit meeting your needs. You should first clear what type of service you need, quality of service, cost of plans, number of users on that network, bandwidth capacity, contention ratios, location of users, and other terms and conditions of the ISP. You should get the speed promised by the service provider.

How Can Hotel Booking Software Make You Even More Profit?

Hotel booking softwares make things easy for both the management and visitors. They have already become necessary tools, as regards the operational system of all modern hotels or similar hospitality sectors is concerned. When you install this software on your hotel website, you will be able to trim down the upfront costs considerably. You will need only less manual effort as regards the processing of booking and related tasks. Besides, there will be different price structures for the incorporation of distinct handy features. Hence, you can choose the needed provisions precisely in sync with your practical requirement. The hotel booking softwares come with a wide range of functionalities that will augment the business prospects of hotel companies. The management will be able to work better in the given environment. Besides, customers will find it easy to pay for all the hotel-related tasks, including booking. So, almost all hotels, both big and small, make sure to incorporate this software on their websites. The high functionality is one of the key reasons why customers prefer to book through such professional websites. The principal benefits include:

• Users will be able to get real-time status. There will be add-on services, and the pricing will be competitive. There will be an increased user experience, and this will attract more clients to your hotel.

• The installation of hotel booking softwares provides maximum transparency to the customer dealings. This ease of booking is a benefit for both the customers and hotel management.

• The customized solution for booking is a significant benefit. The customers will have the freedom to book the rooms from any corner of the world and at any time. Besides, this service will be available round-the-clock. Customers can choose the room in line with their practical requirements as there will be customized solutions. This increased user experience will attract more clients to your hotel.

• The hotel front-desk employees will also get relief from attending phone calls from the guests. There will not be any need to hang around the phone waiting for such calls. They can concentrate on other productive works, and this will be beneficial to the hotel.

• It is possible to integrate various handy analytical tools into the hotel booking softwares. The hotel management will be able to track the reservation chart perfectly. You can assess the penchants of your guests. Thus, you will be able to serve them in a better way, and this will, of course, make them happier. When your guests become happy about your services, they will recommend your services. Further, they will come to you more often.

• Yet another benefit of this software is that you will be able to do promotional works. You can create specific packages that will be suitable for different category guests. If you have this facility in your web portal, customers will get different options as regards rooms. This provision will surely enhance your sales revenue.

• Customers will find it easy to pay the bills. You can add different types of payment methods. Hence, customers will get the option of paying using their different payment cards. Besides, as digital wallets have high significance, they can pay using these different cards.

• The responsive nature of this software adds up handiness. The software will be a great help to the hotels as it will facilitate greater scalability. Customers will be able to use the provision provided within your website using various devices, including smartphones. The cross-platform feature is another added advantage. For sure, you will be able to augment the strength of your client base.

That said, you must hire the specialized services of a technically competent software company for coding your hotel booking softwares. You can find various companies that code bespoke booking softwares. It is easy to find such companies by conducting an internet search. However, before entering into a contract with them, you must check the details of the company. The management and employees must be technically qualified. Above all, they must have practical experience in creating bespoke hotel booking softwares.

Three Surprising Benefits of Redhat Openshift

As a containerization tool, RedHat OpenShift helps businesses become agile, scalable, and more effective. The word containerization indicates that it is a single software package and contains the application code. It also includes the dependencies, configuration files, and libraries necessary for running the application code. Such convenient bundling or containerization enables the software to be portable and run on any system platform and cloud without any problems.

Another benefit of containerization is that you will not encounter the errors and bugs that often arise during the transfer of code between different computing environments. Additionally, containerization allows software developers to deploy software applications faster to their customer base and improve customer satisfaction.

What is RedHat OpenShift?

The RedHat software company introduced RedHat OpenShift as an open source containerization software product. It can run on both the Enterprise Linux operating system by RedHat and the standalone Kubernetes containerization service. As a cloud-based platform, RedHat OpenShift can operate on public and private clouds as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS). You can also deploy it on premises and on hybrid clouds and multiple clouds. It is available as a managed service as well as a self-managed option. You can select various services for your enterprise business with OpenShift. These include many exclusive enterprise features, Docker container images, and the Kubernetes platform.

Developers find it convenient to use RedHat OpenShift as the cloud platform enables them to be innovative with their software creation and deliver the software applications faster to customers. Since it facilitates cluster operations and software life-cycle management automation across architectures and frameworks, working with RedHat OpenShif enables improved operational consistency and efficiency.

What are the three surprising benefits of RedHat OpenShift?

The wide adoption of RedHat OpenShift is due to its advanced infrastructure capabilities and its ability to meet the strict security and compliance requirements that most big organizations consider essential. Here are three benefits of RedHat OpenShift that you can expect for your business:

1. Efficient CI/CD process

For a successful software development lifecycle, it is necessary to have continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) processes. The tools available with RedHat OpenShift enable software developers to carry out the coding, testing, and deployment of the software applications from the initial phases into production.

They can use the open source and multi-environment compatible Tekton framework to develop cloud-based CI/CD pipelines. Tekton defines and runs necessary tasks with Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and the Kubernetes control plane. The pipelines it creates can also work with Knative, Jenkins, and other tools.

RedHat OpenShift also offers the Tekton-based OpenShift Pipelines feature that is native to Kubernetes for more efficient CI/CD. With OpenShift Pipelines, you can have a separate container for each step in the pipeline. That can allow for independent scaling and better security.

2. Improved monitoring and logging

OpenShift comes with pre-configured and pre-installed application workload monitoring and logging capabilities. Based on the Prometheus open source project, the monitoring stack is self-updating and has Grafana dashboards. It monitors OpenShift Container Platform clusters and sends alert notifications to cluster administrators if there are any problems. OpenShift bases its cluster logging components on Kibana, Fluentd, and Elasticsearch. Fluentd gathers and formats node and container logs, and Elasticsearch stores them in the logStore. With the centralized IU, Kibana, you can view charts, logs, graphs, and other visualized information.

These monitoring and logging capabilities of OpenShift can help simplify the software development process and facilitate the application deployment and operation. Even when deploying the OpenShift platform across multiple environments, the entire system operations workflow can remain consistent and efficient.

3. Regular security fixes

One of the reasons that many businesses choose to use RedHat OpenShift is its strict security policies. It comes with a built-in Security Context Constraint (SSC). The baseline default execution policies of the SSC include not allowing containers to run with root privileges and securing the Kubernetes cluster with pod security policies. You also get the role-based access control (RBAC) feature that offers full-access or restricted access to the cluster based on your role in the software development team. Additionally, OpenShift has the Red Hat Container Catalog with container images that have been thoroughly vetted for issues and vulnerabilities and come with the RedHat company certification.