Spilling the beans
Pacific Coffee turns to an Israeli-based company to bring its loyalty programme into a hi-tech era
Those who head into Pacific Coffee for a daily dose of caffeine may be in for a big surprise. The days of having a little piece of paper stamped in order to get 'loyalty points' are over: hi-tech has arrived. The paper and red stamp have been replaced with the Perfect Cup Card, a digital way to reward patrons. The system relies on all branches of Pacific Coffee being connected through a virtual private network (VPN) to a central server. To ensure it wouldn't be compromised, Pacific Coffee asked Check Point, an Israeli-based security company, to set up the system.
Natalie Ho, the marketing and communications manager of Pacific Coffee, said customer confidence was foremost. 'In today's business environment, maintaining customer confidence and protecting your business means protecting your corporate information,' she said. 'Taking steps to safeguard critical data such as customer records, proprietary files and accounting information is vital to our success.'
The system requires signing up on the internet, and is more than a simple Octopus card alternative. VPNs are now available from many different companies and it is even possible, with a little help from Linux enthusiasts, for an individual to create a VPN.
David Walker, principal consultant at Handshake Networking, a company that tests networks for security holes, said there were good reasons to get a commercial system. While Mr Walker knows how to set up a VPN, he understands why a company may prefer to buy a commercial package. 'There is a legitimate reason for selecting commercial VPNs because they often come with tools that greatly help in the management and the maintenance of the system. Those with considerable expertise in Linux are free to set up a far cheaper system, of course, but they really will have to have considerable expertise, time and manpower to set it up so that it is safe,' he said.
Ms Ho said getting it right could be difficult and expensive. 'The multitude and versatility of internet threats require hosts of different solutions that are often difficult to integrate and require a large financial investment,' she said. 'Companies need a cost-effective, all-in-one, reliable and flexible internet security and a VPN solution that is easy to manage.'
