KIOSK Information Systems (KIOSK) is announcing KNECT IoT, an enhanced remote monitoring application for real-time visibility of an unattended kiosk deployment. Since 2016, KIOSK’s Managed Services Team has offered cloud-based remote monitoring capabilities, providing instantaneous machine dialogue tied to system connectivity, software application status, and component level visibility.
KIOSK president Kim Kenney notes, “The new features within KNECT IoT raises the standards on what customers can expect from their Remote Management System (RMS) when they deploy digital kiosks throughout their business network and service delivery channels. Enhancements in the KNECT IoT RMS dashboard, reporting capabilities, analytics, and IoT alert campaign automation enables simplified optimization of ongoing machine dialogue and automation of alert actions. Providing a wholistic view of all customer-defined performance metrics and alerts on a single pane of glass helps pin-point problems and accelerate resolution actions. These capabilities are essential to consistently achieving solution uptime KPIs in the 98 – 99.5% range.”
The enhanced dashboard provides an intuitive system health summary with easy visual cues on how to isolate service issues needing attention. User interface improvements provide visual “drill downs” in just a few clicks facilitating faster diagnostics and remedy information. KNECT IoT is readily scalable enabling deployers to add thousands of kiosk end points with no performance degradation. The added filtering capabilities further simplify managing deployments at scale, allowing managers to isolate analysis and reporting on different groups of kiosks, type of components, transaction data, etc.
KIOSK Managed Services Director Jeff Collinsworth shares, “Among the KNECT IoT features most appreciated by our customers and our KIOSK Managed Services Team is the capability to set automated IoT alert campaigns. The platform enables us to easily design the alert actions and notifications using a drag and drop interface. Setting up ‘IF / THEN’ process flow automation up front makes the whole alert management process consistent, simple, and timely.” For example, if a bill acceptor is approaching a max capacity status an alert can be sent to a store associate immediately. If after 15 minutes, the bill sweep has not occurred, then a second alert escalation might be sent to next level management. Collinsworth adds, “My team typically helps customers configure these campaigns before the deployment goes out, with the ability to adjust later. It helps us configure alerts like system re-boots that KIOSK’s Managed Services Group can remotely execute, while also streamlining in-store escalation alerts for hands-on routine action resolution” (i.e. printer paper, cash sweeps, etc.).
KNECT IoT is tied to KIOSK’s KNECT Hardware Integration Module (HIM), supporting 40+ kiosk components with application program interfaces (APIs) facilitating machine readable alerting from barcode scanners, printers, payment devices, document scanners, and many more mainstream transaction devices. The HIM has exposed APIs which developers may license for immediate access to technical API documentation, turnkey code, test suites, and best practices to accelerate component interoperability in development. KIOSK clients who have licensed these APIs cite a 50% reduction in development cost and duration. To learn more, contact KIOSK at 800.509.5471 for a demonstration or quote.
