MyHalo News Releases

More Growth on the Horizon: Vivonet Welcomes Tim Becerra as New Vice President Business Development...

January 8, 2010

My Halo News: Vancouver, British Columbia – January 7, 2010. Vivonet is excited to announce hiring of Tim Becerra as the newest member of the growing Vivonet team. Tim joins Vivonet as the Vice President of Business Development where his primary responsibilities will be to expand Vivonet's strategic third-party and channel business relationships. With over 22 years of senior leadership experience in the point of sale industry Tim has represented both complete restaurant management systems and hardware solutions. Tim's previous executive, senior management and field experience with Posiflex Technology, Sable Technologies and Squirrel Systems provides him with a broad vision of the point of sale market making him an ideal fit for the role and the company.

"As a software-as-a service (SaaS) company, Tim's business development role will allow Vivonet to work more strategically with new and existing partners to rapidly bring new integrated products and services to our clients. Additionally, these partner relationships will aggressively grow the reach of Halo™ Secure Web Based POS," said Ryan Volberg, President and Chief Executive Officer with Vivonet. "Our consistent track record of growth as the leader in secure web-based POS plus Tim's consistent track record of partner performance is a very exciting combination."

Born in San Leandro, CA, Tim attended Control Data Institute in San Francisco studying microprocessors and electronics, graduating with honors in 1988. His passion for developing strategic business relationships stems from his ability to use his business skills and make connections with people. In his previous role as Executive Vice President Sales and Business Development with Posiflex Technology, Inc., a leading designer and provider of point of sale terminals and related peripherals, the key to his success was developing strong business relationships that were mutually beneficial to each party and diversifying the customer base. Driven by high levels of performance, Tim is not satisfied with mediocrity and is always looking to challenge the status quo. Those close to Tim describe him as a creative and forward thinking professional that operates with a high level of integrity and trust.

"What I am most excited about in joining Vivonet is the ability to provide clients with an affordable opportunity to acquire a point of sale foundation that leverages new technology and tools to run an efficient and profitable business, with a strong return on investment, today and in the future," says Tim, "I'm looking forward to helping with Vivonet's continued growth and to be a part of guiding the company to its next level of success."

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is the restaurant industry leader in software as a service (SaaS) solutions that enable, acquire and organize millions of transactions every month for customers across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS an on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet's unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

About Halo Secure Web-Based POS:

As the industry leader, Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS powered by Vivonet gives restaurateurs the tools, information and knowledge they need to run better. In fact, restaurants that use Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS outperform the National Restaurant Association's sales index by an average of 3.88%. For more information about Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS, please visit www.myhalo.com.

Media Contacts:

Kevin Froese
Vice President Sales and Marketing
kfroese@vivonet.com
T: 1.866.512.2033 x 106
W: www.vivonet.com

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Vivonet Boosts the Speed and Performance of Halo Secure Web Based POS with a $1.2M investment in Oracle and Technology Infrastructure.

January 6, 2010

My Halo News: Vancouver, British Columbia – December 10, 2009. Vivonet is pleased to announce the investment of $1.2M into the data and technology infrastructure that powers Halo™ Secure Web Based POS. Implementation of the new technology infrastructure will be completed and in use for all Halo Secure Web Based POS clients by March 2010.

Key elements of the new Vivonet technology are; the introduction of a high density Hewlett Packard Blade System to improve Halo Secure Web Based POS performance, the addition of a 30TB Sun Storage Area Network to increase data storage capacity and reporting speed and an upgrade to Oracle Enterprise 11g to allow for improved data performance and management. In addition to these performance investments, technology improvements in security, redundancy and failover are being made that make Vivonet’s infrastructure a leader in software as a service (SaaS).

The rapid growth of the Halo™ Secure Web Based POS customer base was the primary driver for making the investment now rather than later. “In 2009, we exceeded even our most aggressive growth projections” said Ryan Volberg, Chief Executive Officer for Vivonet. “As a byproduct of this amazing success we are happily investing in our core technology stack. This investment not only allows us to scale our expanding customer base with ease, it also gives our existing customers a quantum leap forward with both speed and performance improvements. It really is a win – win investment.”

The Oracle Enterprise 11g technology allows for far more than just performance gains. “The Oracle investment in particular allows Vivonet to realize our ‘Organize’ strategy and lays the foundation for significant data product enhancements such as market based sales and product benchmarking” said Tom Kakanowski, Chief Technology Officer for Vivonet. “If you think about it, Vivonet currently owns and manages the world’s largest data warehouse of independent restaurant transactions with almost 100 million transactions hitting our Oracle database every month. This new technology is the basis for which we can begin to leverage this data for the benefit of our clients and our shareholders”.

About Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is the restaurant industry leader in software as a service (SaaS) solutions that enable, acquire and organize millions of transactions every month for customers across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides Halo Secure Web Based POS an on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

About Halo Secure Web-Based POS

As the industry leader, Halo Secure Web-Based POS powered by Vivonet gives restaurateurs the tools, information and knowledge they need to run better. In fact, restaurants that use Halo Secure Web Based POS outperform the National Restaurant Association’s sales index by an average of 3.88%. For more information about Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS, please visit www.myhalo.com.

Media Contact:

Kevin Froese
Vice President Sales and Marketing
kfroese@vivonet.com
W: www.vivonet.com
T: 1.866.512.2033 x 106

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Celebrity Resorts can see Nevada from offices in Orlando

April 14, 2009

My Halo News: Vancouver, April 13, 2009 – Celebrity Resorts solved their problem of an out-of-date POS system by selecting and installing Halo Secure Web-Based POS. With 20 resort properties spanning from the shores of Hawaii to the boardwalk of Atlantic City, the need for central control was high but it had to be balanced with ease of implementation and low cost of ownership.

“After acquiring a property that was running an out-of-date POS system, I began a search to find a POS system that we could easily deploy and that didn’t require a dedicated in-house expert. The Halo system solution encompassed all of this and more. It allows us to maximize the technology and minimize the mess. We were able to purchase, plan, and deploy the POS system in a matter of weeks, not months, as many other competitors have suggested. Their ‘cloud’ enterprise reporting allows us to report on all points within our projects running the Halo POS system,” said Scott D. Zane, Senior Director of Support Services/IMS for Celebrity Resorts.

The first resort to implement the system is located in the Carson Valley of Genoa, Nevada, a location that combines rich history and all-season activities including excellent skiing. The resort itself features seven natural hot mineral springs, a full-service spa and two on-site restaurants.

“While nearly any point-of-sale system could service the two restaurants, what has made Halo Secure Web-Based POS such a great fit is the central management that it offers the company,” said Ryan Volberg, President and CEO of Vivonet, the company that produces Halo.

Traditional point-of-sale solutions create silos of information that must be collected from each location and then compiled so that an analysis can be performed. Web-based solutions benefit from the use of a centralized database, making any polling or data collection unnecessary.

“Taking this concept a step further, not only does Halo give Celebrity Resorts full visibility from their offices in Orlando, but it also gives them complete control over pricing and menu items,” continued Volberg.

About Celebrity Resorts

Celebrity Resorts is a leading timeshare company that owns, develops and manages properties in destinations across the United States. Its roots date back to 1974, giving the company a solid foundation in the vacation ownership industry. Celebrity Resorts is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and currently has 20 resorts in six states, conducts business in more than 30 states, and provides vacation services to more than 100,000 families annually. Celebrity Resorts has an extensive growth plan that includes adding resorts and property management opportunities to its portfolio in the near future. For more information about Celebrity Resorts, please visit www.celebrityresorts.com.

About Halo and Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates. For more information about Halo Secure Web-Based POS, please visit www.myhalo.com.

Press Contacts

Halo / Vivonet
Brad Brooks
(604) 240-6865
bbrooks@vivonet.com

Celebrity Resorts
Carly Powell
(407) 996-3097
carly.powell@celebrityresorts.com

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Vivonet Goes Shopping and Acquires DAS Software

October 29, 2008

My Halo News:

Vivonet is pleased to announce its acquisition of Kingston, Ontario based DAS Software Inc., developers of web based retail POS.

The acquisition of DAS Software represents an expansion of Vivonet’s software as a service (SaaS) product suite and extends market presence in the North American specialty retail segment. The acquisition is consistent with Vivonet’s core strategy to enable, acquire and organize retail transactions and both companies share a vision of “democratized information for retailers.” Vivonet continues to evaluate technology and data companies that have a growing customer base and can differentiate their products in targeted retail segments.

DAS Software is a provider of web based multi location point-of-sale (POS) and integrated web store solutions for the North American specialty retail segment. DAS Software products include: SquashPOS Store System, SquashPOS Portable POS and SquashPOS eCommerce Website. Effective immediately, these products will be rebranded and sold as “HaloShop” under the Halo Secure Web Based POS brand.

As a part of the acquisition Vivonet will also be obtaining DAS Software’s 65 retail customers and will provide them with access to a broad suite of secure retail technology solutions, enhanced services and increased support coverage from an established industry leader. Over time, DAS Software clients will benefit from Vivonet’s extensive data warehouse and performance benchmarking experience enabling them to make better business decisions based on market context.

“DAS Software has proven to be a technology leader in web based POS,” states Ryan Volberg, Chief Executive Officer and President of Vivonet Incorporated. “In a tough economic climate, the combined Vivonet and DAS Software offering is an affordable alternative solution to the cash register for specialty retailers that want inventory solutions and an integrated web store functionality to expand their sales."

"Gartner (NYSE: IT) research tells us that 74% of North American retailers are using a cash register and a standalone payment terminal to run their business. This means that they have little or no inventory or web store functionality. Vivonet’s acquisition of DAS Software will enable us to extend our leadership position in an industry segment that needs new solutions to thrive in tough economic times. It is here where we see significant opportunities for financial and technological growth.”

“We are very pleased to join the Vivonet team,” comments Douglas Stewart, Vice President of Retail Product Development. “This acquisition is the perfect combination of Vivonet's corporate strength, marketing results and sales engine and our next-generation web-based technology. It represents an opportunity for explosive growth for Vivonet in the specialty retail segment.”Vivonet is North America's leader in the web-based Point Of Sale business growing at over 100% annually. Their mission is to enable, acquire and organize the world's retail transactions into the world's most trusted source of retail performance information.

About Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is a software a service (SaaS) solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides secure web based point-of-sale (POS), enterprise management, payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its clients. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data their clients to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

For more information about Vivonet please contact Kevin Froese.

Vivonet Honored Among This Year's Most Promising Private Technology Ventures in Canada

October 7, 2008

My Halo News: Red Herring Magazine has named Vivonet as a finalist for the "Red Herring Top 50 Canada" award, a prestigious list honoring this year’s most promising private technology ventures in Canada. The Red Herring editorial team used an intensely competitive process to select the most innovative companies from a pool of over 300, leaving 100 finalists vying for this prestigious award. The names of all 100 companies short–listed as finalists for the "Red Herring Top 50 Canada 2008" can be found online at by clicking here.

For over 10 years, The “Red Herring 100” awards, open to private technology companies, are given to the top 100 tech companies, based upon technology innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition and financial health. Adding to the success of our yearly North America 100, Europe 100 and Asia 100 events, Red Herring Canada will provide an opportunity for the Top 50 companies to deliver their message at the Red Herring Canada Conference in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, September 15-17, 2008. Throughout several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the telecom, Web 2.0, software, hardware, biotech and energy related industries sent their submissions to qualify for the award.

The nominees are rigidly evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their ecosystem. This unique assessment of potential is measured by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, allowing Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list an invaluable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

“Vivonet is growing rapidly and getting noticed because of it,” says Ryan Volberg, President & CEO of Vivonet. “The recognition from Red Herring is particularly gratifying for both our shareholders and employees given Red Herring’s exposure to growth companies and truly global perspective.” We look forward to attending future Red Herring events abroad as a component of Vivonet’s market entry strategy.

About Vivonet

About Red Herring

Red Herring is a global media company uniting the world's best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine; an online daily technology news service; technology newsletters, and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider's access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. For more information, click here.

Kernels Popcorn selects Halo™ Secure Web-Based POS System for its International Expansion

September 3, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet is excited to announce, that the Halo™ Secure Web Based POS product brand will be the point-of-sale (POS) solution for Kernels Popcorn at its international location in the capital city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The expansion opportunity is part of Kernels Popcorn growth strategy and is the first international opportunity for North American based Vivonet.

The Kernels Popcorn franchise has been using Halo™ Secure Web Based POS since July 2006. Halo™ was the ideal solution for the growing franchise because of the capabilities it offered to both the corporate office and to the individual franchise locations.

With Halo™, Kernels’ franchise head office is able to access sales information in real-time for all of 60+ locations. This information is available to be benchmarked across the board on all aspects of the business, which aids in the strategic decisions making process.

For the franchisees, Halo™ provides the features to cost effectively manage and operate their business. Franchisees benefit from Halo™ by having accurate reporting, the ability to monitor employee activity, remote access to the back-end reporting system and tracking capabilities of individual menu items. Viewing information or making changes can be made from anywhere with an Internet location.

The secure web based design of Halo™ allows all the features and benefits of the system to transcend geography and international borders. This is why Halo™ is able to support Kernels Popcorn’s international expansion and contribute to their success overseas. Even though Dubai is 4 hours ahead of GMT, the executive and operations team at Kernels Popcorn’s Head Office can still know exactly how sales are doing in real-time while they are at home in North America.

By logging into Halo™ Enterprise Manager, the online back-end reporting system, Kernels corporate office can run reports on menu items, revenue, contributions and employees for anywhere they have stores and from anywhere in the world! This means that Kernels can better manage its business on both a day to day basis and on a long term planning basis. As business owners, both the franchisor and the franchisee can base strategic and operational decisions on real-time information for different regions, menu items and performance levels for each unique location.

“As a current user of the Halo™ system in Canada, it seemed a logical step to continue to manage our business abroad using the Halo™ system in United Arab Emirates,” comments Penny Daniels, Chief Financial Officer for Kernels Popcorn.

“We will be able to see real time information and help the new operations through the challenges they may face when establishing their business in a new environment. The Halo™ system is the perfect fit for our franchise model because it is an affordable option that meets the strategic needs of the head office and the operational needs of our franchise owners both in Canada and abroad.”

“We are excited to see Halo™ Secure Web Based POS expand internationally with Kernels Popcorn,” comments Ryan Volberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vivonet. “Kernels Popcorn has been a valued Vivonet Customer since 2006 and we’ve seen how Kernels has benefited from Halo™ by increasing sales, providing accurate data and improving workflow. “

About Kernels Popcorn

Kernels Popcorn is a powerful Canadian success story. A nationally recognized and respected brand, backed by a solid management team, the Kernels concept has been in operation since 1983 in Canada with expansion to Korea, Australia, and California. Extraordinary Popcorn is certainly the 'star' of Kernels' success. At Kernels, we believe that both product development and people development are the most crucial elements in sustaining and growing a business. That's why, since our inception, we have been hard at work creating a family of franchise owners together with an expanded menu of flavors and an impressive array of innovative new products. This line-up has brought us a whole new category of consumer products and given our existing customers a reason to keep dropping by Kernels.

About Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Halo Secure Web-Based POS Fulfills all of Visa’s PABP Requirements

June 16, 2008

My Halo News: Halo, the leader in secure web-based POS, is excited to announce that it has fulfilled all of Visa’s PABP (Payment Application Best Practices) requirements and has submitted a completed Report on Validation to Visa. The PABP certification process required Halo to undergo rigorous third party auditing of its payment processing system as well as the company’s internal processes relating to securing data, developing products and delivering training programs.

Using a PABP compliant Point of Sale system is one of the key elements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). These standards are mandated by the credit card companies such as Visa and MasterCard for merchants to adhere to. While Halo has always provided its customers with a secure web-based POS, completing the PABP audit process confirms that Halo web-based POS is compliant with the PCI data security standard.

The PCI data security standard was developed to ensure the protection and security of consumer’s credit card information. With these standards in place, it is the merchant’s responsibility to ensure that their business operates in a compliant manner. In order to maintain a PCI DSS compliant payment application environment the merchant must use a PABP compliant POS product.

The process of becoming PABP compliant required the effort of the entire organization. Each department was affected in some way by the PABP requirements. On average, companies have taken 6 months to complete the PABP certification process, but because of the strategic importance of Halo becoming PABP compliant and Halo's existing security features, the company was able to complete the process in 4 months.

Most of Halo’s customers are described by Visa as Level 4 merchants – merchants who process less than 1 million Visa transactions per year. The Level 4 also describes 99% of all merchants and where 80% of security attacks have been directed in the last 6 months. More specifically, the foodservice industry represents 62% of credit card security breaches that occur, costing merchants and consumers billions of dollars (AmbironTrustWave). Halo is able to deliver products and services to its customers at a cost which is affordable and allow smaller merchants access to the same level of quality and security that larger establishments achieve with higher priced solutions.

Halo customers will now be able to assure their customers that at their establishment, all credit card information is protected. PABP compliance requires that no credit card track data is stored once a transaction is processed. Given the number of high profile security breaches that have recently been in the news, this certification will provide assurance to many consumers wary of using their credit card.

“Having a PABP compliant POS system presents great opportunities for Halo,” comments Tom Kakanowski, Vivonet’s Chief Technology Officer. “Many of Halo’s competitors are currently not undergoing the certification process or are still in the auditing stage. For customers in the market for a POS system, a PABP compliant product is an essential factor in their decision. PABP compliance is just another feature that Halo has to offer its customers and differentiate itself. As the leader in the web based POS industry, we wanted to be proactive in helping our customers protect their clients and secure their business.”

Another opportunity as a result of obtaining PABP certification is the chance to educate existing Halo customers about what it means to operate in a PCI compliant environment. “PABP certification is not just about having the right software,” notes Kakanowski. “It is also about having the right processes in place so that they can operate Halo in a secure manner.”

Halo has designed a complete PABP Implementation Guide for all its customers to reference from the Halo Enterprise Manager. This will ensure that merchants understand the elements of the PCI and PABP standards as they relate to operating a secure establishment.

About Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Vivonet Unveils Halo Webinar Series to Enable Restaurant Success

May 21, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet is proud to unveil the Halo Webinar series, which will launch on Monday, May 26, 2008 on the www.myhalo.com website. These 30 minute webinars are designed to provide best practices for restaurateurs and ultimately improve the success rate of restaurants.

Business owners often lack the tools and resources they need in order to be successful. This only perpetuates the staggering failure rate of restaurants. Through resources such as the Halo Webinar series, anyone can access the tools and up-to-date information they need to succeed.

The first webinar topic, Technology & Your Restaurant will be hosted by Ryan Volberg, President and CEO of Vivonet. This session explores the technology challenges that many small business owners face and gives perspective on the type of solution that successful restaurateurs are looking for. Attendees will learn how to harness technology to their advantage.

Ryan brings his passion and many years of experience and expertise to this online seminar. Prior to co-founding Vivonet, Ryan founded several start-ups. As a successful entrepreneur and technology visionary, Ryan is involved in the local technology community and dedicates time every month to mentoring start-up technology companies. Ryan was also named on the 2007 Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40. For more information on upcoming webinars, please click here.

"The availability of educational events and resources for restaurateurs is an essential part of addressing the failure rate. The webinar series is one part of Vivonet’s multi-faceted solution to this problem. It’s an essential resource that restaurateurs can turn to for advice, guidance and best practices,” says Ryan Volberg.

For more information on Vivonet, visit www.vivonet.com.

Vivonet Recognized for Excellence in Growth and Business Plan as a Finalist for the Emerging Company of the Year

May 12, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet, industry leader and provider of Halo Secure Web Based Point of Sale solutions for restaurants, has been selected as a finalist for British Columbia Technology Industry Association’s (BCTIA) Technology Impact Award in the Emerging Company of the Year category. As a finalist, Vivonet has been recognized and acknowledged by a distinguished panel of technology experts and business leaders as an emerging company that has demonstrated outstanding performance as a technology enterprise.

Vivonet exceeded the award criteria as a British Columbia technology company over three years old that has consistently demonstrated revenue growth, adherence to the published business plan and has the further potential of becoming a leader in its market.

Founded in 1994 by the BCTIA and now in their 15th year, the Technology Impact Awards are synonymous with business excellence in British Columbia, shining a spotlight on the people and innovation that sets the standard and serves as role models in the province of British Columbia.

“The quality of our finalists is testament to the wide range of cutting edge leadership and technological creativity that springs from British Columbia,” said Pascal Spothelfer, president and chief executive officer of BCTIA. “The finalists selected have already had a positive impact in British Columbia and are destined to have an impact worldwide.”

“We are very pleased and honored to be selected as a finalist in the Emerging Company of the Year category. Our ability to achieve elite levels of growth is directly related to our focus on meeting and exceeding the expectations of our customers,” states Ryan Volberg, CEO of Vivonet. “We are proud that in an industry where failure rates are staggering we can provide restaurant owners with the knowledge, tools and resources they need in order to be successful.”

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality sector across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

About the BCTIA:

The BC Technology Industry Association is British Columbia’s leading member-based industry association that represents start-ups to established technology companies across the province. As the voice of the technology industry, the BCTIA is committed to the ongoing growth, sustainability and prosperity of the technology industry and the transformation of British Columbia to a knowledge-based economy. BCTIA delivers a broad range of programs and services that provide members with opportunities to connect learn and promote their businesses in BC. For more information visit http://www.bctia.org/.

Carla Wollach
cwollach@vivonet.com
http://www.vivonet.com/

Halo gives a free terminal away at the Northwest Foodservice Show

May 2, 2008

My Halo News: Kevin and Donna Maltz of Alaska were big winners this year at the Northwest Foodservice Show in Seattle. They won the Halo grand prize of a free terminal including the cost for implementation and training. The entire package valued at over $3500.

Thousands came by the Washington State Convention and Trade Center to learn about the latest in trends and foodservice products for the hospitality industry. People who visited the Halo booth had a chance to win a variety of prizes, including the grand prize of a free terminal. By swiping a gift card through the Halo terminal, a message appeared on the screen notifying if the visitor won. Prizes were donated by Mercury Payments and Seattle based Halo customer Emerald City Smoothies.

“I’m not very lucky. I never win anything - my wife is the lucky one,” says Kevin Maltz to as he swiped his gift card through the terminal and got the message “Sorry, try again.” After his defeat, Kevin’s wife Donna decided to try her luck and a different message appeared on the terminal. Donna won the grand prize – a free Halo terminal.

“I can’t believe it,” exclaims Donna, “this is such great news. We’re your newest customers!”

Kevin and Donna own The Fresh Sourdough Express Bakery and Café (www.freshsourdoughexpress.com), in Homer, Alaska. It’s a family run business that for 26 years has served a variety of fresh and local foods from breakfast to dinner. It also has catering, a bakery and packed lunch services and is the first restaurant in Alaska to be green certified. It is a landmark to both locals and travelers alike.

Kevin and Donna were at the tradeshow looking to replace their two cash registers which they had used for many years. Over the years their restaurant has grown and now they are looking into expansion opportunities. They needed a system that would allow them to better track sales, provide accurate reporting and be able to support the expansion to multiple locations.

For customers like Kevin and Donna, Halo is the ideal solution. At up to 50% less than traditional POS systems, Halo gives them insight to their business they didn’t previously have and the ability to make informed business decisions based on quantifiable information.

About Halo:

Halo defines what a Point-of-Sale system should do; make your life easier. As the leader in secure web-based POS, Halo gives restaurateurs the tools, information and knowledge they need in order to be more successful with the added benefits and convenience of a web-based system – all for 50% less than traditional POS.

About Vivonet:

New Vivonet Online Career Campaign - Part of Company’s Long Term Growth Strategy

April 14, 2008

My Halo News: Today Vivonet re-launched the careers section of its website, www.vivonet.com. The revamp is a result of the increased demand to hire experienced Informational Technology workers. The new careers section has information on Vivonet’s corporate culture, values, as well as employee testimonials and photos.

“The goal of the website is to give potential candidates a real feel for what it’s like to work at Vivonet,” says Joanne Sammons, Marketing and Communications Manager who oversaw the careers website project, “In today’s competitive workplace, it’s no longer just enough to attract people with a good salary. Today’s prospects are looking for other benefits such as, professional growth opportunities and a positive work environment. Vivonet definitely provides many benefits above and beyond salary, so it was just a matter of conveying it to those interested in working at Vivonet.”

“I love coming into work knowing that I’m part of a team that is committed to providing a top-notch product to customers” say Sunny Randhawa, a Client Service Representative who has been with Vivonet for over 2 years. “Knowing that people here are hired on the basis of a hard work ethic and skill, assures me that I’m not alone when I am faced with difficult decisions. Vivonet is a place where everyone shines for different reasons, yet works towards a common goal.”

Currently there is a large demand in the technology industry to recruit and hire trained people. Ever since the tech bubble burst in the late nineties, the number of people entering the IT field is not meeting the demands of the workplace. In a recent report by the Conference Board of Canada, Canada will need 90,000 Information Technology workers in the next 5 years to fuel the wireless and internet business (CBC news).

Vivonet is not immune to this hiring predicament. The company competes for skilled IT professionals against a plethora of organizations as a result of new investments into updated systems and software. There are several IT job postings online at www.vivonet.com, including positions for developers, database administrators, and support analysts.

Recently hired Chief Technology Officer, Tom Kakanowski, weighs in, “To both maintain the top position in our market, and to innovate for growth, I need more than simply a skilled set of hands,” says Kakanowski on recruiting IT workers, “I need people who have the ability to work with the latest technologies while being able to make prudent judgments through depth of experience to bring innovations to the market both quickly and economically.”

As a company, Vivonet continues to enjoy triple digit growth. In conjunction with strategic vendor partnerships, acquisition of competitor technologies, and significant architectural investments, this is driving the company’s growth in both the size and the skill sets required of Vivonet’s IT, hosting, development and quality teams.

“As a result, Vivonet needs people with advanced skills in virtually every area of our technology!” notes Kakanowski, “The opportunities available to someone joining Vivonet today are tremendous, but we only consider the very best people to become part of our team.”

For more information on Vivonet and current job opportunities, please visit www.vivonet.com.

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality sector across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Halo Community Support Implements 150 Location Chain within 90 days

March 24, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet is pleased to announce the successful implementation of its web-based point of sale (POS) system, Halo with the Booster Juice Franchise. At the end of 2007, all 150 Canadian Booster Juice stores went live with Halo. All locations from Newfoundland to British Columbia were operational with the system within 90 days.

Booster Juice decided to move forward with the Halo web-based point of sale system in September of 2007. There were only a few weeks left until the start of the busy Christmas season and it was important that sales over this busy season would not be affected during implementation. By the beginning of December, every location was live with Halo – all within a 90 day timeframe

Each location received a complete Halo POS system with customized menu items uploaded and installed. Before going live with the new system, Halo staff extensively trained all Booster Juice franchisees and mangers remotely over teleconferences and web-meetings. The Halo Community Support team ensured that each owner left the training sessions feeling confident and adept at using Halo. Halo’s 24-hour support ensured that any questions or challenges were addressed immediately to ensure a seamless transition.

“A 90 day implementation is unheard of and I was amazed at how smoothly the switch to Halo really was,” said Natalie Peace, franchisee owner of 3 Booster Juice locations in Kamloops, British Columbia. “The Halo Community Team walked us through the system step-by-step and made sure that all 35 of my staff members were able to handle the very busy Christmas rush without issue. The benefits of using Halo are significant in the way I am able to manage my labor costs and stay fully informed about what each of my stores is doing at any given moment in time.”

“Halo’s web-based architecture makes it a great solution for the franchise model. Halo is custom made for franchise and chain organizations that want to seamlessly report on all their locations in real-time as well as control menus, pricing and much more from one centralized location. It is an affordable option that allows owners, mangers or franchisees to focus their energy on their core business,” said Ryan Volberg, CEO of Vivonet Inc. “For Booster Juice, that’s exactly what happened. After the installation of Halo, Booster Juice had one of its busiest and smoothest Christmas seasons to date.”

About Booster Juice:

Booster Juice Canada offers a healthy alternative to fast food options. It is renowned for its fresh squeezed juices and smoothies, but also serves hot beverages, energizing shots, and grilled sandwiches. There are over 100 locations in food courts and stores across Canada.

About Halo:

Halo defines what a Point-of-Sale system should do; make your life easier. As the leader in secure web-based POS, Halo gives restaurateurs and retailers the tools, information and knowledge they need in order to be more successful with the added benefits and convenience of a web-based system – all for 50% less than traditional POS.

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Vivonet’s Appointment of Victor Holysh as Chief Financial Officer Positions the Company for Fourth Straight Year of Triple Digit Growth

February 22, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet announced the appointment of Victor Holysh as Vivonet's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), reporting to the President and CEO, Ryan Volberg. This appointment completes the executive management team expansion undertaken by Vivonet in response to the explosive growth the company has experienced since launching the Halo Secure Web Based POS product in 2004.

Mr. Holysh’s previous roles include Chief Operating Officer at Loki Management Systems and Vice President, Internal Operations at Retek Inc., a large Minneapolis-based software provider to retailers, acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2005. From 1996 – 1998, Victor led Sierra Systems Consultants’ North
American financial systems implementation practice.

Victor holds a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science and an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto, and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

“I am very proud to join the Vivonet team”, states Victor. “The company, the team and the products they deliver have a track record of success and they are all well positioned to provide meaningful solutions in the world wide retail and restaurant market place. As a customer-centric CFO, I am looking forward to applying my experience and skills to best enable Vivonet to maximize the immense growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

”Victor was chosen based on his proven ability to lead people, develop scaleable operational systems and deliver strong operational results in very high growth technology companies,” remarks CEO Ryan Volberg. “His unique skills and experience with retail technology in our market will add great value to the Vivonet senior management team and help shape and engineer the company’s continued growth.”

Victor Holysh officially joined Vivonet on February 18, 2008.

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Vivonet Appoints Tom Kakanowski as Chief Technology Officer

January 25, 2008

My Halo News: Vivonet announces appointment of Tom Kakanowski as Vivonet's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), reporting to the President and CEO, Ryan Volberg. For over nineteen years Tom has committed himself to the discipline of developing great software, technology and products. His sophisticated knowledge in all project phases in systems integration, internationalization, database and business intelligence, real-time, and enterprise systems bring both strong management and technical acumen to the Vivonet team.

Tom will provide leadership for the architecture, development and innovation of Vivonet’s many software systems and services. His areas of expertise include: analysis, design, development, quality assurance, usability, performance, scalability, security, fault-tolerance within mission-critical environments, best practices for enterprise-level software and hosted systems. Tom holds an MBA and MSc degree, as well as MCSE, MCDBA and PMP certification. He was also a finalist for the 1998 Canadian IT Excellence award.

“It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Tom to the Vivonet team,” comments Ryan Volberg, President and CEO of Vivonet. “Tom's hiring comes as a result of a comprehensive search conducted over several months. Tom stood far ahead of every other candidate in terms of his qualifications, experience and values fit. I am confident that his unique business and technological background will add immense value and help position Vivonet as an industry leader.”

“Vivonet represents the best of the best in providing and enabling products and services to retailers and restaurateurs,” states Tom Kakanowski. “Its ability to not only deliver a secure, reliable and easy to use point of sale system but to provide their customers with the business intelligence they need to make effective decisions and grow their business is tremendously exciting! Vivonet has a strong, dynamic executive leadership group, and has developed a valuable set of tools and services for retailers and restaurateurs. I am excited to further Vivonet’s market and technology strategy and to contribute to its technical innovation.”

Tom Kakanowski will officially join Vivonet on March 3, 2008.

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Vivonet makes the ‘Ready to Rocket’ list for the Third Consecutive Year

January 18, 2008

My Halo News:

Vivonet has been selected for the 2008 ‘Ready to Rocket’ list for the third consecutive year. The "Ready to Rocket 25" list names twenty-five private B.C. companies who are best positioned to capitalize on the information technology (I.T.) trends that will contribute to faster growth than the I.T. sector as a whole.

Compiled by the Canadian-based firm Rocket Builders, the ‘Ready to Rocket’ list is the only predictive list of its kind in North America. Listed companies represent high revenue growth rates and the best value to both information technology buyers and venture capitalists. To determine the list of companies for inclusion on the ‘Ready to Rocket’ list, Rocket Builders reviewed market positioning and revenue potential for nominated companies.

“We are very pleased to have been recognized for the third consecutive year. Over this period of time, our ability to achieve elite levels of growth has been founded in the idea that by focusing on excellence in our business the growth we desire will be a natural consequence”, states Ryan Volberg, CEO of Vivonet. “Perhaps more importantly, this excellence-based growth is scalable and sustainable. I believe that this is what value-based investors and shareholders are looking for in high growth companies. Our ability in 2007 to achieve 130% revenue growth illustrates this principle at work.”

“We identify companies that both information technology buyers and venture capitalists will value. Our analysis of market trends led to our selection of Vivonet as a Ready to Rocket 25 company.” said Dave Thomas, Senior
Partner, Rocket Builders.

About Ready to Rocket: www.readytorocket.com

Ready to Rocket is a unique business recognition list that profiles technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth. Each year, based on analysis of trends that will drive growth in the information technology sector, Rocket Builders identifies twenty-five (25) private companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the trends for growth. This selection methodology has been an accurate predictor of growth with "Ready to Rocket" companies exceeding the industry growth rate. Also, many of these companies raise investment capital and each year many of the profiled "Ready to Rocket' companies are acquired.

About Vivonet: www.vivonet.com

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.

Vivonet Launches the Halo Community Blog - The Resource for Restaurant and Retail Success

September 14, 2007

My Halo News:

Vivonet is proud to unveil the Halo Community Blog on the www.myhalo.com website. This blog provides weekly advice for small to mid-sized businesses with topics that range from effective marketing to how to manage your labor. The blog is set to become one of the main sources of information for anyone looking to start a business, or improve their existing one.

Visitors to the Halo Community Blog will learn how to overcome the many challenges that small business owners face. The blog offers an abundance of information with actionable ‘survival tips’ that readers can take home and apply. Retailers and restaurateurs can discover what puts their business at risk and what they can do about it. The blog is a great resource for those just starting out and the more experienced entrepreneur.

Business owners often lack the tools and resources they need in order to be successful. This only perpetuates the staggering failure rate of restaurants and retail stores. Thanks to the information provided on the Halo Community Blog, anyone can access the tools and up-to-date information they need to succeed.

The Halo Community blog is written by the CEO and Co-founder of Vivonet, Ryan Volberg. Ryan brings his passion and many years of experience and expertise to his blog posts. Prior to co-founding Vivonet, Ryan founded several start-ups. As a successful entrepreneur and technology visionary, Ryan is involved in the local technology community and dedicates time every month to mentoring start-up technology companies. Ryan was also named on the 2007 Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40, which profiles young and bright local entrepreneurs, each under the age of 40 that are actively making change in their industries.

"The availability of all the right business tools and information resources for independent business owners in one place makes the Halo Community Blog an essential resource for anyone who is serious about their business. My goal is to provide useful advice in small quantities that can be quickly scanned and absorbed by busy entrepreneurs," says Ryan.

About Halo:

As the leader in secure web-based POS, Halo gives restaurateurs and retailers the tools, information and knowledge they need in order to be more successful with the added benefits and convenience of a web-based system – all for 50% less than traditional POS. Halo is more than just another POS system, it is a venue and forum for businesses to learn and grow.

About Vivonet:

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.