Innovative VDI Standards: Moving an Industry Forward
Michael L. Kasavana · 2009
Effective self-service automation requires data sharing among non-proprietary system components. Historically, the original self-service provider, the vending industry, has failed to develop and implement open architecture standards that enable seamless data sharing among disparate devices and servers in a network. This lack of interoperability among the main entities in a sophisticated vending system (e.g. vending machine controller, telemetry device, vending management software, and cashless payment equipment) has contributed to a lack of innovation and creativity in the evolution of unattended point-ofsale retailing. Recently crafted Vending Data Interchange (VDI) standards from the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) provide a non-proprietary means by which to share machine-level data among diverse technology providers. The VDI standards are designed to ensure reliability, continuity, and longevity among installed hardware, software, and netware. In essence, VDI standards contain technical specifications that bundle vending machine-level data for easy distribution throughout a vending operator’s technology network and can be implemented by a qualified provider without operator involvement.