HOUSTON -- Shell Oil Products US and Motiva Enterprises LLC have signed an agreement with Cybera Inc. to offer the Cybera ONE Security Services Platform to Shell-branded wholesalers nationwide. With the Cybera ONE service, the company's branded wholesalers and their operators will be able to reduce exposure to offline card fraud while adding key network security services to protect cardholder data in stores, Cybera said.
"Making solutions like this available to our Shell-branded wholesalers at a competitive cost reinforces our commitment to deliver technology leadership," said Walt Gothard, Shell technology manager North America. "Strategically, this deal provides a platform for future technology developments to come while tactically helping our branded wholesalers minimize their exposure to offline conditions."
At the site level, in the event a point-of-sale (POS) terminal is unable to connect for a credit authorization, it is common to authorize transactions up to a limited amount while the network is offline. Once the network reconnects, transmissions are submitted for approval. This has resulted in a high level of offline card fraud activities, which can affect companies like Shell and the wholesaler or operator.
The Cybera ONE security services platform simplifies security, compliance and cloud-based application delivery for distributed enterprises, the company said. As a security solution designed to work over any broadband Internet connection, Cybera ONE allows Shell-branded locations to securely use broadband connectivity for payment transaction processing and removes the dependence on older generation satellite technology.
Cybera ONE also helps protect Shell locations from offline fraud by using embedded 3G or LTE wireless capabilities to ensure network connectivity is maintained even when the primary broadband connection is unavailable. This makes fraudulent transactions during times of network unavailability less likely to occur, the company said, and allows for mission-critical applications such as payment processing and loyalty solutions to continue to work as normal, enabling a better customer experience and preventing loss of business.
The Cybera ONE solution typically includes managed Firewall, Wireless IDS and Virtual Private Network coupled with a cloud-based infrastructure encompassing authentication and authorization, security information and event management, VPN concentrators, centralized configuration management and other security applications necessary for distributed enterprises.
As part of the agreement with Shell, the Cybera ONE platform has been additionally enhanced for its wholesalers to include protocol conversion capabilities, embedded wireless and customized reporting.
The Cybera ONE Platform eliminates the need for Shell-branded wholesalers to deploy multiple devices at each of their stations to serve all their networking, security and wireless needs, said the company. It provides them with a cloud-based platform that delivers all of the hosted network security services needed at their locations in a single plug-and-play solution at one fee. This delivery model eliminates significant upfront capital investments and ongoing upgrade costs for in-store for security infrastructure, said Cybera. The extensible Cybera ONE service platform offers Shell-branded wholesalers the ability to implement a variety of additional applications for security, compliance and onsite operations over time.
"Because of the impact of offline fraud, companies such as Shell are taking more control over evaluating and recommending security solutions to their branded wholesalers and operators," said Cliff Duffey, CEO of Cybera.
Cybera is a leader in cloud-based security and application services for multi-site retailers and merchants. More than 10,000 businesses throughout the United States deploy its security solutions, including Shell Oil, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Blimpie, Cold Stone Creamery, O'Reilly Auto Parts and more.
Houston-based Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Co., is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern United States are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Shell Oil and Saudi Refining Inc. Shell Oil is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies.
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