SkyWire and DataWorks, Inc create innovative new integration that eliminates repetitive data entry

Inventory management and point of sales systems, working in harmony…that’s what it takes to ensure that businesses know exactly what has sold and what’s still sitting on the shelves.

DataWorks, Inc offers a complete system tailored for the comprehensive management of purchase orders, inventory control and sales. As a company, DataWorks has been an industry leader for more than 20 years.

Most Food and Beverage interfaces are one way: POS sends sales info to the back office system. The new DataWorks / SkyWire integration, built using JSON technology, enables all inventory control for food and beverage to be seamless. It is currently one of the few two-way interfaces in the world. The two-way interface eliminates the need for double data entry by automatically sending item information to POS terminals and collecting sales and customer data to maintain accurate inventory.

“I can speak for the last 30 years and the 20 plus POS integration efforts I have been a part of (including MICROS, Agilysys/Infogenisis, SpaSoft, Springer Miller, H.S.I. , etc.), that this is highest level of integration with a POS Vendor we have ever undertaken,” says Mark W. Cecil, CEO, DataWorks, Inc, “This integration exceeds all other known efforts in the hospitality market.”

The SkyWire / DataWorks joint development was brokered by a customer who couldn’t find a solution anywhere in the hospitality software market. So they started knocking on doors for their needs. Those doors lead them to DataWorks. But as they were also looking for POS with integration they hadn’t quite found what they were looking for. A little bit more research and they learned about SkyWire POS and realized a marriage of the two systems would provide everything they needed.

DataWorks began in the 80s and was one of the first in the early 90s to integrate into POS. Skywire had the ability to work with the DataWorks team to merge the technologies. DataWorks feeds SkyWire POS menu items and prices, Skywire sends DataWorks sales info, covers, meal period, modifiers, etc.

As veterans in the industry for over 30 years SkyWire and DataWorks have raised the bar technologically by exceeding any other integration effort to date, making today’s restaurants, stores, hotels and entertainment venues run in the most optimal way possible.

Food prep modifiers and condiments are being defined in DataWorks inventory and then integrated with the SkyWire POS. This is a huge advantage for enterprise. Instead of having to maintain multiple systems, one integrated, enterprise inventory management system is all that is needed. The seamless interface eliminates the need for repetitive data entry, and labor – and with a single entry can communicate to unlimited number of POS terminals.

“The technology is a bi-directional, near-real-time interface where everything from the menu items and profit center groupings for reporting purposes is all done within DataWorks,” comments Jeremy Higgins, Director of Product Development at SkyWire. “DataWorks then takes that information and posts it into SkyWire POS so that there is a single place to do programming. In traditional inventory interfaces there was always a duplication of efforts. So, if you would program a cheeseburger in DataWorks you would have to program a cheeseburger in the POS, and if you got something mismatched inventory would be off, sales would be off and so on. So what we are doing is actually populating in real-time back and forth between the two. So as there are price changes, cost changes, etc. it’s all updated to the POS. On the flip side we are sending back sales detail to DataWorks so businesses can complete their inventory and see real-time info on re-order needs, cost of goods sold and things of that nature.”

Imagine if you had 40 properties, normally someone (or a team of people) would have to maintain all of them individually. As organizations add on properties, economies of scale are realized by leveraging the interface between the two companies.

Chuck Ginsberg, DataWorks COO sums it up, “With this new partnership, SkyWire and DataWorks bring to market a solution that has been missing. The two companies stand together to deliver a truly unified solution that removes the guesswork, streamlines workflow and gives the hospitality industry the analytics to maximize every guest interaction.”

About DataWorks — DataWorks has been an industry leader providing back-office procurement and inventory management systems for the hospitality industry for more than 20 years. We stick to a path of continuous improvement, simultaneously honing our software chops and keeping a laser-like focus on our clients’ needs. Our incomparable experience has led us to develop a comprehensive back office procurement and inventory management system. Along with proven interfaces, these products allow customers to make smarter decisions, improve customer service, maintain control and foster productivity—for a positive impact on their bottom line. More information about DataWorks is available at www.dataworksinc.com.

About SkyWire – SkyWire is an award winning, global provider of enterprise-grade software applications for the hospitality industry. SkyWire develops solutions for hospitality companies by creating and integrating cutting edge hardware and software into POS, PMS and retail systems that facilitate loyalty and engagement with the customer base. For more information, visit www.skywire.com.

DataWorks Delivers Simphony II Interface for Hospitality Inventory Management

DataWorks, Inc. announces a new two-way, real-time interface to Oracle Hospitality’s Simphony II Point of Sale System.

This follows the 20 year tradition of interfaces that DataWorks has authored and delivered for its inventory management solutions to the hospitality, leisure and amusement markets. This new interface is for on-property versions of Simphony II and went live on March 16, 2015 in a five star resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

The interface imports menu items and exports sales for use in Retail, Spa, Bar, and Dining venues.

With this interface, resorts, amusement parks, hospitals and entertainment venues can get seamless, hands-off system maintenance of their POS environment for retail and F&B inventory. Enterprise, Property and Outlet zone integration is provided, including multiple language support allowing for all restaurants, retail, and spa outlets to be managed from one DataWorks procurement and inventory control system.

Managing multiple breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner prices, as well as unique prices across different outlets, is all addressed with the DataWorks interface.

Mark Cecil, CEO of DataWorks and architect of the interface, stated that, “This is by far the fastest and most powerful interface we have ever created for the MICROS family of products. We took a low level SQL integration approach. The result is an amazingly solid integration that surpasses our prior efforts with the 8700, 3700, 9700 and Simphony I. This interface ensures current and future customers can mature with DataWorks as they mature with Oracle Hospitality.”

DataWorks Launches New Website Showcasing Inventory Management Solutions

Visitors will find extensive resources and an enhanced user experience making it faster and easier to connect with us at www.dataworksinc.com.

October 17, 2014 - Bonita Springs, FL. - DataWorks, the industry leader in inventory management solutions, has announced the launch of its new website, www.dataworksinc.com. The fresh website provides quick and intuitive access to DataWorks extensive product line, as well as a wealth of resources for clients in the hospitality and entertainment arenas looking to manage, track and report on sales and inventory for either a single facility or a multisite enterprise.

Taking nearly a year to create new content, the launch of the new website, is built on the latest technology and is highly responsive and easily displayed on any platform and device whether it's a desktop, tablet or mobile machine.

The website boasts a modern, colorful design and is divided into DataWorks core business offerings: Inventory Management Solutions, Industries Served, and Team Expertise. In addition, a new Client Cloud Portal allows DataWorks' hosted users the ultimate in flexibility with the capability to access their DataWorks system from any high-speed Internet connection.

According to Matthew Kellas, Director of Client Services for DataWorks, "The redesign was done with our visitors' needs at the forefront. The new site allows customers to connect with us by being easier to navigate, faster, and providing a more informative user experience."

Simplified site navigation makes it quick and easy for the visitor to find the appropriate solution or application information to suit a wide range of inventory management environments.

Other website features include:

. Convenient forms to request product or pricing information, as well as demos and support

. New white papers and technical information such as DataWorks System Overview, Hardware Requirements and Import & Export Specifications

. DataWorks news and blog, including the latest version releases and innovative new solutions

About DataWorks

DataWorks has been an industry leader providing back-office procurement and inventory management systems for more than 20 years. We stick to a path of continuous improvement, simultaneously honing our software chops and keeping a laser-like focus on our clients' needs. Our incomparable experience has led us to develop a comprehensive back office procurement and inventory management system. Along with proven interfaces these products allow customers to make smarter decisions, improve customer service, maintain control and foster productivity-for a positive impact on their bottom line. More information about DataWorks is available at http://www.dataworksinc.com

Open to Buy, Open for Business

We know we do an excellent job of telling our users what has happened (we know what’s sold, what’s ordered, what profit you made) with their business but our customers needed tools to help with budgeting and forecasting what will happen. So we took a core group of users and said let’s look at Open to Buy, which is forecasting and revenue planning and then actually using those numbers to help with seeing your future. Specifically, placing purchase orders. We put 3 years of development into this product and 2 years of beta testing. Take a look at what can give you the upper hand in managing your future.

OTB Presentation

Join our team!

DataWorks is a well-established, privately held inventory management software company. We are out to streamline how inventory and assets are purchased, tracked and evaluated across single and enterprise locations. And we’re growing. We are seeking experienced, ambitious candidates who are self-managed and thrive in a fast-paced, multi-faceted environment that values innovation and customer satisfaction.

Check out our current openings on our Careers page and if you’re interested, drop us a line.

DataWorks Goes Social

(Bonita Springs, FL – April 19, 2012) We love to chat. Talk shop. Shoot the … well we’ll stop there with the metaphors before we get ourselves blocked. Take a look up there. On the top right of the page. We’re social! By clicking the icon you can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We’ll be sharing the latest news on software development, new product releases, industry news and more. We’ll welcome your comments and be quick with our replies.

So join us. We’re committed to keeping the conversation going.

Sodexo, Inc. Chooses DataWorks’ NeXT Inventory Management Software for Retail Initiative

(Bonita Springs, FL – April 11, 2011) DataWorks, Inc. is pleased to announce Sodexo, Inc., a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions, has chosen NeXT^® as their inventory control software for Re:sourxe by Sodexo, their North American healthcare retail initiative. Sodexo developed Re:sourxe to provide hospitals with a full-service retail consumer engagement platform, including retail stores onsite at hospitals. Sodexo’s retail platform features relevant products to meet the needs of employees, patients, and visitors. Guy Ardizoni, VP of Sales and Marketing for DataWorks, said that NeXT was selected for its enterprise inventory management system. NeXT is a scalable solution that will grow with Sodexo’s evolving needs, and includes multi-store service location management with individual and consolidated reporting. Yet it is controlled from one central location. This allows for more functionality at the store level, as well as streamlined communication between the facilities’ management sites.

“We are delighted to become a part of Sodexo’s retail efforts in healthcare and look forward to assisting them as they create an efficiently run retail operation,” said Mark Cecil, DataWorks President and CEO. “They are such an impressive and well-run company that we feel honored to be part of this initiative. Communications at all levels have to be clear, and information has to be passed along quickly in the retail environment; that’s where our decades of expertise come in to play. We are thrilled to have been chosen as the vendor of choice.”

Sodexo will be able to utilize NeXT as a central point of inventory management, where multiple locations and departments can control inventory for a specific store, while the finance department can obtain a global picture of the company’s inventory, sales and purchases in real-time.

About Sodexo in North America: Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo, Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $12.7 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

Sodexo, World Leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions: Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations.  Based on this conviction, Sodexo is the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo's 380,000 employees, in 80 countries, design, manage and deliver an unrivaled range of On-site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates and to the fulfillment of its employees.

About DataWorks: DataWorks has excelled in helping customers streamline their inventory operations since 1986. DataWorks’ inventory software, NeXT, offers purchasing, inventory, sales and bar-coding for retail and F&B management.  Amusement parks, casinos, hospitals, museums, resorts, stadiums, and zoos are among the types of properties that currently use DataWorks' flagship inventory software NeXT. The feature-rich inventory software has multi-company, language, and currency capabilities. NeXT can run on a local property or span the needs of an entire enterprise.

DataWorks is a leader in providing inventory management solutions for the hospitality and entertainment industries. NeXT is sought out by clients for:

• Retail Back Office, Retail Planning Systems, Retail ERP Software, Retail Store Software
• Hospitality Back Office
• Retail Inventory Control, Inventory Management Barcode Software
• F&B Inventory Control
• MICROS Retail Interface
• Microsoft Retail Management Software
• Retail Purchasing, Retail Replenishment, Retail Forecasting, Retail Data Mining
• Hospitality Purchasing
• Open-To-Buy
• Suggested Orders

DataWorks partners with all of the leading point-of-sale providers including: Microsoft Dynamics RMS, InfoGenesis, MICROS^®, HSI, ResortSuite, SpaSoft, PAR Springer-Miller, Siriusware, Gateway Ticketing, and Volante.

DataWorks’ NeXT Inventory Software Enhances Microsoft RMS Point-of-Sale for Dealers

(Bonita Springs, FL – December 14, 2010) DataWorks, Inc., a Florida-based software development company, has announced its premier inventory software, NeXT®, now enhances the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS). This recent software development enables NeXT to serve as the purchasing, inventory operations and customer management headquarters (HQ) for RMS users. Interfacing with NeXT expands RMS’s capabilities, and dealers of the product will be able to maximize the number of users more easily for their clients.

“DataWorks has been serving and focusing within the hospitality, leisure and resort markets for the past 15 years. However, DataWorks began as a retail management system for small to mid-size retailers in the mid ‘80s. The connection to and vast knowledge of this market has allowed DataWorks to create the interface to Microsoft’s RMS more easily. RMS is a great product; however, it seems to max out at about 20 stores. Our product will allow dealers to go further and expand the product even more for their clients because our latest release of NeXT. This release resolves the issues of the number of countries, currencies, and so on, that are used by each RMS client. We believe our new release will allow dealers to work more effectively and offer a better RMS product overall,” said Mark Cecil, President and CEO of DataWorks.

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) offers small and mid-market retailers a complete point-of-sale (POS) solution that can be adapted to meet unique retail requirements. This software package automates POS processes and store operations, provides centralized control for multi-store retailers, and integrates with Microsoft Office system programs, Microsoft Dynamics GP, and other popular applications. Microsoft Dynamics RMS is built on a proven Microsoft platform that adapts to meet unique and changing retail needs. With DataWorks’ NeXT, the product is endless.

“Clients will now be able to take advantage of two great products within their operation -- DataWorks’ Next and Microsoft Dynamics RMS. The Microsoft RMS product along with Next allows clients a multitude of options when setting tracking and reporting preferences. It was a huge advantage that we had a 25-year head-start in the back office inventory management business,” says Cecil. “We saw a need and upgraded our software to interface seamlessly to the Microsoft RMS system. We believe we have created a win-win for all parties and especially for RMS dealers around the world.”

About DataWorks: DataWorks has excelled in helping customers streamline their inventory operations since 1986. DataWorks’ inventory software, NeXT, offers purchasing, inventory, sales and bar-coding for retail and F&B management. Amusement parks, casinos, hospitals, museums, resorts, stadiums, andzoos are among the types of properties that currently use DataWorks' flagship inventory software NeXT. The feature-rich inventory software has multi-company, language, and currency capabilities. NeXT can run on a local property or span the needs of an entire enterprise.

DataWorks is a leader in providing inventory management solutions for the hospitality and entertainment industries. NeXT is sought out by clients for:

• Retail Back Office • Hospitality Back Office • Retail Inventory Control • F&B Inventory Control • MICROS Retail Interface • Retail Purchasing • Hospitality Purchasing • Open-T o-Buy • Suggested Orders

DataWorks partners with all of the leading point-of-sale providers including: Microsoft Dynamics RMS, InfoGenesis, MICROS®, HSI, ResortSuite, SpaSoft, PAR Springer-Miller, Siriusware, Gateway Ticketing, and Volante.

SmartSpoke™ Point of Sale Interface

DataWorks has always had interfaces to Point of Sale (POS) Systems. Even when we sold our own POS  back in the late 1980s and 1990s we had to create a two-way interface to talk to ourselves. We designed and wrote the mechanics for keeping track of what data changes (deltas) needed to be sent where, we also wrote the communication layer between the back office (HQ)  and the POS that delivered  the deltas where they needed to be and also engineered the processing  of the remote changes into the local data base.

So after 20+ years of writing two-way POS  interfaces you would think we would have everything worked out.

Next week (08/09/2010) we ship SmartSpoke™, our fourth generation point of sale interface.

SmartSpoke builds on our tradition of hub and spoke design, but turns the tables on the communication layer.  SmartSpoke sits by itself on the POS computer or  server.  It uses FTPS protocol to pull inventory down from the hub and push sales and customers up to the hub.

Our HQ software – NeXT ® -prepares batches of encrypted inventory and price changes that sit behind a secured FTPS server waiting to be picked up bySmartSpoke.  NeXT also prowls around its local system seeing if any SmartSpoke system has pushed new sales or customer information up from the field.

By switching the POS communication activity to be active rather than passive we have eliminated the need for any communication listener  on the POS side. With PCI compliance issues on many folks minds, having an open FTP port on your POS system was a security risk that the CTO or IT director had to allow – not good for your mental or physical health when you worry if your POS system is going to be hacked today. The SmartSpoke is fully PCI complaint and removes any security worries.

We are shipping SmartSpoke integrated to the Microsoft Dynamics RMS Point of Sale system first.

We plan to follow the Microsoft work  with full integration to the MICROS 9700.  After that, who knows where the market will take us…

DataWorks, Creators of NeXT® Inventory Software, Sponsor Imaginarium Dinosaur Exhibit

(Bonita Springs, FL – May 21, 2010) DataWorks, Inc., developers of Next® Inventory Software, was honored to be a partner/sponsor of the Dinosaurs & Ice Age Giants traveling exhibit at the Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium in Fort Myers, Florida.The eight nearly life sized robotic dinosaurs and a selection of ice age mammals were on display at the children’s museum, shown in conjunction with the 3-D film DINOSAURS: Giants of Patagonia from January 9 to May 9, 2010. It is the most popular and well-attended traveling exhibit at the Imaginarium to date, with over 45,000 visitors. “This exhibit has exceeded our expectations and attendance projections,” said Matthew Johnson, Imaginarium director. “This traveling exhibit is a great example of a public/private partnership. Partnerships like this work to bring our community quality arts, culture, and education.” “We were very excited to be a part of this exhibit,” said Mark Cecil, President of DataWorks, Inc. “The Imaginarium is providing valuable education to community children in such an interesting and involving manner. Kids are finding out that learning can be fun. Since we work with numerous museums and amusement parks, this partnership seemed ideal.”

About the Imaginarium: The Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium provides visitors with over 60 interactive exhibits, including a theater, a traveling exhibit, live animals, and ongoing special programs, such as participating in a virtual sports simulator, hurricane wind tunnel, or TV studio as a weather forecaster. Located in Fort Myers, Florida, the children’s museum is open seven days a week.Visit www.imaginariumfortmyers.com or call 239-321-7420 for more information.

About DataWorks: DataWorks has excelled in helping customers streamline their inventory operations since 1986. DataWorks’ inventory software, NeXT, offers purchasing, inventory, sales and bar-coding for retail and F&B management. Amusement parks, casinos, hospitals, museums, resorts, stadiums, and zoos are among the types of properties that currently use DataWorks' flagship inventory software NeXT. The feature-rich inventory software has multi-company, language, and currency capabilities. NeXT can run on a local property or span the needs of an entire enterprise. DataWorks is a leader in providing inventory management solutions for the hospitality and entertainment industries. NeXT is sought out by clients for:

• Retail Back Office, Retail Planning Systems, Retail ERP Software, Retail Store Software
• Hospitality Back Office
• Retail Inventory Control, Inventory Management Barcode Software
• F&B Inventory Control
• MICROS Retail Interface
• Microsoft Retail Management Software
• Retail Purchasing, Retail Replenishment, Retail Forecasting, Retail Data Mining
• Hospitality Purchasing
• Open-T o-Buy
• Suggested Orders

DataWorks partners with all of the leading point-of-sale providers including: InfoGenesis, MICROS®, HSI, ResortSuite, SpaSoft, PAR Springer-Miller, Siriusware, Gateway Ticketing, and Volante.

For more information about DataWorks and NeXT, call 239-444-1053.

HITEC 2009 - Booth 150

DataWorks will be exhibiting at the HITEC conference June 23-25, 2009 in Anaheim, California USA. This year our booth number is 150.

We will be available for presentations on our Procurement, Food and Beverage (F&B), Auto-Replenishment, and Open to Buy modules.

Staff will also be available for consulting on our other enterprise ready products.

When you stop by, utter the phrase, "Scan me", and we will be happy to present you with a free Dataworks' T-Shirt