Retail convenience and fueling locations have many devices in the store and on the forecourt which collectively comprise the “site assets.” The Conexxus Site Asset Specification allows the various site systems in retail convenience and fueling locations to transmit site asset data in a standard format to an offsite entity for collection, processing, and analysis.
The Site Asset Specification includes XML schema that allows implementers to create or consume XML documents containing site asset information. The Working Group chose to report network information (e.g., IP addresses, ports, subnets) in an XML format to maintain consistency with other Conexxus standards. Should use of standard management systems (such as SNMP) be desired in future revisions of the standard, formats for those systems can be considered in addition to XML.
The XML schema provides for reporting of site information (e.g., Site Name, Branding, Location, IDs), as well as devices, including but not limited to POS terminals, payment terminals, scanners, site controllers, fuel controllers, dispensers, carwash controllers, and tank gauges. Information about these devices may include the vendor, model, versioning (e.g., hardware, software, operating system, firmware and/or kernels), networking configuration, and device capabilities (e.g., EMV or encryption). Device-specific information (e.g., blending capabilities and configuration for a dispenser) is also included in the schema. All devices are uniquely identified and mapped so that data relationships with other devices may be reported.
Being able to electronically transmit and receive information about a site and its devices enables merchants to better track site assets. With this information, it is possible to identify whether changes to the equipment have occurred and whether equipment software is up to date, which in turn helps to validate the security of reporting devices. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) 3.1 and later versions require payment-related asset reporting. By implementing the Conexxus Site Asset Specification, merchants may be better able to meet such requirements.