GPa – Point of interaction concept

ZMS Info created GPa as a response to challenges the payment industry faces. It employs the combination of common driving points with legacy system support by utilizing the state machine concept and the protocol conversion in a unique way. Unlike state machines already used by ATMs for decades, GPa is created to be device agnostic, but still to provide common elements:

• Fully configurable user interaction and transaction flow;
• Out-of-the-box support for different presentation frameworks including multiple languages, character sets, touchscreens, keyboard interaction, card activation, gestures;
• Built-in support for multiple interaction points between device and driving system;
• Advanced authentication handling;
• Integration point with existing security features like certified EMV kernels or secure PIN PADs.

In the past several years payment industry faced several challenges that are transforming the conventional environment and present huge capital investment for the merchants, service providers, acquirers, issuers, and schemes. The primary effort for all stakeholders is to provide a response to these challenges transforming existing infrastructure. They do that not by replacing the hardware and infrastructure, but by using software upgrades and utilizing generic platforms to provide the required functionalities. All these challenges require the introduction of several important elements to the payment ecosystem:

• Interoperability between legacy networks and new technologies;
• Deployment of additional features into the existing POI devices;
• Introduction of payment functionalities into the new platforms;
• Protecting common security features of existing solutions e.g. secure PIN entry and EMV kernels;
• Providing common driving infrastructure;
• Improved customer experience;
• Cross-culture support.

What is GPa?

GPa is a set of specifications that defines state handling, presentation elements and interaction between POI device framework and the driving system. It also defines the business logic behind the behavior of the GPa driving system developed within ZMS Info PowerZaC system that provides another key factor – any-to-any protocol conversion.

What is not GPa?

GPa does not enforce the technical elements in the development of the POI device framework, allowing maximum freedom to utilize the features and advantages of each platform or each device. Framework only needs to follow the state machine compliance, while presentation and control elements are limited only by the platform capabilities and developers’ imagination.

How does GPa works?

The common element within GPa ecosystem is the driving point that drives the different POI devices connected to the system. The driving system identifies the terminal and recognizes supported features of each device, feeding the device with the state machine configuration and security parameters that allows a device to operate in an independent manner. The device does not require a permanent connection with the driving system as stored configuration guides the terminal presentation engine and peripheral devices. Communication is established at the exit points defined by state machine configuration, where the driving point receives the message sent by the terminal and returns the response that defines the next set of actions (carrying both functional information and the actual point in state machine configuration where further processing will continue). This is a simple, yet powerful concept allowing:

• Utilizing full capabilities of the platform presentation capabilities;
• Fully independent of device functional interface: seamless operations regardless if the device uses touchscreen functions or function keys;
• Fully independent of language, character sets or idioms used by the presentation engine
• Integration points with conventional payment elements like EMV kernels or security modules, without compromising security or modifying existing certified features in any way;
• Customizable support for the implementation of non-conventional payment elements such as Mifare chip cards;
• A simple implementation of non-payment functions driven through the same presentation engine;
• Integration points with other business applications whether deployed on the same or separate device.

GPa driving provides a package with all necessary elements:

• TLS termination with TLS certificate handling;
• Remote key injection and use of DUKPT cryptographic scheme in full compliance with ANSI X9.24 standard;
• Configuration distribution: state machine handling, presentation elements, EMV parameters;
• Business logic driving;
• Protocol conversion as the gateway to legacy networks or custom based web services;
• Terminal management elements.