PCI compliance and data security for retail merchants must be a top concern for every business owner, regardless of whether you operate in Santa Barbara proper or Santa Barbara County as a whole. Being able to ensure a customers' cardholder data is secure must be a top priority for merchants of every type and is the only way to do business and maintain a level of trust. It's vital for creating a high level of customer confidence in every Santa Barbara Business. Credit card processing is too often taken for granted and becoming a great concern to consumers because of it’s vulnerability to identity theft.
Santa Barbara Merchants that take customer's cardholder data, and process, store, and transmit that data, must come into compliance with the programs that have been put in place by the PCI DSS and Card Association Compliance Programs earlier this year. These standards are what the industry has found acceptable, and non-compliance can result in a merchant being fined, terminated or even sued by consumers or consumer’s organizations.
Credit cardholders who have are involved in a payment transactions with retail businesses, mail-order businesses and internet businesses using merchant accounts, have the right to expect complete security. Merchant accounts must be monitored at all times for fraud. Some things to watch for would be orders that are shipped as 'Rush' orders, or 'Overnight', or orders shipped to one certain address but shows several credit cards involved.
Accepting credit cards is a huge responsibility for any Santa Barbara Merchant and even being PCI compliant is not a guarantee against fraud. No system is flawless, but the public cannot expect anything less than the merchant’s absolute best. Moneris' has a fraud prevention reference guide for helping merchants to keep in line with the fraud protection plan. And the Visa and MasterCard merchant manuals outline specific actions for preserving credit card integrity.
As of June 30, 2008, merchants are required to comply with the Best Practice 6.6 of the PCI DSS. It basically says that all merchants, who are dealing with debit and/or credit cards, are to conduct application code reviews, and install web application firewalls. Not all merchants are evaluated exactly the same, as the PCI compliance rules contains several levels.
Many Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County small businesses are in breach of the PCI compliance far more than larger businesses in Santa Barbara. Actual research reflects that up to about 80% of the breaches that can be attributed to small retail businesses, home-based businesses and under protected internet business operations. Of the four different levels of PCI Compliance for merchants, only the level 1 merchants, who have to process over 6 million cards per year to make level 1, are required to undergo actual PCI Compliance audits.
Merchant services must adhere to the PCI Compliance or be terminated from accepting credit cards. Ensuring the safety of consumer's financial information is paramount. Santa Barbara Merchant Services offered by S&S Bankcard Systems, Inc. of Westlake Village, CA has been providing PCI Compliant merchant services, merchant accounts and Visa credit card processing, Mastercard credit card processing, ach processing, credit card terminals and payment gateways from AuthorizeNet since 1998. They comply with all regulations put forth by the PCI Compliance manuals, and the PCI Security Standards Council.
Whether you are an existing business that already has merchant services elsewhere or not, a new business owner looking to increase sales and revenues or just researching merchant service providers to find the best payment solution for your business we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about PCI Compliance, your existing merchant account rates or how to accept credit cards the right way for less - whether you become a client or not.
Jeff Skelton is President of S&S Bankcard Systems, Inc. of Westlake Village,CA. Since 1998 he has been a premier merchant services provider for merchants in
Santa Barbara, Goleta, Buellton, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Carpenteria, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Solvang and Santa Barbara County . You can find more information on PCI Compliant Merchant Services, Merchant Accounts and Accepting Credit Cards Safely and Profitably by visiting
