Online Security in Germany

I was recently reviewing a German Article about online security. It was so interesting to find that a German organization is pushing to increase their online commercial value by 10% this year. If they do this, their online turnover for 2013 would reach 32 Billion Euros.

So how did the Germans get so involved with the online networking world? Well, in 2012 more the ¾ of all Germans above the age of 16 bought multiple products and services over the Internet. It is proven that the online world is no longer focusing its strength in the U.S.  Asia, and most of Europe are also engaging in the art of the online business world.

Though this is a great national breakthrough for the inter-web, it also demonstrates the need for international online security.

With people accessing the web all over the world, it is even more crucial to have your online businesses, websites, and personal computers secure. International online services offer more diversity of goods, services, and pricing, but they also invite more hackers and identity thieves to access your personal information.

In the Eurostat and recent German Articles, Author Jan Valcke states:

“Most consumers know that online security has two sides. On the one hand, they are afraid to fall victim to obscure criminals; on the other hand, they are well aware that malware on their own pc can forward banking and credit card information to criminal units, even though they only deal with serious and trustworthy traders.”

Valcke continues to say, “Online providers that want to differentiate and ensure a safe shopping experience for their customers can do more than just the bare necessities. They can, for instance,set up a defense against online theft and password hijacking by Trojans and rootkits. They cannot avoid that there may be some malware on the consumer's PC that can have a negative impact on the shopping process, but at least, they can diminish the risks and consequences.”

You online security is important, and everyone who does business online, no matter where they live, knows it. Don’t take the risk by avoiding PCI Compliance. Make sure your website and your computer are secure today.

Business Security and Confidentiality

How to Keep Your High-Profile Conversations Safe and Secure

Before smart phones existed, planting secret and covert listening devices was the most popular way for spies, private investigators or government officials to ‘illegally record’ content from private conversations. Just like in the movies, people with resources would surreptitiously plant listening devices to find out top-secret government, business or personal information.

Approximately 130 million smartphones are in use in the United States today. With more and more undercover apps created daily, every smartphone user now has the potential of becoming a covert operative with their own Wi-Fi receiver, camera, audio recorder, keyboard and computer at their disposal.

As a business owner or manager, maintaining security and privacy for high profile meetings is vital. Whether it is a shareholder meeting, political fundraiser or internal executive meeting, there should be confidentiality and security.

For example, this past year, when “off-the-book” comments made by Mitt Romney at a fundraiser were recorded and posted online, his political campaign took an insanely massive negative hit. The theft of intellectual property costs American businesses billions of dollars each year. So how can corporate and government leaders ensure that their meetings are safe and secure and that proprietary information is not leaked? How can everyday business owners make sure the information they discuss and process is kept secure?

This is the point of today’s article. Today, we are going to talk about how you can help make sure that your business is 100% private and secure.

In my own career, I have been responsible for the safety and security of every merchant I speak to concerning their private IRS information, banking information, and other private data. The following tips explain how I have been able to ensure that none of the secure data I send out or speak of is breached.

1.      Always have your meetings behind closed doors. Even if I need to have a quick talk with one employee, if it is about information that should be kept private, I make sure that the other employees leave all mobile devices at their desk and that the office door is closed for our discussion. Eliminating mobile devices and even tablets with cameras into meetings is a good way to ensure that the information will be kept secure.

2.      Never communicate on a non-secure computer or mobile device. This is something that is so crucial, yet so many businesses ignore. Make your website and computer secure! Be PCI Compliant. I am always baffled when I hear business owners complain about having to pay less than $10/month to have a secure computer, when they process credit cards online. That is just ridiculous. Not only will PCI compliant security scans protect the consumers you work with, but it also protects your private information, the emails you send out, and the documents saved on your computer.

Processing Companies Request PCI Compliance

Learn How Being PCI COMPLIANT Actually SAVES YOU MONEY!

At my job working for a small Utah Independent Sales Office for a Credit Card Processing organization, I have business owners that call in all the time complaining about having to be PCI Compliant. The saddest part is that most of them don’t even know what it means to be PCI Compliant or why it is important to their business. 

As a business owner, it is crucial to make your business as secure as possible – especially online. In today’s world it is so vital to make sure that you are doing everything you can to avoid fraud and identity theft, both for yourself and for your customers. This is why PCI Compliance is required and why most ISO’s charge extra if you are not PCI Compliant.

Mark Dunn, the president of Field Guide Enterprises said, "An ISO has to be able to show that they're proactively taking steps to get their small to medium-sized merchants to comply with PCI requirements, ISOs want their merchants to comply because it's less risky."

Being less risky, as a business owner, should always be a number one priority for you, not just for the ISO with which you are working. If you are a business owner wanting to make sure your account is secure and that you are PCI Compliant, you will actually save yourself more money immediately and in the long haul.

ISO’s and Credit Card Processing Fees are going to charge you higher fees for not being compliant, because you are not secure. So it only makes sense to sign up to be PCI Compliant with a trusted company.

1.                    Your Credit Card Processing bill will be cheaper because you won’t be charged any non-compliance fees.

2.                    If any fraud was to occur while you are compliant, then they will help protect you and cover any losses.

To be a successful business owner, be PCI Compliant. It will also help you save money, thereby increasing your profits.

Top Five PCI Compliance Firms for Credit Card Processors

Being PCI Compliant is more than just completing the required self-assessment-questionnaire. It improves the safety of your business, and the security of the information you process for your valued customers. Finding the best compliance company, will help protect you from fraud and could potentially save you thousands of dollars against hackers and others trying to steal identities. 

If you are a business owner looking for the best company to start your PCI Compliance, then check out these Top 5 PCI Compliance Firms supported by National Credit Card Processing Companies:

·         First Data

·         iPayment

·         PowerPay

·         Elavon

·         NPC Retriever

These Top 5 PCI Compliant Companies are the most well-known PCI Compliance consultants that the payment processing industry has to offer. These findings were uncovered through professional surveying, research and risk evaluation. In order to have the honor of being published on the National Credit Card Processing Top 5 Compliant company list, they were required to excel in the following categories:

·         Price

·         Customer satisfaction

·         Coverage protection

·         Risk conversion

·         Fraud control settings

·         Security scan authenticity

·         Personal guarantor

Research also shows that when online consumers see that businesses display third party trust seals, they are more apt to make the buying decision because they can see that the company has gone through the rigorous process of becoming PCI Compliant.

Help your Customers Feel More Secure by Becoming PCI Compliant

Online consumers are becoming more aware of how serious Identity Theft and Hacking is in today’s inter-web world. This is great, because fraudulent activity has dropped with more and more online customers signing up for online security with companies like Trust Guard.

However, we are now coming across the ironic problem where businesses are not taking their online security as seriously as they should be – just when websites have become more vulnerable than ever. If your business is processing credit cards for your business, it is not only recommended and preferred that you are PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliant, but it is actually against the law to be processing without it.

On a side note, if you are running credit card transactions and are not PCI Compliant then you are, in essence, telling your customers that you don’t care if their information is hacked.

By not being PCI Compliant, statistics have shown that the percentage of sales decreases. Companies who go from non-compliance to being PCI Compliant generally increase sales by 30% in just the first month! That should make any company want to be PCI Compliant regardless of the rules set by the data security council.

So why are some Business Owners ignoring PCI Compliance Requirements? My thought is that business owners may not understand the importance and security benefits of PCI Compliance.

If business owners were to think of PCI Compliance as insurance for their credit card processing, then perhaps they would be more willing to comply. Think of car insurance: no, you don’t get in accidents every day, or even every year, however if you did and you didn’t have insurance --- you would wish you did.

PCI Compliance is the same way. Businesses that do not have a PCI Certificate of Security Seal are going to be out of luck, paying for any losses due to fraud on their own. These charges for fraud and identity theft against a business are usually around $20,000 - $50,000 per case. If you are protected by a PCI Compliant company though, they will offer you protection in these cases and help cover any losses just like an insurance company would.

Being PCI Compliant is not only a smart thing to do for an instance when you are faced again fraudulence and hackers, but it is also the right thing to do. Having security scan and seals that show potential consumers that their information is safe will nudge more of them to purchase from you. Your customers will feel safe and protected when they see that your site is PCI compliant.