Today the Wall Street Journal printed an article about personal identity theft and card data security titled Hackers Aren’t Only Threat to Privacy, by Ben Worthen.

Markiyan Malko, Merchant Warehouse’s PCI Compliance Officer had some interesting thoughts on the importance of keeping vigilant when it comes to accessing and distributing both personal and financial information.

Having a good amount of experience in the payments industry I can attest to the fact that a surprising amount of breaches occurs accidentally and without anyone actually trying to steal the data. This is why it’s important to put systems and solutions in place that will limit the employee’s access and ability to distribute the data unless it is essential to their job function. Many of the solutions that are becoming increasingly prominent in the credit card payments industry at this time involve the use of encrypting hardware that eliminates card data from ever being seen in the clear. For example, my company, Merchant Warehouse, deploys encrypted card reader that immediately secures the data right in the read head of the card reader. That data is then passed through the customer’s system fully encrypted and sent off for processing where it is then decrypted by the processor/bank. By using this type of solution the customer and their system never sees any sensitive data in the clear which offloads a lot of the responsibilities of securing the data to the payment processor and gives the business owner some peace of mind knowing their employees can’t steal or accidentally expose the data.

Andrew Conry-Murray included Merchant Warehouse in his article on PCI Compliance. The article discusses technology available to ease the pain of compliance and Conry-Murray writes that Merchant Warehouse offers encrypted card readers, which return tokens rather than card data to merchants and retailers that can be used for common transaction requirements such as voiding or refunding a purchase to ensure card data is not stored on merchant computers.

To read the article, click here.

Merchant Warehouse will be showcasing the company’s innovative solutions available to merchants, ISOs and agents at the Electronic Transaction Association’s (ETA) 2010 Meeting and Expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from April 13-15.

Details:
Who: Merchant Warehouse
What: Electronic Transaction Association Meeting & Expo 2010
Where: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas. Booth 801
When: April 13-15, 2010

With nearly 3,000 attendees expected at this year’s 20^th anniversary conference, Merchant Warehouse will be showcasing a number of mobile payment applications that can be used on the iPhone/iPod Touch, Blackberry, Google Android and Windows Mobile devices that can be used with portable Bluetooth enabled card readers. There will also be a demo of the iPhone/iPod Touch with the iDynamo card reader from MagTek – an easy to manage cradle with an encrypted card reader designed specifically for the iPhone. The ideal products for those in the mobile workforce, these applications combine ease of use, advanced functionality and enhanced security.

Register for the Ultimate Home Office Giveaway – Worth up to $5000

While you are there, enter for a chance to win the ultimate home office giveaway! Visit booth 801 and ask about Merchant Warehouse’s educational webinar series for ISOs and Agents and you will be automatically entered into the drawing. Get organized with a collection of brand new office equipment and software to help improve productivity.

On Saturday, March 27th, 2010, Merchant Warehouse employees volunteered their time with Jumpstart, a national early education organization serving preschool children in low-income communities. Merchant Warehouse enjoyed a fun day cutting, coloring and organizing materials that will be used in pre-school classrooms in local urban schools.

Our volunteer coordinator had nothing but great things to say about how hard our group worked and the amount of materials we completed in the short time we were there. The materials we made will aid Jumpstart volunteers in teaching low-income pre-school children language and literacy, social and initiative skills.

About Jumpstart:
Jumpstart is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. To support this mission, we bring college students and community volunteers together with preschool children in low-income communities for a full school year of individualized mentoring and tutoring. Jumpstart’s research-based curriculum is focused on building language, literacy, social and emotional skills in preschool children, while providing our volunteers with a rewarding way to have lasting impact in their communities.

To strengthen and sustain our program, Jumpstart works with education partners and sponsors in mutually beneficial collaborations. To learn more, visit http://www.readfortherecord.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Jstart_homepage

On March 29, 2010, Business Solutions magazine features Dipesh Shrestha, owner of Compro Boston and satisfied partner of Merchant Warehouse as he talks about the benefits of selling integrated payment processing with his POS software.

The article, titled “The Payment Processing & POS VAR Revolution” highlights how the integration of credit card processing has given POS VARs like Compro Boston a competitive advantage for winning merchants’ business.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

On Saturday, March 27th, 2010, Merchant Warehouse employees volunteered their time with Jumpstart, a national early education organization serving preschool children in low-income communities. Merchant Warehouse enjoyed a fun day cutting, coloring and organizing materials that will be used in pre-school classrooms in local urban schools.

Our volunteer coordinator had nothing but great things to say about how hard our group worked and the amount of materials we completed in the short time we were there. The materials we made will aid Jumpstart volunteers in teaching low-income pre-school children language and literacy, social and initiative skills.

About Jumpstart:

Jumpstart is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. To support this mission, we bring college students and community volunteers together with preschool children in low-income communities for a full school year of individualized mentoring and tutoring. Jumpstart’s research-based curriculum is focused on building language, literacy, social and emotional skills in preschool children, while providing our volunteers with a rewarding way to have lasting impact in their communities.

To strengthen and sustain our program, Jumpstart works with education partners and sponsors in mutually beneficial collaborations. To learn more, click here.

Check out this video from a Merchant Warehouse partner, Xgensoft, who integrated the PA-DSS certified MerchantWARE TransPort payment processing application with their Rental Manager software for seamless and secure card transaction processing:

http://www.xgensoft.com/Videos/RentalManagerAndTransportVideo.html

If you’re an Agent or ISO and looking for more education, be sure to register for our webinars. Presented by industry experts, these free, one-hour webinars are held monthly and open to all. We cover a range of topics from tax tips to lead generation. Our webinars are loaded with useful information and tips to help you improve your bottom line. Register for one today: www.merchantwarehouse.com/webinars

Topics:

• The Real Deal on PCI – What You Really Need to Know
• What Makes Your Portfolio Valuable and How to Sell It
• Marketing Strategies to Generate Leads
• 10 Dirty Little Secrets in Your Agent Agreement
• Building and Managing Your Database of Leads

 www.merchantwarehouse.com/webinars

ISO & Agent features the new Windows Mobile and Google Android MerchantWARE Mobile applications from Merchant Warehouse in the most recent edition of the publication.

The article also highlights that the MerchantWARE Mobile software has been downloaded over 15,000 times within the past year and that Merchant Warehouse signs an average of 200 merchants a month due to the mobile software alone.

To read more, click here.

4 Ways to Save on a Merchant Account

Almost any business can now accept credit cards with little to no start-up costs.

So how do you make sure you are getting the lowest costs for the long run?  Following are four ways you can save money on your credit card processing, and avoid frustrating traps.

1) Don’t Sign an agreement with a long-term commitment!

Signing a contract or an agreement with a term and termination fees commits you to staying with a processor regardless of your satisfaction or pricing changes.  Many times these fees are hard to find in an agreement so check if there it a term listed and then find charges for cancelling before the termination date.  Don’t take “we never charge that” as an answer from a sales rep.  If it is in writing, they will charge it.

• Cancelling in the midst of your term means paying a steep termination fees or remaining monthly fees, many times up to $1,000.

2) Never Focus Exclusively on Percentage “Discount” Rates.
Companies who quote extremely low rates are usually trying to distract you from ‘gotchas’ that will have you paying much more in the long-run.  Almost all processors have the same general costs so if something seems much lower, assume they are taking a loss to recoup revenue somewhere else.

• Getting the lowest rates doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting the best deal.  Remember, the different between tenths of a percent are almost immaterial.

3) Look to Save on Processing Equipment. 
Most equipment can function with any processor and costs have declined dramatically.  Many companies now even offer free applications for processing on an iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile platforms or over the Internet.  There is no reason to pay a lot out-of-pocket if your processing needs are basic.

• Never lease equipment. Leasing is extremely costly, and involves long-term agreements.

4) Ensure You Have the Right Type of Merchant Account for Your Business.
There are different types of merchant accounts based on the way credit card transactions are accepted. It is always cheaper to have the right merchant account type for your business.

• Always work with a firm that can explain the differences between the different merchant account types and which asks questions about your specific processing environment.