Using an encrypted credit card reader can really simplify things when it comes to payment processing in your business. Products like mobile credit card readers are easy to use and since it plugs right in to your iPad it is also easy to set up.
You can also add on other products to this system per your business needs. Offline and online inventory can be linked in and tracked, and all you have to do to get started is to download the free app.
Such ease of use is a welcome sight when it comes to the overwhelming time and energy it takes to set up and run a business, large or small. Recruiting people and services that allow you to handle such important aspects of your business such as secure payment processing with a knowledgeable guiding hand can be a life saver.
The More Secure the Better
According to Business News Daily, accepting credit cards is not only a great and better way to do business, but it also makes things much easier for you customers. However, security of the payment process is of the utmost importance. When you check out a customer face-to-face, there is a level of comfort since the customer knows for a fact that they will get their credit or debit card back the instant that their payment is approved.
If something were to go wrong in that payment process, the customer knows where you are physically located, and they can just simply come back to address the problem in person. In the online realm there are no physical stores to walk into; you are just a long page of images that people have to trust without any kind of proof of physical establishment other than an address, an email on a contact us page and sometimes a phone number. Lexis Nexis says that in 2013, online merchants attributed 42 percent of credit and debit card fraud to online sales, compared to 31 percent in 2012.
There are plenty of dishonest people out there, but there are simple things that you can do to thwart these bandits in their game of crime.
Why Encryption Counts
East Tec says that encryption is actually an ancient concept. The Egyptians, Mayans, Greeks and Romans all used encrypted codes for war time and political applications.
These were not grammar school flunkies, these ancient people were very cunning and inventive when it came to security. The use of encrypted messages would commonly fool their enemies which allowed each civilization to stay a step ahead of their enemies more easily. In this day and age however, encryption is basically the method of turning plain text information into an unintelligible format that requires a cipher to decode using different algorithms.
At some point or other, every person with a computer knows the aggravation of encryption. How many times have you tried to open a download or file only to find nothing but computer jargon staring you in the face? Before you start cussing and pounding on your computer monitor while screaming, “I am not a robot! I do not know what, #)GJDI^%MSBE!+NC#$3680Nzzw etc…. means”!
Remember that this is the whole reason why your personal information is kept safe in this totally techno world. There are a whole slew of others out there who cannot read this computerised PC talk either, criminals. When it comes time to set up your payment processing that whole encryption feature is one of the most important words you can hear, or see.
Think from the point of view of what do you want someone to see if they were to some how tap into your payment processing system. Do you want those mask wielding bandits and hackers who should get an honest job to find mind numbing alphanumerical algorithms that they can’t make sense of, or would you prefer a criminal to gain access to all your personal information laid out before them in understandable language?
A lot of people keep more than just inventory on these systems. There is account information, such as business account numbers and personal checking account numbers. There can be not only your personal social security number but your employees as well. Eventually this kind of breach in security can lead to your customers as well. Every time a customer has bought something from you, a lot of times more than just a credit or debit card number is stored.
Shopper info, like home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, addresses, and emails are included too; in a lot of cases half of this information is all that is needed to steal someone’s identity. Most business owners cannot afford to take such a hit to their livelihood.
Businesses have been ruined for much less; how would you make it right with your customers if their info was stolen all because your payment processing was not secure enough? It’s important that you get a card reader that is secure, and a payment processing provider that protects customer information.
