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Why we've chosen McAfee to provide PCI scanning to our clients


December 7, 2011
by David Goodale



Shopify shopping cart logo. Business owners are sometimes intimidated by the thought of implementing an e-commerce enabled website for their business. One of the reasons is because while business owners tend to understand that there are "security issues" related to taking payments online, they don't understand what the issues are or the implications of online transaction security.

When light is shed on the subject of e-commerce transaction security these concerns tend to evaporate quickly. It's easy to implement a secure processing solution. In fact, e-commerce is more accessible than ever to small and mid-sized businesses.

Achieving a secure online presence in which your customers can buy in confidence is a matter of leveraging the technology that has been built to make e-commerce accessible. At Merchant Accounts.ca we make it easy for businesses to accept credit cards online in many different transaction currencies. We are able to help our clients do this so that they don't ever have to come in to contact with any credit card information of any kind if they don't want to.

The entire checkout process takes place on the merchant's website, except when the credit card information is collected at the very last step when the customer is directly connected to the payment gateway. In other words, the merchant doesn't ever touch any sensitive data (which is obviously highly secure). However, some merchants prefer to have complete control over the checkout process. We fully support this type of payment system as well. When implementing this kind of e-commerce solution the merchant will collect customer credit card information directly on their own website. When this occurs, the merchant will want to make certain they have created a secure transaction environment in which their customers can purchase.

Merchant Accounts.ca and McAfee have partnered to provide business owners with everything they need to implement and ensure a secure transaction environment on their web server.

McAfee is one of the most trusted names in the computer industry when it comes to security. Their offerings range from antivirus software for personal computers to enterprise-level security for corporations. Merchant Accounts.ca has just started working with McAfee to enhance the security of our client websites with McAfee's powerful PCI scanning and auditing services.



What is PCI Compliance?


Visa and MasterCard require all businesses to handle credit card information in a secure manner. In order to achieve this goal the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard was created (better known as PCI DSS). Every merchant that touches, handles or stores credit card information must ensure that their business is PCI compliant. By doing this the business owner and the cardholder can be reassured that all cardholder information is handled safely when it is being transmitted and stored electronically.



How McAfee Solidifies PCI Compliance


McAfee is the world's largest dedicated computer security company. They audit PCI Compliance for tens of thousands of businesses around the world. Their PCI Certification Service is affordable and allows you to quickly and easily complete the steps you need to take to achieve and maintain PCI compliance for your website.

In a nutshell, McAfee performs a scan of your web server to see if there are any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that you may not have detected. If McAfee cannot find any security problems you pass your security scan. When McAfee has issued a successful scan and certified your website as being PCI compliant, you can be confident that you have satisfied the PCI security standard as mandated by Visa and MasterCard. To reiterate, you *must* pass a PCI security scan if you want to collect credit card information on your website.



McAfee and Merchant Accounts.ca Offer the Perfect Payment Solution


We encourage our clients who require PCI scanning to use McAfee's simple and affordable PCI scanning coupled with our payment services to ensure the most seamless electronic payment solution for your business. With McAfee's PCI Scanning services and our electronic payment solutions, your business has solid security, great service when you need it and an uninterrupted cash flow.



What if I Want to Use Another PCI Compliance Vendor?


You may use whoever you like to handle your PCI scanning but our recommendation is for McAfee's PCI Compliance services because they are a leader in online security. Even though McAfee is a premium brand in online security, their pricing for PCI scanning is among the most competitive in the industry.



How Do I Know if I Need PCI Compliance?


PCI Compliance is needed if you touch, handle or store credit card information. As a business processes higher volumes of credit card transactions the PCI audit becomes more detailed. For example, a bank is assessed at PCI Tier 1, which is the most stringent level of PCI Compliance. Most of our merchants are considered Tier 4 merchants, which requires a quarterly scan of your website to ensure its safety. If you have any questions about PCI Compliance do not hesitate to contact us.



Who Supports McAfee's PCI Compliance Process?


McAfee will support the process. If you have basic questions that you need to ask about the service, Merchant Accounts.ca will be happy to help you. McAfee will handle any necessary troubleshooting or customized questions relating to the PCI scanning of your website. Our merchants that are already with McAfee enjoy the fast and personal service that McAfee offers.

McAfee has a comprehensive and cost-effective PCI scanning service which offers great value to small and mid-sized merchants. Best of all, it gives our merchants confidence that they have implemented a secure e-commerce environment in which their customers can purchase with complete trust in the security of their data.

Contact Merchant Accounts.ca today to find out how your business can benefit from our expertise partnered with McAfee for the most solid and supported PCI compliance experience.



Special Benefit for Merchant Accounts.ca Customers


McAfee have graciously offered our customers a significant discount for annual PCI scanning.

The cost for Merchant Accounts.ca customers is only $100 for an entire years worth of PCI scanning service. If any of our clients would like to receive this discount just contact Merchant Accounts.ca support and we will have an account manager make sure the applicable discount is applied. support@merchant-accounts.ca / 888-414-7111 ext 5.



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- About the Author

David Goodale My name is David Goodale, CEO at Merchant Accounts.ca. Pricing is often one of the most confusing topics in the merchant services industry. I strongly believe that flat (non-fluctuating) pricing and interchange plus pricing are the only good pricing models in the industry. If you have any questions about this article, pricing, or other questions in general about your merchant processing agreement don't hesitate to contact me. I'm always happy to help with an honest opinion, and enjoy chatting with folks from interesting businesses!

Toll free: 888-414-7111 ext. 5 / Direct: (905) 901-2254
david.goodale@merchant-accounts.ca

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