Move your business to
PCI SAQ level A with a Virtual Secure Terminal
A virtual terminal
we recommend
PCI Compliance Summary
PCI Simple for SAQ A
PCI Simple for SAQ B
PCI SAQ level A with a Virtual Secure Terminal
A virtual terminal
we recommend
PCI Compliance Summary
PCI Simple for SAQ A
PCI Simple for SAQ B
Support
Hotline:
877-270-5557
877-270-5557
Inquires:
877-270-5557
877-270-5557
The Virtual Terminal Solution
A "virtual terminal" for credit card processing lets you get PCI certified easily at low costAND brings other advantages to your business.
Virtual terminals are a big deal. They may be the future for many credit card merchants. They can save you a ton of money, improve your business process, and make it easier to get PCI certified. But first let's orient you.
Definition: What is a virtual terminal for credit card processing?
A
"Virtual Secure Terminal" is a way to process credit cards so that the
processing of the transaction does not occur in your office, but
occures at another location, allowing you to benefit from the security
and features available through the other location.
It works as a service that you pay for monthly, and you reach it through a web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.).
It looks just like going to a web site, and you log in to use it. Depending on which one it is, it might also run without you being logged in, for example by running a regular monthly charge by itself, or creating invoices automatically at a time of the month, week, or year that you specify.
It is not considered a web site, however. It is considered an "application", just like Microsoft Word, Quickbooks, or Adobe Acrobat. What you don't see is the extensive security that such a site can offer. The features usually are not bad either.
It works as a service that you pay for monthly, and you reach it through a web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.).
It looks just like going to a web site, and you log in to use it. Depending on which one it is, it might also run without you being logged in, for example by running a regular monthly charge by itself, or creating invoices automatically at a time of the month, week, or year that you specify.
It is not considered a web site, however. It is considered an "application", just like Microsoft Word, Quickbooks, or Adobe Acrobat. What you don't see is the extensive security that such a site can offer. The features usually are not bad either.
The advantages of using a virtual terminal are:
- PCI compliance becomes much easier when your credit card transactions are all in a virtual terminal, especially if you are entering card numbers on a keyboard in any way.
- You have easy control of your customer credit card numbers without having the actual numbers inside your network, like in your POS system. Having the numbers inside your network is very expensive when you look at becoming PCI certified,
- Recurring charges can usually be easily handled.
- Automatic invoicing can save a ton of time and may look better than what you do now.
- Easy to access records of previous billing statements and services provided.
- Automatic emails to clients that a credit card is soon to expire, or did not go through.
- Clients can log in to their account to change credit card numbers or make other changes
- Affordable:
Some are. Others are more expensive. Find an inexpensive one that does
well everything you need it to do. They may exist
- Other advantages depend on
which virtual terminal you may use, and what is useful for your
business.
The disadvantages of using a virtual terminal are:
- It is not usually a POS, and doesn't try to be. You would continue using your POS as before, and just processing transactions inside the virtual terminal. For many, this is actually an advantage.
- You need to adapt your business to using it. Perhaps you would need to use both a POS to track client records, and would use the virtual terminal just to run the charge and keep those records. This part is usually not too difficult.
- You have to enter client information. Some, like Billing Orchard, have an import tool that make this simple.
- Learning time. Some are quick and easy to learn, others are more complicated. Those that combine with a POS tend to be the more complicated.
- Transaction speed. Not usually a big problem, but you have to wait for the transaction to happen across the Internet. This is not usually longer than using a swiper, however you need to log in unless the transaction is already entered to be run at a later time.
- Some are not PCI compliant. Others say they are but are not. For example, it is possible for a company to be compliant for themselves to charge credit cards and hold the numbers in their network, but they still might not be compliant to hold your data. Look for a clear statement on their web site that they are PCI certified and take responsibility for the security of your data.
- Make sure you get good support in case you have questions, Often it is available only by email. (Zirius can provide support for those that it recommends, and bills this quarter hourly.)
- Cost. This is usually only an issue if you want it to be a POS as well as a virtual terminal, and then it can still be a very good deal for you. See what the options are from your current POS vendor.
The
small business PCI advantage
To
a small business, it can be scary and
overwhelming. It can also be difficult for a business without its own
I.T. staff to be confident it has taken the correct steps, since a
large part of the certification process involves the business
testifying that it has taken "appropriate" measures to provide specific
protections, monitoring and review. This challenge increases
because the requirements are written in the language
of big company information technology.
For most small companies and many IT consultants, it is
pretty thick stuff to wade through.
Using
a virtual terminal can eliminate a lot of
the
PCI compliance issues.
The
PCI requirements are designed to
move businesses away
from keeping cardholder
data inside their local networks, unless they
are willing to spend to make those networks very, very secure.Virtual terminals put that burden on other businesses. We recommend that you consider them if you are small and enter credit card info on a keyboard.
If you want help in navigating this decision, we are available as consultants at 877-270-5557 Option 2.
Zirius recommends a particular virtaul terminal Billing Orchard for many of our clilents, and we have used it ourselves for several years. It is simple but has many features, and gets you to the easiest PCI Level "A" quickly, and it is
- simple to use,
- inexpensive,
- totally secure and private,
- handles recurring or one-time credit card charges easily,
- gives you a professional look to your clients, and
Zirius is available with live support on the phone for Billing Orchard.
877-270-5557 Option 2
PCI Compliant IT
for small businesses
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Zirius recommends:
Billing Orchard is a simple to use, nicely featured virtual terminal and billing system that costs only about $20/month.
