Landscape Architect Articles

August 2016 Ground Gains08-05-16 | News

Getting Paid

EMV Connection, an industry alliance developed to support the U.S. migration to credit cards with chips in them, or EMV cards, estimates that 400 million of them had been issued here by the end of 2015. They are more secure for consumers because the data for every transaction is unique so if that data is stolen, it can'?N????e??ot be used to create counterfeit cards and commit fraud. As of October 2015, businesses that do not have EMV-compliant terminals will be responsible for certain types of fraud.

According to the Better Business Bureau, EMV readers run from under $25 for a device that plugs into a smart phone, are available online and from major electronic retailers. The organization predicts that chip cards will eventually completely replace those with magnetic stripes.

Monthly bills from traditional merchant services are complex because they can include the interchange (the direct cost of processing set by credit card companies), a percentage markup that can be raised without notice, ancillary fees that change every month, and transaction fees according to Fattmerchant Inc., a new merchant processing service, which in exchange for a monthly membership fee of $69-$99, only bills for the interchange and '?N????e??a few cents per transaction to cover costs.'?N????e?? Equipment is provided for free and there are no contracts. https://www.fattmerchant.com/

Once you have documented and stored customer data in your billing system, protecting that data is critical to your business. The Small Business Administration offers these guidelines to do so:
• Limit access to data to only those who need it
• Install anti-virus software
• Change passwords periodically
• Use software firewalls
• Secure wireless access points
• Constantly make back-up copies and store a copy offsite
• Dispose of old computers and media securely

The SBA reminds that though external threats get the most attention, internal threats are the source of 80% of security problems. These threats can be unintentional so employees should be trained on safe Internet, email and desktop practices. A 30-minute tutorial on cybersecurity for small businesses is available at www.sba.gov/tools/learning-center-view-course/743081.

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, August 2016.