PC Charge is discontinued middle ware that is no longer supported. It stores credit card information on the local server.  For this reason, it is possible the local server can be hacked, compromising the credit card data.  If you are still using this discontinued solution you should be looking for PC Charge alternatives. Companies using PC Charge may be held accountable for any credit card data theft in the case of a data breach.

In 2015, Verifone announced the retirement of PC Charge. Since it is no longer supported, users are not able to validate PCI DSS compliance.  In order to validate PCI DSS compliance you must find a PCI DSS compliant solution.  We receive many calls from companies exploring options to PC Charge.  If you are looking for a credit card processing replacement, you have come to the right place!   

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) were first introduced in 2004 and have tightened ever since.  The standard was created to increase controls and reduce credit card fraud.  In short, PCI compliance is a set of industry standards used to measure the security of businesses that accept, process, store, and transmit credit card information. If a company is PCI compliant they are less likely suffer data breaches that could expose customers to identify theft. If a company has a merchant ID and accepts credit cards in either their physical or virtual business, then they are subject to PCI DSS industry standards. . It is important to find a credit card processing solution that is PCI compliant. 

PCI Compliant Acumatica Credit Card Processing: How to Protect Your Customers From Data Compromise

If you are using Acumatica Cloud ERP and processing credit cards for accounts receivable you are responsible for using a PCI compliant Acumatica credit card processing solution that adheres to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS).

Companies who store, process or transmit cardholder data must be PCI compliant.  In order to be PCI compliant, companies must follow 12 basic security requirements as follows:^[1]

^{PCI Compliance Requirements}

1. Install and maintain a working firewall to protect data
2. Keep security patches-up-to-date
3. Protect stored data
4. Encrypt data sent across public networks
5. Use and regularly update anti-virus software
6. Restrict access by "need to know"
7. Assign unique ID to each person with computer access
8. Create unique passwords and security parameters
9. Track all access to data by unique ID
10. Regularly test security systems and processes 
11. Implement and maintain an information security policy
12. Restrict physical access to data

4 PCI Compliance Levels

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards designed to protect customer credit card data by maintaining a secure credit card processing environment.  Businesses that are not PCI compliant may be subject to fines, sanctions, and loss of privileges from the clearinghouse that processes credit card payments.  Businesses that fail to protect customer data can also be subject to lawsuits and governmental prosecution.

Sage 300: How to Reduce Canadian Merchant Account Fees 

Canada is a great place to grow your business.  The federal government offers start-up facilities and various programs to nurture the growth of business. Despite the governments help, small and mid sized businesses face many challenges to keep their business afloat.  For example, the fees associated with a Canadian merchant account can quickly add up for businesses processing credit card transactions.

What is the difference between Sage Virtual Terminal and APSPays?  

The term "Virtual Terminal" is used to refer to web interfaces for processing card-not-present transactions. Virtual terminals offer the ability to make "card-not-present payments." Virtual terminals allow merchants or customers to enter credit card payment information online or via a mobile device to complete payments. Virtual terminals are the  ideal solution for real estate agents, professional services, online payments and other industries. 

You might be surprised how quickly Sage credit card processing fees add up.  Simple credit card processing mistakes can lead to higher credit card processing fees.  Setting up your virtual terminal accounts properly can prevent you from providing incorrect business information that results in higher processing fees.  If you are using Sage Payment Solutions and Sage Virtual Terminal you have options.  American Payment Solutions also integrates with all Sage ERP systems and offers the same features at a lower cost.  

You may not have heard that Sage sold Sage Payment Solutions on June 2. The buyer, GTCR LLC, is a Chicago-based firm specializing in driving growth through acquisitions. While GTCR is likely to change Sage Payment Solutions once they control it, we’re not sure what those changes will look like.

 If you have 1 minute, watch the video.

It was a privilege to attend the Realized Financial Solutions Group Conference this year; the event was held at the Double Tree by Hilton in Bristol Connecticut, with well over 40 people attending this year’s event.

Credit card processing fees can be difficult to decipher if you don’t have a consultant to help.  Most merchants pay anywhere from 1.90%-4.30% depending on what cards they accept, whether the card is accepted via swipe, keyed-in, or eCommerce, and how much profit margin the processor has built in. Since processing fees have become difficult for most business owners to understand, flat rate processing fees have gained popularity in recent years. 

PCCharge has been providing a much needed service for ERP End-Users throughout the greater part of a decade, offering an on-site integrated credit card processing solution. The problem however is their solution is extremely vulnerable to hackers. The credit card data is not tokenized or stored in a vault and once a hacker gets access to the local server. Well at that point all the data is readily available for the taking.