The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS levies requirements on credit card merchants to safeguard consumers’ credit information from malicious behaviour from identity thieves.

The payment card industry providers such as VISA, MasterCard and American Express are now enforcing PCI compliance. Non-compliance can result in fines, restrictions or possibly permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs. If your business depends on accepting credit cards, then you have no choice than to become PCI compliant.

The new Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards are network security and business practice guidelines developed by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card. They were developed to establish a ‘minimum security standard’ with regards to the protection of cardholders’ account and transaction information.

What are PCI DSS requirements?

The PCI Data Security Standard represents a common set of industry tools and measurements to help merchants and credit card processors that store, process or transmit cardholder data ensure the safe handling of sensitive cardholder information. The standard provides an actionable framework for developing a robust account data security process that includes preventing, detecting and reacting to security incidents.

What are the benefits of working with a PCI Compliant Service Provider?

By working with a PCI compliant service provider you can ensure that cardholder account data being processed across your technical environment is protected. PCI DSS protects cardholders and minimizes the risk to your business.

The main benefits of implementing the PCI CSS for your organization and working with a provider that is compliant are:

- Protecting customer personal data
- Increasing customer trust by demonstrating your commitment to the security of their personal information
- Protecting your business from financial penalties
- Leveraging a hosting provider’s existing PCI DSS compliancy investment i.e. your technical infrastructure resides in a data centre that has already been audited
- Potential savings starting at $100,000 in capital expenditures by outsourcing to a managed service provider that is PCI compliant

Who has to comply?

The credit card companies have made it clear that ANY entity that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data regardless of their transaction volume, are required to comply with the PCI requirements. Failure to comply with the PCI security standard may result in substantial fines or permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs.

Recent studies on financial fraud have indicated that hackers are increasingly targeting small, commercial Web sites, increasing the need for all merchants and service providers to become fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS).

What do I need to do to meet the PCI standards?

The PCI standard comprises two basic steps:
1. Pass quarterly remote vulnerability scans conducted by a Visa and MasterCard “Qualified Independent Scan Vendor”. Scans are required for all Internet connection points whether they are office networks or home/office connections (dial-up, DSL, cable or wireless) or permanent Internet servers such as your web site and email server, etc.

2. Successful completion of a security self-assessment questionnaire. The self assessment questionnaire asks specific questions about your internal security practices, both on your web site and in your office.

For e-commerce sites that involve online credit card payments, this PCI DSS certification will provide greater security features for business and customers. PCI compliance service providers assure that your confidential data is totally protected.

Video marketing is a very cheap alternative to traditional advertising. Just one viral video can take the place of multiple forms of promotion.It is another online marketing technique that can drive tons of traffic at low cost.

Video marketing is exploding and will soon be the most popular online marketing strategy. While your high school English teacher may not be happy to hear this, recent surveys estimate that the vast majority of all people would rather watch a video about a company than read content about that same company.

It is rapidly becoming a huge online marketing service . Several marketers are appearing everyday who are using videos as a tool to reach out to their clients. It is the hottest thing in internet promotion right now and youtube is popular with an older demographic where social networking hasn’t spread.

Unlike everything else I’ve talked about – videos in themselves will not increase your search rank on google! It is viral and relies heavily on community submissions and social taqging. If you think that shooting a commercial is enough to rank well and create a buzz, think again.

Video marketing is the way to go. People like to be entertained while they learn and that is what a video will do. This is greatly dependent on sites like YouTube and the YouTube software for distribution of content and marketing messages. While in time, the ubiquity of YouTube bots may dilute the effectiveness of the YouTube marketing campaign, at the present time there is still much to be gained from a strong YouTube marketing campaign online.

This is still a vastly underrated type of marketing, meaning that not a lot of people are using it and this is an area that is wide open for the taking. Why not try boosting your business with some video marketing?

It is the future of the Internet, today there is an opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and receive the maximum benefit video Internet marketing has to offer. We can shoot, edit and optimize video for your practice and submit these videos to Google, Yahoo, Youtube and AOL Video.

Online Video Marketing has double impact in a short period of time . Online however, the rules change slightly; you are both everywhere and nowhere. Because of this, location takes a backseat to traffic. Online video is changing the way we market, and it requires skill sets they don’t teach in business school (at least they didn’t a decade ago. On one hand we have marketers believing their unique selling proposition is as interesting as the Numa Numa kid.

Web companies that desire to reach masses efficiently would feel only a greater need of turning to online video marketing companies. Web video marketing is powerful. If corporations are fearful of sharing video on YouTube, they can use the techniques you described to improve their own internal corporate communications.

Web companies that desire to reach masses efficiently would feel only a greater need of turning to online video marketing companies. Web video marketing is powerful.

Todd Ash Is An Entrepreneur and A Master Of Network Marketing.To Find Out More About Succeeding Online Click Here To Visit Toddash.com For Free Information

Theres a lot of talk these days about the entrepreneurial spirit and those that claim to have it are opening their own businesses and reaching for the brass ring. While having that spirit can be a plus in running your own show, many forget that it takes a team to run a business and the one secret that all successful entrepreneurs use is to surround themselves with good people.

Now how good a person is at coming up with ideas and they may have the drive to take those ideas to a higher level, they are going to need help to turn those ideas into reality through execution. Devising a business plan is a major part of developing a new business, as well as getting funding for its start up but the trouble with many new ventures is that it is planned to death. Agonizing over every little detail of how the business is going to be operated, where the money will come from and how it will be spent is more than one person can handle. Successful people are willing to share that responsibility.

Those opening a new business with the thoughts that they can work their own hours, open a business and sit back and collect a huge income are really fooling themselves. While working your own hours may be possible if you plan on spending more than two thirds of your time in the business. It is going to take a lot of time, especially in the early stages but you can decide which of the 18 hours during the day you will spend working.

You also have to have the personal commitment and the self discipline to own your own business. Whether it is working at home or having an office in the home and work on clients job sites, you have to be disciplined enough to get the job done and plan for the next one. There are going to be things that go wrong and you have to understand that as the business owner, you are the one that will make the decisions on how to make things right.

There are many myths surrounding operations with a new business, such as the boss is always right and telling people they will do it your way because you are the owner. While the business may be in your name and you are taking all the risks in making it successful, the bottom line head of your business is going to be your clients or customers. Without people will to pay for your services or products, you have no business. And while you may be right in your decisions, you can pat yourself on the back for making the right choices all the way to the unemployment office.

Obinna Heche. Los Angeles – California

Delivering the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
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