We are pleased to announce a major upgrade to Visual Anthology.  Version 7.3 of Anthology allows Anthology users to securely process credit cards and to greatly reduce the costs of PCI DSS compliance through the use of Hosted Payments from Element Payment Services.  This version is also Windows 7 compatible and contains a number of other important features.

Credit card fraud has the potential to be a significant problem for all merchants, including the users of Anthology.  In recent years, the compromise of credit card and personal information has cost major retailers hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and compensation to customers. These figures do not include hidden costs such as lost sales from damage to the retailers' reputation. 

Although the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) attempts to alleviate the card data security crisis, it's proven to have flaws. Thieves continue to find ways to hack into point-of-sale (POS) systems and steal confidential cardholder information, even from PCI DSS compliant merchants.

The only truly secure solution is to process directly with a PCI DSS compliant payment processor that utilizes the advanced technologies of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenization.   Anthology is proud to have partnered with Element Payment Services to offer Anthology users Hosted Payments, the most secure payment processing available.   Hosted Payments offers the following key benefits:

• Easily comply with and reduce the costs of PCI DSS security requirements
• Reduce your risk and liability with state-of-the-art security including end-to-end encryption and tokenization
• Get convenient, understandable web-based reports to easily manage your transaction information
• Access 24x7 Customer Support at no additional cost
• Get the most valuable payment processing with highly competitive processing rates and fees 

The Most Secure Payment Processing Available
 
 As you are probably aware, the payment card industry has strict security compliance requirements to protect against cardholder data breaches.  In 2006, the credit card associations (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover) joined together to create the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) with the purpose of securing cardholder data.  The PCI DSS govern the processing, transmittal and storage of cardholder data.  All merchants (like you), independent software vendors (such as Anthology), processors and financial institutions must comply.  The next major milestone of the Standard will come on July 1, 2010, when all processors will require all merchants to use only PA-DSS compliant payment applications.  Alternatively, merchants have the option to process directly with a PCI DSS compliant payment processor, such as Element Payment Services. Visual Anthology 7.3 used together with Hosted Payments from Element Payment Services allows customers to not only meet but exceed the stringent PCI standards and better protect their business against cardholder data compromises.  Watch to learn more.  

For added security, Hosted Payments utilizes end-to-encryption (EE2E).  An encrypted card reader encrypts sensitive cardholder data the moment a card is swiped and the data remains encrypted until it reaches the payment processor.   Even if the data was intercepted in transit, it would continue to be useless to data thieves.  Watch to learn more about EE2E and secure encryption hardware.  With the advent of malicious software or "malware" that can capture credit card information on the fly, solutions that do not use end-to-end encryption are inherently insecure.  In the event of a data breach, you the merchant can be vulnerable to fines, damages, and even the loss of the ability to process credit cards.  For this reason, we suggest that all Anthology users, whether using stand-alone terminals or installed third party payment applications, make plans to upgrade to Hosted Payments as soon as possible.

Through this upgrade, you will also have access to an innovative feature called Payment Account Secure Storage (PASS) that allows you to securely store credit card information for future use while still meeting PCI DSS requirements.  It works by moving the actual cardholder data to Element's secure storage facility and passing back a unique reference pointer or "token" to Anthology.   Using this unique identifier, Anthology users can securely issue return credits or voids and research transactions quickly and easily.  If your system was ever breached, the data stored at your location would be completely unusable to data thieves. You are able to offer your customers peace-of-mind knowing that their personal information is protected while eliminating significant liability from your business.  Watch to learn more about tokenization and PASS technology. 

The Most Cost-Effective and Honest Pricing In the Industry

Anthology has worked with Element to negotiate competitive merchant pricing on your behalf.  Element believes that the cost of card acceptance shouldn't be a mystery and offers a simple, easy-to-reconcile merchant services rate structure, called True Pricing.  With True Pricing, actual Visa and MasterCard fees, called Interchange, are clearly identified and passed through to you without mark-up or recategorization.  Element's service fee for processing each transaction is set upfront at the time you sign your agreement and remains constant throughout the term of your agreement.  When Visa and MasterCard raise Interchange rates, only specific card rate increases are passed on to you, rather than a blanket rate-hike like other processors perform. The result is savings for you and the fairest pricing in the industry. Learn more about True Pricing. 

We recommend that every Anthology customer, whether using stand-alone terminals or installed third party payment applications, seriously consider processing payments in the most secure environment currently available, protecting your business and your valued customers.

Upgrading is easy.  To learn more about Hosted Payments and how to get started with this essential new technology, please contact Anthology Sales at (800) 392-1726 or at  sales@anthology.com; or visit  www.elementps.com/anthology (if this link does not work, please paste the address into your browser's address window).  You can initiate the process of establishing an Element account by clicking on the Contact us link in the upper right of web page.  Further information on Hosted Payments and Anthology is also available at http://www.anthology.com/anthologyWeb