newsletter

Reduce Credit Card Theft with New Technology
Limewire. Your #1 Security Threat?
Best FREE Website for Retailers (Doug Fleener)
Contacting pcAmerica

Reduce Credit Card Theft with New Technology

Credit card security and the theft of credit card numbers  have been all over the news. Hackers have been making every effort to steal credit card data from computer systems, which can then be used to recreate fake credit cards and run up fraudulent charges.

Cash Register Express (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express (RPE) follow all the rules to keep your customer's credit card data safe, but it is the responsibility of the business owner to properly secure the other elements that are used to transmit your credit card information, your computer, network and internet connection.

pcAmerica has now added another layer of security to Cash Register Express (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express (RPE) that helps protect your customer's credit card data when passing through those other elements mentioned above. Some hackers try to break into computers through unsecured internet connection, and steal credit card numbers from the computer's temporary memory before the computer even gives the information to the POS. 

CRE and RPE work with new technology that encrypts the data BEFORE it enters your computer -- meaning the plain text (or unencrypted) credit card information is never present inside your computer.  Hacking into your computer would be like breaking into Fort Knox without the gold -- there's no useful credit card data to take. CRE and RPE follow the rules and are safe -- this new technology eliminates the exposure of data even if your computer or network are not.

pcAmerica's Cash Register Express and Restaurant pro Express are the first major POS software packages to use this technology. 

Read more about new Magtek MagneSafe Secure Card Readers encrypts credit card data before it enters your computer at:

http://www.magtek.com/products/card_readers/magnesafe.asp

Limewire. Your #1 Security Threat?

Have you all heard of Limewire?

If you don’t want to read this entire article, here’s my advice. If it is on your computer or any computer in your business, remove it.

If you’re under 25, you’re probably using Limewire. If you have kids over 7, they’re probably using Limewire. If you have a retail store with access to the internet, your employees are likely to install Limewire on your business computers.

Limewire is an easy to install FREE software program that allows users to download millions of music files, plus photos, videos, documents, and software programs.

Although using Limewire is legal, it is illegal to download copyrighted materials that you have not paid for. It may also not be the smartest idea to allow or encourage your children or employees to download illegal music. In addition, you can download photos and videos that may not be materials that you would want children or employees to be looking at.

The amount of FREE material on Limewire is mind boggling. You can download Beyonce’s latest music, every Beatles tune, along with every piece of music ever recorded by the Boston Philharmonic. Any child or employee can download pictures and videos that would embarrass the majority of readers. You can download  propaganda, instructions for making a bomb, and get thousands of dollars worth of FREE software.

I am not here to lecture you about stealing music or looking at dirty pictures. I do want to warn you about the security risks related to having Limewire installed on your computer.

By itself, Limewire cannot cause a problem on your computer. You can safely download it to your computer. Downloaded .mp3 files (music files) are fairly safe on Limewire. It may be illegal, but your music downloads will not add a virus or spyware to your computer. Above all, before you use Limewire, you need to make sure that you have up to date security software (such as Norton Internet Security or an equivalent).

Here are the problems with Limewire. First, you need to be a fairly knowledgeable computer user to keep your computer safe. A novice with little experience can easily get into trouble using Limewire.

Limewire works by sharing music and other files on millions of computers. Millions of computer owners willingly share their music, photos, videos, and software on their Limewire enabled computers. When you first install Limewire, you are given the option of sharing files with others. These files are normally stored in a certain shared directory of your choice. Choose the wrong directory or click the wrong options, and you can be sharing your private information with millions of other people.

As a Limewire user, you must make sure that your business data and other private data are not shared with others. A novice using Limewire is likely not to understand the options.

When  you download a file from Limewire, you need to make sure that you are downloading a safe file. For example, music files are called .mp3 files. If you download a song by the Beatles, it may be called LetItBe.mp3. Sometimes, people may try to fool you and you click on LetItBe.exe or LetItBe.mp3.exe instead. A novice who downloads and clicks on LetItBe.mp3.exe will find that they have now been fooled and have downloaded a bad virus or spyware program.

Limewire has plenty of links to click on that can harm your computer. It is not a program that a novice should be using.

How much damage can a “bad” download cause you? 90% of the “bad” programs will be stopped by your internet security software. The 10% that get through could damage your computer to the point where you can no longer use it. You may need to reinstall Windows. Your computer may be taken over by someone in a foreign country.

My advice is stay away from Limewire. If you must use it, make sure that you know what you are doing. Don’t allow your children or employees to use Limewire. If you feel the urge to use Limewire, use it on a separate computer. You can buy a pretty nice new computer for under $400. Just make sure you know how to reinstall Windows. Most new computers allow you to reinstall your computer to its original state fairly easily.

Best Web Site for Retailers (Doug Fleener)

Doug Fleener is a retail expert who owned his own specialty store, worked for the Sharper Image, and grew the Bose Retail Group from 4 to 100 stores. He has written a great book, speaks and offers consulting all around the United States, and above all else is down to earth. His casual style and quick wit make him not just a crowd pleaser but also an incredible motivator, encouraging people to take action and deliver extraordinary experiences to customers and employees alike.

His website is FREE. His newsletter is FREE. From time to time, I will be printing some of his suggestions (with permission) within the newsletter.

This week, Doug’s newsletter is called Six Ways to Overcome “I’m Only Buying What’s On Sale.”

Here are the ways:

1. Deliver an engaging and enthusiastic welcome. I firmly believe that the first thirty seconds makes or breaks most sales.

2. Be the best experience your customer will have today.

3. Assume every customer is a buying customer.

4. Engage with purpose.

5. Focus on the personal values of the customer, not price.

6. Give the customer an opportunity to make the purchase.

I urge you to read the entire article Six Ways to Overcome “I’m Only Buying What’s on Sale” at:

http://www.dougfleener.com/2009TWREPDF/TheWeeklyRetailExperience1.14.2009.pdf

Sign up for Doug’s FREE email newsletter at:

http://www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com/retailnewsletters.htm

Visit Doug’s website at:

http://www.dougfleener.com/