"Electronic transactions will become the prevalent way to deal with third parties. Business transactions will be increasingly automated. The penetration of sophisticated, multi-purpose mobile devices, of applications such as mobile email, and the extension of Internet access through mobile networks and WiFi, will continue the trend towards mobility and convenience."
ePay merchants can now process credit card transactions in foreign currencies, with a simple addition to the web application. There are no additional Multibase charges. A foreign currency bank account is required to settle transactions, which is currently available through NAB.
ePay now allows merchants to process credit card transactions in all international currencies. Integration into an existing web application is simple, with the addition of a currency field to the transaction. To enable reconciliation of transactions, ePay's Merchant Administration Centre reports allow filtering of transaction records by currency. These records can be viewed online or downloaded in spreadsheet format.
The merchant needs a Foreign Currency bank account, into which funds will be settled, and foreign currency merchant approval. Currently only NAB provides this facility. It is not necessary to be an existing NAB customer to take advantage of this opportunity. With NAB, major currencies are settled in the same currency, and minor currencies are converted into AUD by the card scheme.
There are no additional Multibase charges for processing in foreign currencies. Standard ePay fees apply if you need an additional ePay account connected to a new NAB merchant facility.
For more information about foreign currency credit card transactions, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
3D (3 Domain) Secure is a new credit card transaction security technology, marketed as Verified by Visa and Mastercard SecureCode. It provides merchants with real-time authentication of a cardholder's account ownership during online payment transactions, by redirecting the transaction to a web page at the cardholder's bank and requiring the buyer to enter their personal password. If the cardholder is verified, the card issuer (the buyer's financial institution) guarantees payment of the transaction to the merchant in the event of fraud or dispute. 3D Secure is now available to Multibase ePay merchants.
3D Secure creates a safer and more cost-effective ecommerce solution for merchants and their customers. It adds to a step to the payment process to transfer Visa and Mastercard cardholders to their bank's web site, to enter a PIN number or password to identify themselves. If your web site verifies the cardholder with 3D Secure, and even if you attempt a verification but the cardholder is not enrolled in the program, the liability for the transaction passes away from you as the merchant. The card issuer guarantees the payment to the you in the event of fraud or disputes. Visa estimates that its system reduces chargebacks by at least 50%.
Multibase's ePay payment gateway now supports 3D Secure for merchants using ePay's API or Multibase's hosted payment page. All acquiring banks support 3D Secure via the Camtech Payment Gateway, apart from CBA and BankWest. Your web site will need some additional programming to integrate 3D Secure, for which we provide documentation and technical support. We will also assist with explanatory material to place on your web site.
An annual fee of $470.00 applies to 3D Secure. There are no additional transaction or setup fees. In most cases, your acquiring bank will need to enable your account for 3D Secure, and Multibase customer service can help you with this.
If you would like to discuss adding 3D Secure to your ecommerce protection, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
Multibase has worked with partners Verifone Australia and GM Cabs to enable the new top-of-the-line Verifone VX-670 terminal for the cellPay service, which processes credit card transactions from wireless EFTPOS terminals. Debit transactions will be available shortly. We are now able to extend the cellPay service to other merchants who wish to process transactions anywhere that can access a mobile phone network. There are also opportunities to integrate mobile platforms into everyday business applications.
Multibase ePay now processes real-time credit card transactions received from hundreds of mobile EFTPOS terminals. cellPay has been developed as an ePay interface, to allow a mobile point of sale device containing a GSM or GPRS or other mobile phone SIM capable of connecting to the Internet to clear credit card transactions through ePay.
The latest mobile terminal to be enabled is the Verifone VX670, an internationally acclaimed device that securely handles credit and PIN-based debit cards. The VX670 will meet the international PCIDSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) and APCA (Australian Payment Card Association) certification standards.
The cellPay Merchant Administration Centre provides more than just transaction records; it is now an essential backoffice application for a cellPay merchant. Merchants can manage their own terminals - establishing new accounts, setting transaction limits by number and value, and retrieving transaction reports. If the system is compromised in any way or the card reader is stolen, the merchant can disable the terminal on the cellPay server. With a secure login, even the operator of each terminal can access transaction records over the web.
These terminals can be operated anywhere that the GSM or GPRS mobile networks can be accessed. They are currently enabled for credit cards only, with debit transactions to be available within the next few months. An existing ePay account can be enabled to accept cellPay transactions.
Both ecommerce and mobile are growing as platforms for consumer applications - and also offer enormous opportunities for mobile business applications to be part of your everyday business operations. Multibase is committed to continuous improvement of its ecommerce and mobile services it offers in these areas, and a readiness to meet new opportunities as they arise.
If you would like to consider a cellPay or other mobile solution, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
The world-wide growth in ecommerce has meant that credit card schemes such as Visa and Mastercard, and card issuers such as the banks, are introducing new security and fraud control measures. Any server, network device, or communications link that stores or transmits credit card numbers now needs to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS). Always conscious of security, Multibase is now working towards the highest level of compliance, involving even greater security and certification by accredited external auditors.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS) define world-wide open standards to provide essential security for ecommerce transactions on the Internet. Ultimately, all web sites and providers that handle credit cards will need to be compliant with these standards. The PCI standards are meant to apply to any server, network device, or communications link that stores or transmits credit card numbers. This includes merchant web sites and even merchant's internal computer systems. Always conscious of security, Multibase is now implementing the highest level of compliance.
The PCI standards cover the requirements below. If you are handling credit card numbers, you should be compliant with these standards within your own office systems. We can direct you to a questionnaire that will help you with compliance.
Build and Maintain a Secure Network
Requirement 1: Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
Requirement 2: Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
Protect Cardholder Data
Requirement 3: Protect stored cardholder data
Requirement 4: Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program
Requirement 5: Use and regularly update anti-virus software
Requirement 6: Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
Implement Strong Access Control Measures
Requirement 7: Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
Requirement 8: Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access
Requirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data
Regularly Monitor and Test Networks
Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
Requirement 11: Regularly test security systems and processes
Maintain an Information Security Policy
Requirement 12: Maintain a policy that addresses information security
Overall, the card industry is moving towards a situation where the merchant never actually sees the credit card details; either they should be entered directly by the cardholder into the payment processing system, or injected from a secure system without being viewable by the merchant. The days of a web site emailing credit card details to the merchant, or storing them unencrypted on a web server, are well and truly over. Real time credit card processing and a secure recurring payments system is the answer.
The PCI standards are currently requirements of Visa and Mastercard, rather than legal requirements. However, it is possible that your bank may want to know whether you are meeting these standards in order to continue a merchant facility. If you are keeping credit cards internally, you must meet at least the Level 1 standards if you have fewer than 10,000 transactions per month.
Some obvious areas of concern are the method you use to process web transactions and on-site storage of credit card details for recurring payments. Even MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order), where you write down card numbers for submission via your bank, should be protected.
While at present no-one may come knocking on your door to see if you are meeting these standards, compliance with the standards would become an issue if there was any compromise of credit card details within your organisation. This could be very damaging.
The PCI standards offer significant opportunities to extend the confidence of your ecommerce customers in your security arrangements, and to protect your business. Multibase offers a number of possible solutions, including:
If you have any questions about PCI standards and how they affect your business, or about the opportunities to grow your online business, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
"With faster fixed and mobile broadband, the development of server virtualisation, and the mainstreaming of software-as-a-service, business-critical applications will increasingly be hosted by managed service providers."
Every organisation needs a good "brochure" web site to present its shopfront to the online world. Recently we have seen more organisations renovating their existing online presence with new "makeovers" and reducing maintenance costs by implementing a content management system to enable in-house management. The tools for this have improved significantly.
At the same time, we continue to see more evidence of organisations moving daily business operations to the Internet. Increasingly, new business applications are being built for the net, rather than for PCs or the in-house network. These applications have advantages such as remote access for business staff, the ability to develop and deploy application changes more rapidly, and the option to provide controlled access to your business systems for stakeholders such as suppliers and customers.
As well as simple web sites, Multibase undertakes custom development of new web systems, manages existing systems, and can integrate or repurpose existing systems or databases into new web applications. Our typical projects are more customised and flexible than "out of the box" software, yet we can often offer more speed, value, reliability and maintainability than entirely custom development. To this we bring our experience, business ethics, and longevity combined with our personal commitment and range of skills to help our customers grow their business from their existing assets.
With all the exciting developments in the web space, the company web site is still an important part of Multibase's business. With constantly improving site design processes, new design and development staff, and exciting new developments in hosting, Multibase can offer your business a complete design, development and hosting service for simple brochure sites to more complex interactive and content management.
Reading instruction provider MULTILIT recently launched its new web site, with extensive content rewrites by MULTILIT and graphic design by Multibase. Secure sections with protected content are provided to specific groups of product users. New ecommerce facilities are to be added soon. Technically, the site is built on the DotNetNuke platform, hosted on Windows, and integrates strong design rules that will help MULTILIT manage content updates internally.
www.multilit.com
JDV Group provides construction contracting and management services. Multibase developed JDV's professional web presence, from content and images supplied by the client. Technically, the site is built with the PHP scripting language hosted on Linux.
www.jdvgroup.com.au
Multibase has also developed web site for key properties developed by JDV Group.
www.focusonport.com.au/
www.observatorydevelopments.com.au/
www.observatorydevelopments.com.au/enterprise/
www.observatorydevelopments.com.au/702/
To discuss the development or renewal of your web site, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
A Multibase customer delivers a wide range of business information through its web site to its clients Australia-wide. There was a new requirement to deliver the same information, securely, to third party applications designed and built by any number of our customer's clients. Our job was therefore to develop an interface that would make this information available. Our customer's clients' applications can now deliver this information through their own internal systems.
A Multibase customer delivers a wide range of business information through its web site to its clients Australia-wide. There was a new requirement to deliver the same information, securely, to third party applications designed and built by any number of our customer's clients. Our job was therefore to develop an interface that would make this information available.
This interface provides a common and controlled means to exchange information using web services. Web services are XML-based methods of exchanging data, using XML (Extensible Markup Language). XML allows completely separate systems to exchange data over the Internet, providing great flexibility in data structures, allowing applications to run independently, and offering high levels of security.
The web services for this project are exposed using common authentication, error handling, and data structures. They can return XML data and/or PDF images. Some services are single step, while others are complex and can handle multiple steps before returning the required results.
The web services are monitored and access can be automatically denied based on either a predefined number of requests, or a dollar amount. This protects both our client and its customers from fraud and from programming errors such as an accidental infinite loop in the third party client's code calling the web service.
The web services deployed also have the ability to either make the client wait for a response, or will send an "in progress" response if the request is taking too long. The requests take between 1 second and a few days to complete, so the client has the ability to query previous requests and receive the results at a later date.
Multibase is providing experienced programmers for maintenance, support, and minor enhancements to legacy applications, particularly for CL applications. We are also building modern web browser front ends for existing applications, retrieving data from legacy applications for new web systems, and integrating systems for business acquired through mergers and acquisitions. Our experienced and capable CL developers are available to support existing applications.
Multibase's experienced CL developers maintain a growing number of legacy applications, many of which have been running unsupported for years. While new applications are often built in new technologies, it is expensive to rebuild an existing system. In many cases, these applications represent a significant investment over many years in developing and programming business rules. If a legacy system is functioning effectively it is often preferable to leverage that investment by maintaining the system, integrating it with new systems built in newer technologies.
Some of the services that Multibase is currently providing to customers with long-term legacy CL applications include:
If you need an experienced, capable team to manage your legacy CL application, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911 to see how we can help.
The increasing sophistication of web users, the need for dynamic content and the importance of the corporate web site, it's important to refresh the content of every web site regularly. With today's content management systems, with minimal technical skill it's now feasible for organisations to manage existing web site content and progressively grow its coverage. When integrated with more complex custom functionality, a CMS like DotNetNuke or those available for the Linux platform offers an economical, flexible means for a content-rich web site.
A Content Management System is useful where you want your own staff to manage content and regularly changing items like events, news, support documents and product information. There are however some traps for the inexperienced.
Whilst it is relatively easy to create a small, simple web site, it is also easy to create future site management and performance headaches. For example, a disciplined approach to creating a navigation structure means that site visitors can avoid a clumsy, unprofessional site experience. It is easy to create pages that contain so much content that they take minutes instead of seconds to download, so adequate testing of page performance can help improve the speed of your site.
An effective approach is to have Multibase analyse your requirements, develop a design specification, set up the basic site, then for you to undertake some training with our customer service team and purchase some hours of ongoing technical support to help with more complex tasks.
This approach can deliver:
More about building a site with a Content Management System as the framework
Eyeline, the world's original swim goggle manufacturer, has recently launched a new site that integrates its existing and extensive ecommerce catalogue and shopping cart. Implementing the DotNetNuke content management system enables Eyeline to manage the site's content internally, while integrating its existing catalogue and shopping cart preserves Eyeline's ecommerce investment.
www.eyeline.com.au
If you would like to consider managing your own site with a Content Management System, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911 for a free, no-obligation discussion.
Multibase takes both security and reliability seriously, across the range of threat protection, detection and response activities, at application, server and network levels of its hosting service. As well as third party audits, in the course of day to day business we run regular security audits, as well as intrusion detection tests, security checklists for new server installations, and a wide range of other relevant procedures. In 2008, the entire network will be undergoing major upgrades.
There are a number of ISO and industry standards and government legislation which may apply to different parts of Multibase's business. They cover areas such as business processes, information security, and technical standards, at application, server and network levels. As yet, however, there is no one standard which is generally available which would apply across the whole of our business. In addition, standards compliance requires significant initial and ongoing resources, and in our customers' interest, Multibase must balance the cost of formal certification against our clients' willingness to share the compliance costs in their service fees.
Multibase is currently working through all areas of our business with external consultants, further developing policies and standards, for example business continuity, security and disaster recovery. We host a number of applications used in the banking industry, and we also undergo regular audits by external consultants.
A useful standard for Multibase, given the nature of our business, is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS). This standard is specifically for the protection of payment cardholder information, but impacts our whole hosting and business infrastructure. Amongst other things, it requires regular on-site audits of our facility by certified independent third party inspectors. Multibase is working towards the highest level of compliance.
A major project has begun to design and implement major enhancements to our hosting network. This will affect all areas of our hosting infrastructure. The design includes high capacity, modular core routers, firewalls and switches, and a large, scalable server/storage complex. The server architecture will include substantial use of server virtualisation technology to assist with the provision of a flexible, fault-tolerant, highly utilised, disaster recoverable platform. This is an ideal platform to host business-critical applications.
The hosting platform is designed to address key design requirements.
Internet connections and bandwidth: Bandwidth is effectively unlimited, with a current 24 Mbits/second connection which can readily be increased to scale to demand.
Border security: Redundant appliance firewalls with stateful failover protect the services and applications from the public network and also provide intrusion prevention, content filtering and VPN services.
Routers and switching gear: Virtual LANSs (VLAN) provide flexible security zones to separate public and private network traffic. High throughput gigabit switches connect the servers to separate VLANs.
Servers and SAN: A Storage Area Network (SAN) and server virtualisation provide the flexibility to manage multiple applications on multiple virtual servers, split applications up for better performance, and offer multiple operating system (OS) architectures.
To enquire about Multibase hosting, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
One of our most successful recent hosting services is the growth of virtualisation. Multibase provides and manages the hardware, operating system, security, monitoring, networking and backup. Multiple clients are hosted on one physical server, however the server is configured so that each user has a dedicated root password, processor power, and server space. The environment can be customised extensively for the site owner. This is suitable for significant business applications with specialist privacy, security and performance requirements. Virtualisation offers many of the benefits of a dedicated server, at a lower price.
Hosting virtualisation increases IT efficiency, decreases costs and responds faster to changing business demands. In essence, virtualization transforms hardware into software. Software such as VMware or Xen "virtualizes" the hardware resources of an x86-based computer-including the CPU, RAM, hard disk and network controller-to create a fully functional virtual machine that can run its own operating system and applications just like a "real" computer.
Multiple virtual machines share hardware resources without interfering with each other so that you can safely run several operating systems and applications at the same time on a single computer. A thin layer of software creates virtual machines and contains a virtual machine monitor or "hypervisor" that allocates hardware resources dynamically and transparently so that multiple operating systems can run concurrently on a single physical computer without even knowing it.
To date, Multibase has used Xen on Linux as the virtualization technology. With the greater acceptance and stability of virtualization, we are now implementing VMWare as the virtualization platform which offers the exciting opportunity of hosting both Linux and Windows virtuals on the same physical hardware.
Virtualising a single physical computer is just the beginning. VMware offers a robust virtualization platform that can scale across hundreds of interconnected physical computers and storage devices to form an entire virtual infrastructure.
New servers and duplicated environments can be rapidly provisioned. Another really neat benefit is that a virtual server can easily be replicated to a different physical machine, providing a simple and inexpensive disaster recovery strategy. Typically all that is required to recover is a simple redirection and a failed or damaged site can be on the air again.
With our new virtual server packages, Multibase will be offering "stock" virtual dedicated servers with 1Gb or 2Gb dedicated RAM which can be provisioned rapidly.
If you would like to consider a transition to a virtual dedicated server, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
With the growth of Multibase staff numbers to nearly 30, the responsibilities of some staff have changed. Senior team members such as Ann, Kyle, Neil, Mark, and Steve are now responsible for major projects and for supporting the customer service and development teams as required, rather than the day to day analysis and delivery of the normal range of customer requests.
The customer service team is now our single point of contact for all new requests. Our goal is a team that can rapidly understand your requirements, and deliver quality results as soon as possible, while retaining our personal approach.
You may have already come across some of our new team members, and you may already know our long-standing staff members.
Programmers: We have more programmers, particularly for the Microsoft environment, with an excellent range of experience and skill levels. With more business-critical applications being built in the Microsoft .NET environment, the demand is high and the cost of development has increased. Multibase has built a team of qualified and capable developers for this technology.
System architecture and graphic design: We have responded to increased demand for quality user interfaces for Internet applications and web sites with new graphic design and system architecture staff.
Customer Service arrangements: The customer service team is now our single point of contact for all new requests. Individual customer service team members such as Matt, Louisa, Clayton and Natalie have new responsibilities to handle a wider range of requests. New resources mean that now you do not have to rely on the availability of only one person to understand your system and your needs.
Contacts are customerservice@mbase.com.au, the help desk direct on 02 9805 7373, or reception on 02 9805 1911. Customer service hours are 8.30 am to 6.00 pm on business days.
We now ask you to use customer service as your first contact point for all new sales, maintenance and system enhancement requests, as well as for technical support. The customer service team will record, prioritise and allocate all requests, and ensure that they are resolved in a timely manner.
Once a request is underway, and you start dealing with just one individual, please always cc customerservice@mbase.com.au to keep our central records up to date.
If you have any questions about customer service operations, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
Unhappy with your move to a competing sport web site provider? Miss the quality and dynamism of a SAMSON web site? Frustrated with unfulfilled promises and poor support? Multibase offers reduced setup fees for associations returning to the SAMSON Sports Administration and Management system. See www.isport.com.au or phone us to discuss how we can bring your site back to the 21st century.
SAMSON remains the number 1 online administration system for amateur sport, including football, cricket, netball, and many others. The iSport network is based on the SAMSON system (Sports Administration and Management on the Net). Our sport web sites, powered by the SAMSON system, are lively, usable and information-rich web sites for sport - amateur and professional. A SAMSON web site's interactivity gives sport organisations all the functions necessary to run a sport, with information and systems crucial to sport participants and enthusiasts - for fixtures, results, points tables, news, and calendars.
To find out how Multibase can help your sports organisation run better, please email Multibase Customer Service or phone 02 9805 1911.
We can be contacted via email at customerservice@mbase.com.au, on the at www.mbase.com.au, or by telephone on 02 9805 1911.
We're always willing to talk about your technology plans, answer any questions you have about your current products and services or talk about upgrading to a higher level of service.