SAFE Extension Feature: Credit Card Processing Made Easier!
Since many of you are now processing credit card payments, it seems like a good time to review how this can be made easier with SAFE and XML. (Yeah, we know, you hear about 'XML' all the time.... well here's just one practical example of how SAFE's XML integration can save you time and money.)

Getting payments into SAFE From Your Processor
The key is contacting your processor and finding out how batches are posted on their system. Most processors now offer a batch detail report in XML format which you can download whenever you close a batch. This report can be imported directly into the SAFE Customer Payments Browse using our *XML Import function. So if your customers are making payments on another web system (not WebSAFE or Ollie) you do not have to keyboard each payment into SAFE manually. The requirements are

Getting payments from SAFE To Your Processor
If you accept credit card payments by phone or another method that doesn't post electronically to your processor, you can still automate their posting. Most processors now offer an XML import function. You can enter your credit card payments into SAFE and then print our *Processor Batch Input Report (PBI) which is then uploaded to the processor's web site for batch processing.

The EFTSecure(tm) Format
Again, using the adverb 'most', most processors expect these XML files formatted in a form known as EFTSecure(tm). This is the form used by QuickBooks, so it's quite widely supported. Both the Import and PBI Report functions of SAFE utilise this formatting. However, if your processor does not, you're not out of luck. Simply put us in touch with them and we can format both functions to their spec; usually in less than an hour. Such is the beauty of XML.

The Asterisk
You may have noted the (*) next to our mention of the XML Import Function and PBI Reports. These are optional functions and are priced as follows:

If you are doing a significant credit card business, one or both of these functions could save you hours of time every week. Please contact your customer service representative to order.

Til Next Time!

 

Microsoft Data Protection Manager
We all know how important backups are. And we all know that there are few 'set it and forget it' solutions. Microsoft has heard this and is preparing a product that should address many of these concerns. Data Protection Manager (DPM) is a program that is designed to work with Microsoft applications and back up al serverl files (including open files, SQL databases, registries, network configurations) and client computer files to disk.

"So what?", we hear some of you say? Sure, there are other products that are doing this but Microsoft has correctly read that these products are harder to deploy and somewhat expensive and so are not reaching small business. And your back up needs are every bit as crucial as any Fortune 500 company.

DPM should be an easy to install and relatively inexpensive way to know that all your servers and client machines are getting backed up. Further, the interface and integration should address some key drawbacks to many back up solutions

1. Hard to use for recovery! This is where many packages fall down. Users can't recall the procedure for data recovery since it's not something they are called on to perform very often (one hopes.) The Explorer-like interface makes this a lot more painless.

2. The relative ease of setting up both servers and clients for back up. Despite having servers with elaborate tape backups, many of you will still have users storing important documents on their own machines. It's surprising how often these are the very documents that require recovery, and without a client backup system, even the best server system won't help.

3. Hey it's Microsoft. So it should be easy to get support and training. Since many of you do not have IT staff, it can be a great plus to have as few 3rd party applications as possible. After all, we're fairly certain that MS will be around in 5 years. Some of your

4. DPM backs up files to regular hard disks. Since hard disks have become so inexpensive this makes a lot of sense. Hard drives are fast and reliable. If they fill up, they can be dumped to tape, but with space now costing less than $1/gigabyte, it might be just as well to purchase portable hard drives as needed and forego tape entirely.

DPM is currently in beta which means it's available for free download and review. We recommend you give it a try. You may find that it gives you one less thing to worry about.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/dpm/default.mspx

Ciaran's Corner: Fire Drill!
An unlucky customer of ours is currently going through a fairly horrible problem we run into about once every six months: the dreaded "We can't get iClose-Up working" problem. (And if you're one of the few who have had this problem, you can commiserate and also re-live your ire towards us  for using such a product!)

Now I won't once again rant about why we use iClose-Up. And I won't once again, rant about how to get through this.

What I will rant about is something very clever (I thought) written by one of our techs (Mr. Joseph O'Docheartaigh).

But before I give you the clever quote, naturally, the reason this problem is going on; the reason this is such a problem,  is, of course, because they have a crisis. And we can't help, because we can't connect. And that's my point: whether iClose-Up works or not is not the problem. The problem is that iClose-Up isn't working when they need it. iClose-Up probably wasn't working properly last week. So what? They didn't need it back then so it wasn't a problem to them.

OK, the quote. Joe wrote to our customer that, although he really feels bad for their difficulty, making certain that iClose-Up is available when needed is a bit like having a fire extinguisher. It has to work when you need it. Brilliant!

So for a larf, we went out last night and tested our fire extinguishers. On each other. And after we'd convinced ourselves that they do work (and showered) I did some more serious checking. It turns out that if our fire extinguishers didn't work and we had a fire, we'd be up a creek with our insurance company. The Seattle Fire Dept. wouldn't be too keen either and could easily issue a hefty fine.

Clearly, there are certain things our insurance company expects us to do, not only to help prevent accidents, but also to minimise their damage in case they do occur. That's why I love Joe's remark so much. Because that's exactly how you should view your network!

Therefore may I suggest the following check list to you regarding your computing resources:

1. As you make changes to your network, make sure that iClose-Up and Terminal Services still work correctly. Do not assume that just because you can use your web browser and basic e-mail that all is well! And if you use FTP or EDI, web servers, VPNs, etc., you need to check those as well!

2. Every so often, you need to check that your anti-virus and firewall software is auto-updating properly. Most of you are now on subscription based A/V packages (or you should be but that's a rant for another day). All these packages auto-update every day. When was the last time you checked to see that they really are auto-updating?

3. Speaking of auto-updating, most of you are getting automatic updates of Windows from Microsoft. Great. Is it really happening? Are you really getting the latest updates? ABC News wasn't last week. Their entire newsroom was shut down and people were writing stories with (heavens!) TYPEWRITERS! when a virus struck machines which had not been getting the proper auto-updates for months. If it can happen to them it can happen to you. Check.

4. There's an article about backups above. When was the last time you checked the condition of your backup tapes? By the way, where are those pesky backup tapes? And another thing: when was the last time you tried doing a recovery?

5. If you needed help from a qualified network person, would you know who to call? Do you have someone but they aren't really the greatest (The 'my brother-in-law syndrome). Or do you have someone but they so expensive that you are loath to use them? Bad, bad, bad! You need someone reliable on the ground, not related to you by marriage, that you can call on when you need to but who doesn't cost $150/hour. They are out there. And like many professions there is no direct relationship between price and quality. They want you to think there is, but there isn't. And if you are having trouble finding someone (makes sense: I have no idea how to find a decent mechanic for my car either--same difference) let us help you! Let us interview prospects for you! (In fact I have the perfect test for prospective network techs: when they arrive uninstall iClose-Up and have them re-install it. First one to get it working correctly, wins. )

And I hear your reply, "Boy that's a lot of work! We don't have time for all that."

I don't know what to say to that for you. I do know what to say for us. If this place burned down, we'd find another. However, if we lost our data, we'd be screwed. Totally, almost unrecoverably, screwed. And to paraphrase Jesus, if we're willing to jump through hoops to protect something less important, how much more should we attend to that which is our life's blood?

Till Next Time!

Ciarān Marron
Technical Support Manager
cm@suntowersystems.com

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End of E-News From The Suntower, Volume VII #16