Halo, the leader in secure web-based POS, is excited to announce that it has fulfilled all of Visa’s PABP (Payment Application Best Practices) requirements and has submitted a completed Report on Validation to Visa. The PABP certification process required Halo to undergo rigorous third party auditing of its payment processing system as well as the company’s internal processes relating to securing data, developing products and delivering training programs.

Using a PABP compliant Point of Sale system is one of the key elements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). These standards are mandated by the credit card companies such as Visa and MasterCard for merchants to adhere to. While Halo has always provided its customers with a secure web-based POS, completing the PABP audit process confirms that Halo web-based POS is compliant with the PCI data security standard.

The PCI data security standard was developed to ensure the protection and security of consumer’s credit card information. With these standards in place, it is the merchant’s responsibility to ensure that their business operates in a compliant manner. In order to maintain a PCI DSS compliant payment application environment the merchant must use a PABP compliant POS product.

The process of becoming PABP compliant required the effort of the entire organization. Each department was affected in some way by the PABP requirements. On average, companies have taken 6 months to complete the PABP certification process, but because of the strategic importance of Halo becoming PABP compliant and Halo's existing security features, the company was able to complete the process in 4 months.

Most of Halo’s customers are described by Visa as Level 4 merchants – merchants who process less than 1 million Visa transactions per year. The Level 4 also describes 99% of all merchants and where 80% of security attacks have been directed in the last 6 months. More specifically, the foodservice industry represents 62% of credit card security breaches that occur, costing merchants and consumers billions of dollars (AmbironTrustWave). Halo is able to deliver products and services to its customers at a cost which is affordable and allow smaller merchants access to the same level of quality and security that larger establishments achieve with higher priced solutions.

Halo customers will now be able to assure their customers that at their establishment, all credit card information is protected. PABP compliance requires that no credit card track data is stored once a transaction is processed. Given the number of high profile security breaches that have recently been in the news, this certification will provide assurance to many consumers wary of using their credit card.

“Having a PABP compliant POS system presents great opportunities for Halo,” comments Tom Kakanowski, Vivonet’s Chief Technology Officer. “Many of Halo’s competitors are currently not undergoing the certification process or are still in the auditing stage. For customers in the market for a POS system, a PABP compliant product is an essential factor in their decision. PABP compliance is just another feature that Halo has to offer its customers and differentiate itself. As the leader in the web based POS industry, we wanted to be proactive in helping our customers protect their clients and secure their business.”

Another opportunity as a result of obtaining PABP certification is the chance to educate existing Halo customers about what it means to operate in a PCI compliant environment. “PABP certification is not just about having the right software,” notes Kakanowski. “It is also about having the right processes in place so that they can operate Halo in a secure manner.”

Halo has designed a complete PABP Implementation Guide for all its customers to reference from the Halo Enterprise Manager. This will ensure that merchants understand the elements of the PCI and PABP standards as they relate to operating a secure establishment.

About Vivonet

Established in 1999, Vivonet is an on-demand solutions provider that enables, acquires and organizes millions of transactions every month for customers in the hospitality and retail sectors across Canada and the United States. Vivonet provides on-demand enterprise management, point-of-sale (POS), payment processing and performance benchmarking solutions for its customers. Vivonet’s unique ability to aggregate the transaction data created by its customers allows their customers to benchmark their performance against other users and the industry at large – leading to better performance and higher business success rates.