Over the past two decades, credit card use has become ubiquitous. And credit card processing tools are a must have for any company doing business online. Still, many credit card processing solutions don't integrate with a retailer's other business-critical systems.

That is a problem that exploits the inefficiencies of the retail business, says Mike Gleason, an IT aficionado who has overseen the IT operations of more than one IBM i-based retail shop.

Stuck in the same corner as many other retailers, Gleason used to watch helplessly as company employees on telephones entered an order into their computer terminals, scribbled some numbers on notepads, got up from their desks to walk to a credit card machine where they entered the scribbled data, and then waited for confirmation before heading back to their desks to complete the order.

Certainly not the most secure method for processing credit card payments, and definitely not the most efficient.

Until, that is, Gleason learned about JetPayi5.

Developed by Dallas-based JetPayi5, JetPayi5 removed the inefficiencies that plagued Gleason's credit card processing solution, including the requirement that employees use separate credit card machines to process a credit card purchase.

The Software

JetPayi5 is native IBM i software for the secure processing and storing of credit and debit cards on IBM i systems. It supports IBM i versions 5.1 to 6.1. JetPayi5's gateway eliminates the need for a middle processor, interacting directly with Master Card and VISA as well as other major credit card companies (Discover, American Express, JBC, Star, MAC). Companies can process payments through the same IBM i system that runs their other business critical applications.

"The cool thing is our people didn't have to get up out of their chairs and go find a little machine anymore," Gleason says. "The wait time is the blink of an eye—assuming the card is good." Besides working for companies who have used JetPayi5, Gleason, who was the Director of IT for JacuzziBrands, is now the director of IT for JetPayi5.

The interface is green screen-based, or companies can deploy the GUI web version. There also is a GUI PC version.

The Security

Combined with the back-end reporting system (a secure website managed by the credit companies), the JetPayi5 application provides traceability and comprehensive reporting of any transaction through the JetPayi5 system. Built-in auto currency conversion and an online currency program let companies use JetPayi5 in any financial region (including Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America) around the world. A recent enhancement is the ability to process multiple companies in multiple countries in a single application.

JetPayi5’s secure software is PCI compliant, follows SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) guidelines, and is SAS 70 amenable. It defaults to truncated format (that is, it displays only the last four digits) for all card numbers and uses one-way encryption and double-entry checks. Internet correspondence is completed via SSL.

The Download

You can install and configure JetPayi5 software in as little as 30 minutes. "We made it so that a user who doesn’t know anything about programming can set it up and use it in a few minutes," says Harry Williams, CEO of JetPayi5.

There is no fee to download and use the JetPayi5 credit card processing software, as major banks in the financial industry funded its development. However, to process credit card purchases, companies must apply for a merchant identification. Then, credit companies charge standard fees for handling credit card transactions.

JetPayi5 also offers fee-based services, such as integration with current business systems, and support.

And a separate product, the JetPayi5 Secure Reporting System, provides additional security measures and the ability to pull realtime, customizable reports for settled and unsettled transactions.

Rita-Lyn Sanders is the senior industry editor for System iNEWS.