Secure transactions on the Internet are made possible by a standard known as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), a protocol for transmitting private documents via the Internet invented by Netscape. This enables your customer to put personal information (such as a credit card number) into a form on your Web site, and have that information delivered to your Web server without the possibility of anyone intercepting the data because the data is encrypted.  VPI-Net, Inc. uses SSL (the same technology used by all the leading E-commerce sites), the strongest commercially available encrytption technology in the world.

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Yes! Most of our Web customers do not own their own digital certificate, they use the digital certficate owned by VPI-Net, Inc. The encryption is just as secure as if you owned your own digital certificate, the only difference being that the URL of the secured folder(s) will be on the VPI-Net Web site rather then your Web site.  You will save money and time by not purchasing your own digital certificate.  This feature is an option with the Standard Web hosting plan and is available for a small setup fee and an additional low monthly fee.

If you choose to use your own digital certificate we can install it for you for a modest setup fee. Usually only the largest and most active Web sites choose to use their own certificate.

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VPI-Net will provide you with a directory which is protected with SSL, the highest level of security over the Web, if you request it. This service is provided at an additional setup charge and monthly fee for Standard Web hosting package customers. Information you might want to encrypt using SSL includes order forms with credit card or other sensitive information. VPI-Net cautions you not to encrypt your ENTIRE site, but only those files that are necessary, as encryption may slow down a browser and only certain browsers (generally those Version 3.0 and later) support encryption.

After ordering, you will receive a confirmation and instructions. Using SSL is easy. Links to your encrypted pages must be in the following form:

https://www.yourdomain.com/securedfolder/yourfile.htm

Please note the "s" after the http, as it is required to activate the encryption. That is all there is to it! You are now ready to take online orders securely!

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If you choose to accept credit card orders over the Web, you can set up an order form that visitors can fill out, which will be emailed to you when they click, "submit". You would then manually process the credit as though someone placed an order over the telephone. This is by far the most popular implementation of E-commerce on the Web today. The bank with which you have your merchant account provides the processing terminal and software necessary for you to process credit cards for payment of services. You will need to contact your bank in order to set up a merchant account and acquire the necessary credit card terminal. You can also contact Verifone and/or Card Services International, two companies that specialize in providing credit card processing machines and merchant accounts to businesses of all sizes.

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1. Upload your Access or FoxPro SQL database into your Web site directory.
2. Email support@vpi-net.com with the name, location, type of database and requested DSN name.
3. VPI-Net will then set up a DSN for your database with the name you have specified.
4. You will receive an email notification that your database is ready to use.
5. That's It! You are ready to use your database.

If you would like to use a SQL 7 database with your Web Site please use our online Support Request Form. Be sure to include as much information as possible and a support engineer will contact you with details.

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