Secure E-Commerce Program
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Security-Online.com is the professional security practitioner's preferred meta link directory for information covering all aspects of enterprise security. To see a sample listing of the types of organizations that visit our site daily please go to the Visitor List Page compiled from our server’s log files.The opening of the new Security-Online Mall will provide these visitors with access to a wide selection of security software for online purchase by credit card and electronic delivery by direct download from our Secure Digital Warehouse.
Your greatest advantage as a security software publisher in offering your products through Security-Online is the exposure to this group of prequalified prospects. No one comes to Security-Online that is not intimately involved with security - security research, security products, security operations, security solutions - no one.
Security-Online has teamed with a major electronic commerce provider, CyberSource. Through teaming we can offer both the software publisher and the end user a reliable, high bandwidth, and secure electronic commerce solution.
Because of its high performance and strong features, the CyberSource system is used by some of the industry’s largest software publishers and distributors including Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Borland, Programmer’s Paradise, Qualcomm, software.net, Symantec, and many others.
Secure Electronic Commerce Program Features
Secure SSL servers [ details ]
Secure SSL Servers
The CyberSource servers use Secure Sockets Layer to encrypt the communications between the customer's computer and the commerce server. The entire ordering and delivery process is Software Publishers Association compliant, Microsoft certified, and follows the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) standards. [ feature list ]
Encrypted Credit Card Processing
Real time SSL encrypted credit card processing takes an average of 30 seconds to complete. The customer's credit card numbers are secured using the embedded encryption capability of the specific browser in use. We accept American Express, MasterCard and Visa credit cards online. [ feature list ]
Multilevel Fraud Detection
A multilevel fraud detection system is used to reduce the risk of credit card fraud in the ordering process. First, the card holder's bank uses internal fraud detection mechanisms of its own to verify and authorize each transaction, including AVS, address verification service. Second, Security-Online uses CyberSource's IVS, a proprietary artificial intelligence based system that runs over 100 checks against each transaction, plus checks against its own internal database consisting of hundreds of thousands of online transactions processed by all of CyberSource's customers. Each transaction must clear both systems to be accepted. [ feature list ]
Export Control Compliance
Many encryption software programs are restricted from export by the US Government. The fines for unauthorized export are sever. Security-Online utilizes CyberSource's frequently updated export denial filters that screen for denied persons, specially designated individuals, and restricted countries to identify and restrict export when required. In addition to the denial filters, our system enables the setting of grant filters that are used to specify one or more countries to which sales are to be granted. This feature protects publishers from violating exclusive international distribution agreements if required. [ feature list ]
Secure Digital Warehouse
Each registered software title submitted by a publisher is prepared for customer download by being packaged in an encrypted electronic container and stored in our Secure Digital Warehouse under physical control of electronic security systems. Each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is scanned for virus infection prior to packaging and can be unlocked after delivery only by the corresponding secure end user license certificate, thus reducing the risk of software piracy. By subscribing to our annual Secure Digital Warehouse service agreement for each program offered, the publisher is able to make as many updates and upgrades to each program during the contract year as are required for no additional cost. [ feature list ]
Secure Digital Delivery
The same hardened encryption techniques used to secure each software program during storage in the Secure Digital Warehouse are used to protect the integrity of the product during download across the Internet. [ feature list ]
Secure Digital License Certificate
Once delivered to the customer's computer, the program can only be installed and run when the customer has received a copy of the Secure Digital License Certificate through email from CyberSource's License ClearingHouse. An electronic license certificate is automatically sent whenever an order is processed and approved to the specified email account in the order form. Acting as a trusted certificate authority, CyberSource digitally signs each license certificate thus verifying its validity as well as the product's authenticity (a non pirated and unaltered version). The digital license certificate contains the decryption key used to unlock the container holding the newly purchased software for a limited (publisher specifiable, typically 3-5 days) number of days. The digital license certificate is personalized with the customer's name gathered from the order form to further reduce the likelyhood of software piracy while also serving as an unalterable proof of purchase. As an option, the publisher may include within the digital license certificate a copy of a traditional end user license agreement describing the rights associated with the use of the product. Furthermore, the personalized customer information gathered from the order form and used in the digital license certificate is forwarded to each publisher to insure 100% product registration and technical support authorization. [ feature list ]
Privacy Protected User Rights Database
The privacy sensitive user rights database is maintained in perpetuity on secure CyberSource servers and is used to issue and validate Secure Digital License Certificates. Only general customer order and registration data is forwarded to Security-Online and to the software publisher. Sensitive information such as credit card numbers are not released. [ feature list ]
Intellectual Property Protection
The publisher and end user are both protected by the use of Security-Online's Secure Electronic Commerce System. By using the two part process of delivering secured software programs that require a separate unique decryption key only found in the registered digital license certificate, the risk of unauthorized hacking and cracking open programs is greatly reduced. Both the publisher is protected from unauthorized installation of unpaid for programs, and the end user is protected from defending themselves against violating copyright law and use of unlicensed software programs by unscrupulous users. [ feature list ]
Transaction Reporting
When a publisher registers a product with the Security-Online Secure Electronic Commerce System, they receive direct email reports listing the number of units sold, delivered, and returned which provides accountability through checks and balances for revenue collection from Security-Online. In addition, Security-Online forwards end user information collected from the order form for product registration, warranty, and technical support authorization directly to participating publishers. [ feature list ]
Electronic Software Sales Programs
The goal of The Security-Online Mall is to provide our prequalified visitors with easy access to information about and purchase of a wide variety of security software solutions directly from our Mall, or directly from the publisher. The value added extra that no other online security software source offers is our extensive directory of industry links organized by subject, and our unique, focused product information desks that help potential buyers make informed purchases. An informed buyer is much more likely to remain a happy customer. To that end we have defined the following sales programs.
Security-Online offers two basic Electronic Sales Programs: Electronic Software Distributor and Electronic Sales Agent. These solutions can be combined or customized to meet the specific needs of a software publisher.
Electronic Software Distributor (ESD)
An ESD purchases the product from the developer/publisher at an agreed upon discount and resells the software to an end user organization. Since Security-Online only offers electronically delivered product, there is no physical goods to order, inventory, or deliver. We accept a copy of the program files from you, send them to our packing house where they are encrypted, packed and readied for online sale and delivery. We require the program to be setup as an executable for one-click installation by the end user. The developer/publisher that subscribes to our service can update the program as frequently as is required during the annual service agreement without extra costs. This allows for patches, updates, added features and new versions to be changed throughout the contract period.
Nearly every program sold today offers a time or function limited trial version of the program. Trial, or try-before-you-buy, opportunities help users make better buying decisions and reduce costly returns. Security-Online supports trial programs in two ways. The first method is to provide a link to the trial version located on an off-site server, your's or your ISP's. This can be a www or ftp download link, or both, selectable by the user. We can also store your trial program on our server for direct download. Depending on storage space and other requirements, we may charge a modest fee for this service.
We provide site links from the appropriate information service pages to a software publisher's site for free. We also offer sponsorship promotional links on our information site and on our mall site to all vendors. We request that a participating software developer/publisher provide a reciprocating link to Security-Online from their web site using either a text link or a small banner/logo link to encourage users who want to purchase the software to come to our site to place their online order. This is not an exclusive requirement and any other online vendors offering your products may be equally promoted. We also suggest that you provide a link to our site along with the trial version of the software to encourage those testing the program to come to our site to place their orders.
Publisher's fees for the ESD program
| ESD Discount | |||
| Transaction Fee per order |
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| Transaction Fee % per order |
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| Return Fee per return |
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| Verbal Approval Fee per order |
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| Packing Fee per program per year |
Depending on sales volume, Security-Online will mail payment to each publisher for each title weekly or monthly based on MSRP, introductory, or promotional prices, less discount, less transaction fees, or based on a fixed, negotiated per unit net price.
Electronic Sales Agent (ESA)
Some publishers want to process the orders for their programs on their own web sites. However, some of these publishers see the value in having their programs offered for sale from the Security-Online Mall. We are happy to accommodate these publishers by acting as a commissioned sales agent for sales originating from Security-Online. In most cases this is accomplished by the publisher creating a dedicate URL order page that can only be reached from a Security-Online product order link. This provides the publisher a convenient way to track orders originating from Security-Online. Then on a monthly or quarterly basis depending on volume and other considerations, the publisher pays Security-Online a commission for all completed sales less returns based on an agreed upon percentage of the selling price.
Combined ESD and ESA
In some cases publishers offer special customized products, large quantity discounts or site licenses that requires special terms, conditions and handling. These publishers may provide Security-Online with the ability to sell single license units or medium quantities of units on an ESD discount and resale basis while also allowing Security-Online to offer special opportunities to large or international customers based on an ESA commission only basis where the publisher accepts and fulfills the order directly. We are happy to consider any combination of programs that make business sense for both organizations while maintaining convenient shopping for the user.
Please email Security-Online at sales at Security-Online.com with any questions or comments on these programs.
Product Support
All product tech support is the responsibility of the developer/publisher. Security-Online provides support for the order process but not for product installation, use, application, integration, or removal.
