CA (Certificate Authority)
The organization that verifies Web site information and provides encrypted certificates for use in SSL transactions on the Internet.  Two of the most popular Certificate Authorities are Thawte and Verisign.  Webcenter's Secure Servers use Verisign.

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Certificate
A digital signature that contains information about your company and is used to encrypt sensitive data sent between Web browsers and Web sites.  A certificate is obtained from a Certificate Authority.

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CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programming
A method to write programs that process information passed to and from a Web site.  CGI scripts reside on the server (computer) along with the Web server software.  These scripts are often written in Perl but may be written in any language.  They are generally placed in your cgi-bin directory and run as a result of input from a Web page form.  A CGI script  might process the input  from a Web page form and act on it accordingly; sending credit card numbers off to a credit card gateway for verification, for example.  Instead of custom programming, many people opt for pre-packaged solutions, such as Webcenter online catalog, which perform the same function.

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Gateway (LinkPoint, Cybercash, Authorize.net)
A gateway forwards information received on the Internet to a Merchant Processor using dedicated, leased connections not accessible from the Internet.  The gateway accepts connections from your Web site using an encryption scheme (separate from SSL) and returns results of transactions to your Web site.  The gateway charges the Merchant Processor who in turn sells their services to Web merchants. The LinkPoint® API is part of the solution through iTransact. The LinkPoint API is implemented through Miva Merchant, thus preventing the need for "C" programming knowledge.

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Merchant Processor
A company whose purpose is to submit credit card information to credit card institutions.  The Merchant Processor is responsible for payment resolution between a customer and a merchant when a credit card is used by the customer.  The Merchant Processor initiates the transfer of funds between a credit card institution and the merchant's bank account.  The merchant must establish an account with a Merchant Processor in order to process credit cards.  The Merchant Processor reviews business information including credit information and the stability of the business.  Not all businesses are accepted by Merchant Processors.  Many Merchant Processors are unwilling to accept credit card traffic generated from the Internet.  Webcenter has established a relationship with iTransact to allow Webcenter customers to initiate the signup procedure online and receive a discount on setup costs.  Fees may include a setup fee, a percentage of monthly charge revenue and a minimum monthly fee.  The gateway fee is included in these fees by the Merchant Processor.

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SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
The secure communication method used between Web browsers and Web servers to ensure privacy of data transfers.

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Web Server
A Web server reads files from your directory and delivers the information to Web browsers for display.  A secure Web server also establishes encrypted communication between a Web browser and your Web site.  Webcenter uses the Apache Mod_SSL Secure Server to deliver state-of-the-art security for your data.

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