The PASS™ (Payments as a Secure Service)™ Consortium is a group of leading financial institutions and payment service providers promoting the delivery of a wide range of innovative financial management solutions to small businesses through Windows Vista™ Business, with underlying technology enabled by IP Commerce.
The result is PASS Commerce Center, an application that allows businesses using Windows Vista Business to easily find new commerce tools, make and receive payments and financing over the Internet, creating new revenue models and commerce abilities.
Using PASS
Is PASS free?
PASS Commerce Center carries a list price of $39.95. However, you can download PASS Commerce Center for free here.
Do I need to download PASS Commerce Center to use the services?
Yes. PASS Commerce Center includes PASS Cash Management Center and the PASS Gadget. PASS Commerce Center is required to sign up for and use any of the PASS commerce services. With broadband, this application downloads and installs in just a few minutes.
Will PASS Commerce Center run on my XP/NT/OS-X machine?
PASS Commerce Center is designed specifically for Windows Vista Business and Windows XP.
How do I sign up for PASS services?
To sign up for PASS commerce services, take the following steps:
- Download PASS Commerce Center here.
- From the PASS Commerce Center home page, identify the commerce services that interest you.
- Apply for desired services (each service provider’s application process and timeframe for approval is different).
- Upon approval, use PASS Commerce Center to access these services.
How do I place the PASS Gadget into the Windows Sidebar?
- Download the PASS Gadget from the Microsoft Live Gallery
- Open the Gadget Gallery folder from the Start menu. Go to: Start > Program Files > Accessories > Windows Sidebar. The Gadget Gallery folder opens.
- Drag the PASS Gadget to the right side of your screen.
- If the Windows Sidebar is already open, simply click + at the top of the sidebar to open the Gadget Gallery folder. Then, double-click the PASS Gadget icon or drag it to the Windows Sidebar.
Now you're ready to start using the sidebar!
About PASS
Who are the current PASS Consortium Members?
In addition to IP Commerce, the following organizations are current members:
- Chase Paymentech– Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Chase Paymentech Solutions' customer base includes more than 541,000 merchants with nearly 1 million locations across the United States and Canada, including many of the top retailers, Internet service providers (ISPs), catalogers and petroleum marketers, among others.
- CIT Group, Inc. – CIT Group (NYSE: CIT) is a leading commercial and consumer finance company, providing their clients with financing and leasing products and advisory services.
- BankServ – Since its inception in 1996, BankServ has been dedicated to developing new technology to move money quickly and safely over electronic networks. BankServ is a leading global provider of secure Fed wire transfer, SWIFT, Check 21 and ACH payment solutions for banks, governments and businesses.
- PayPal– Founded in 1998, PayPal, an eBay company, enables individuals and business with an e-mail address in 55 countries and regions to send and receive payments online securely and easily using a bank account, credit card, buyer credit or stored balance.
- Internet Commerce Corporation– Founded in 1997, Internet Commerce Corporation (ICC NET) is a public company (NASDAQ: ICCA) and facilitates electronic document exchange between 4,000 of its customers and 50,000 of their trading partners.
How does PASS protect cardholder data?
Conducting financial transactions online through PASS services offers a high level of security with several Windows Vista™ security features:
- Windows Security Center – PASS Commerce Center monitors the health of your machine, making sure the firewall and anti-virus services are current and working properly, and alerting the user of security problems before a transaction is processed.
- User Account Control – Windows Vista guards against changes to the system’s security settings by unauthorized users by requiring authentication from an administrative user before security settings can be changed.
- Internet Explorer Enhancements – Enhanced security features in Windows Vista guard against applications such as Internet Explorer from exerting control over other, more sensitive applications, such as those that process payments.