1 post from 2008

Widely recognized as the global payment technology innovator, Merchant Lynx Services delivers complete card payment terminal, network access device, server and transaction networking solutions that help merchants and financial institutions generate revenues and increase profits.
AS A MERCHANT, YOU KNOW HOW INCONVENIENT AND COSTLY A RETURNED CHECK CAN BE! Merchant Lynx's check guarantee service will eliminate the risks and inconveniences that are usually associated with accepting checks.

Merchant Lynx Services, Consumers increasingly are turning to plastic over paper when they open their wallets. Merchant Lynx Services, credit and debit card spending exceeded $1 trillion in 1998, making it a necessary payment option for most businesses.

Yet many small businesses still don't accept credit cards. If you're one of the laggards, the entire transaction may retain the aura of a mystic ritual — swipe a card, input some numbers, and money magically appears in the bank. In credit card, the card number, the amount, and the merchant ID travel over the credit card processor's computer network. The credit card processor can either be a bank or a company that does nothing but provide credit card processing services.

From the processor's network the transaction goes to a credit card computer network. Merchant Lynx Services, if the customer is using Visa, for example, the transaction will go to Visa's network. In turn, the electronic transaction goes to the bank that actually issued the card. The bank then checks the account and verifies the customer has adequate credit to cover the purchase. The bank then sends the merchant an authorization over the network. Now the sale is complete, but the transaction is not — no money has changed hands yet.

Merchant Lynx Services, at the end of the business day, the merchant sends that day's charges, in a batch, to the credit card network for processing. The transactions travel via the merchant's credit card processor. Individual transactions are then stripped out and sent back to the individual cardholders' banks. Banks then debit cardholders' accounts and make appropriate payments to the merchant's credit card processor through the Federal Reserve Bank's Automated Clearing House.

All organizations today rely on computer and information technology to conduct business and operate more efficiently. Often, however, these institutions do not have the internal resources to effectively implement new technologies or satisfy their changing needs. When faced with such limitations, organizations turn to the computer systems design and related services industry to meet their specialized needs.

Goods and services. Firms enlist the services of an establishment in the computer systems design and related services industry on a contract or customer basis for help with a particular project or problem, such as setting up a secure Web site or establishing a marketplace online. Alternatively, firms may choose to contract out to a computer services firm one or more activities, such as the management of their onsite data center or help-desk support.

Services provided by this industry include custom computer programming services; computer systems design services; computer facilities management services, including computer systems or data processing facilities support services; and other computer-related services such as disaster recovery and software installation. Computer training contractors, however, are included in the Career Guide in the section on educational services, and establishments that manufacture computer equipment are included in the Career Guide in the section on computer and electronic product manufacturing. Establishments primarily engaged in providing computer data processing services at their own facility for others are discussed in the Career Guide in the section on Internet services providers, Web search portals, and data processing services. Producers of packaged software and Internet-based software are covered in the Career Guide in the section on the software publishers industry. Telecommunications services, including cable Internet providers, are covered in the Career Guide in the section on the telecommunications industry.

Industry organization. In 2006, there were 159,000 establishments in the computer systems design and related services industry. Merchant Lynx custom programming establishments write, modify, test, and support software to meet the needs of a particular customer. These service firms may be hired to code large programs, or to install a software package on a user’s system and customize it to the user's specific needs. Programming service firms also may update or reengineer existing systems.

Merchant Lynx Services

Systems design services firms plan and design computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software, and communications technologies. In addition, they often install these systems and train and support the people who use them. The systems’ hardware and software components may be provided by the design firm as part of integrated services, or may be provided by third parties or vendors.

Computer facilities management services usually are offered at the customer’s site. Establishments offering these services provide onsite management and operation of clients’ computer systems and facilities, as well as facilities support services.

Electronic business, referred to as e-business, is any process that a business organization conducts over a computer-mediated network. Electronic commerce, referred to as e-commerce, is the part of e-business that involves the buying and selling of goods and services online. With the growth of the Internet and the expansion of e-commerce, some service firms specialize in developing and maintaining sites on the World Wide Web (see below) for client companies. Others create and maintain corporate intranets or self-contained internal networks that link multiple users within an organization by means of the Internet or, more recently, wireless technology. These firms design sophisticated computer networks, assist with upgrades or conversions, design programming features for clients, and engage in continual maintenance. They help clients select the right hardware and software products for a particular project, and then develop, install, and implement the system, as well as train the client's users. Service firms also offer consulting services for any stage of development throughout the entire process, from design and content development to administration and maintenance of site security.