Kiwi firm pulls off US partnership - Mako Networks

Mako Networks is helping Aperia Solutions chart a new direction, following a new partnership agreement with the company.

As part of the deal, Aperia will bundle the Mako System as part of Aperia’s PCI management solution to assist merchants in meeting the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Aperia has a customer base of over 175 payment acquirers, financial institutions and Independent Service Organisations (ISOs), including three million merchants which will now have access to Mako’s technology to assist their PCI DSS compliance requirements.

Under the terms of the agreement, Aperia Solutions will distribute the Mako System as part of Aperia’s PCI management solution, which will be resold by ISOs and payment processors to their end-user merchant base for PCI compliance, supported by Aperia’s technical service staff.

“There’s a reason why PCI DSS compliance is a hot topic here in the US," says Jim Bibles, vice president of Business Development, Aperia Solutions.

“With so many small merchants wrestling with the cost and rigors of compliance, offering the Mako System as part of our portfolio will be a significant advantage for our channel partners, and a great way for them to boost customer retention by offering a valuable service in addition to payment processing.”

Besides locking down payment networks to meet the PCI DSS criteria, the Mako System manages and secures the other segments of a merchant’s network as well.

For example, Mako’s built-in Wi-Fi can be used for staff and guest internet access, and cloud-managed VPN technology allows administrators to create wide area networks between locations simply and quickly.

The Mako System also helps eliminate potential security faults in a merchant’s network by vigorously enforcing traffic rules and network connection types to minimise the chance of data being misdirected.

“We’ve worked to create a total solution for small merchants and distributed enterprises that not just secures their network, but improves it,” says Simon Gamble, president for North America, Mako Networks.

“Our new relationship with Aperia will offer a chance for a large number of small merchants to get a first-class and secure network, while bundling their payment processing needs at the same time.”