A Payment Gateway is a trusted merchant or company which operates as a middle man, between the consumer and/or business, and a bank or credit institution. Payment Gateways can almost be interpreted literally. They are figuratively, a gateway, through which payment passes. The banks and credit institutions do not host or facilitate online payment services for every business directly. This is incredibly dangerous for the banks and credit institutions, as it would open them up to a plethora of attacks, and users maliciously attempting to exploit unseen security flaws. Not to mention the incredible expenditure, building a network to host and interact with the world.

The solution is to set up Payment Gateways. While not as scalable, they are more efficient and secure. Payment Gateways register and provide e-commerce solutions for the banks and credit card institution, acting as a walled city around the banks and credit card institutions. Providing a wall for transactions to pass through, instead of leaving the banks and credit card institutions wide open.

If you have a business, and would like to be able to accept credit card payments online, there is a small checklist of requirements. First off, you will need a SSL certificate installed on your site/server. Please click here for questions concerning SSL. Most Payment Gateways will not accept your merchant account unless you have SSL installed. Secondly, you will need to register your business with a Payment Gateway. MarknetGroup will then contact the Payment Gateway of your choice, and collaborate with them. We will need program the website, to interact with the Payment Gateway's services.