Modern browsers use a technique called SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer, to encrypt the information that flows between your browser and the web server receiving your order. When the "lock" or "solid key" is showing, it means that the browser has established a secure encrypted connection with the server, meaning it is safe to send sensitive data like your credit card number.
We do NOT use a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program known as "FormMail" to retrieve information from our secure server. What this program does, is take the contents of an Internet form, such as the one you put your credit card information on, and sends it back to the company via e-mail.
The Credit Card information which you have entered on our secure order form will remain on the secure site.
When you click on the "Submit" button, you will be receiving confirmation by E-mail (the credit card information will not be e-mailed). We can view the entered information by a secure connection, but the information from the secure site will never be transferred by e-mail to our order desk or any other site.
The secure method is to store the information in a database on the web server, but in a place that is not directly accessible from the web. We can then retrieve the transaction information later, using our own SSL encrypted connection. Two companies which provide this type of service are JSweb Technology and Secure Hosting. Jsweb Technology has a demonstration of this process located at http://jsweb.net/secform.htm . Secure Hosting has a demo of their service located at http://www.securehosting.com/demos.htm. With both services, the process is the same. The order form is secure, with information from the customer being encrypted between the customer's computer and the server. At the server, the information is stored in a database. The merchant is then notified of the order via e-mail (without any of the sensitive details); and finally, the merchant retrieves the information via another secure session.