Get up to speed on PCI DSS Compliance

PCI DSS compliance is extremely important for any business that uses credit cards as part of their transactions. PCI DSS is short for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, mandated by the major credit card brands—Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX and JCB. By following the requirements set by PCI DSS, companies are able to maintain a secure environment in order to process credit card data in order to protect the information of both the cardholder and the financial institution.

 

The value of PCI DSS is that it’s a win-win for consumers and businesses alike. Customers trust companies that are able to take care of their personal financial data, and are able to make credit card transactions with confidence knowing their data is secure. For businesses, following PCI DSS not only keeps loyal customers, but it also cuts down on legal expenses and facilitates interactions with credit card companies.

 

The guidelines themselves are simple to follow, and only require businesses to work in the best interest of the customer and maintain standard security procedures for their IT processes. The PCI DSS Requirements are listed below. If you have any additional questions about how PCI DSS affects your business, reach out to Sun Sign Designs Inc so we can guide you through the process.

 

Build and maintain a secure network
Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters

 

Protect cardholder data
Protect stored cardholder data
Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks

 

Maintain a vulnerability management program
Use and regularly update anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware
Develop and maintain secure systems and applications

 

Implement strong access control measures
Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access
Restrict physical access to cardholder data

 

Regularly monitor and test results
Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
Regularly test security systems and processes

 

Maintain an information security policy
Maintain a policy that addresses information security