PCI Compliance
Safeguard financial data with Payment Card Industry compliance.
Any company that processes, stores, or transmits credit card information is required to be PCI compliant. While these specifications are often complex and confusing, they exist to protect cardholders, merchants, and credit card companies from exposure to data breaches. Ultimately, PCI compliance will save you headaches down the line. A knowledgeable IT provider will make all the difference in understanding and maintaining your compliance with PCI requirements.
Payment Card Insurance Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) were developed in 2006 by American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa to prevent credit card fraud and protect sensitive cardholder data. PCI DSS covers technical and operational system elements related to cardholder data. The PCI Security Standards Council manages compliance, and failure to adhere to PCI DSS could result in fines and penalties. In some cases, you could even lose your merchant account and the authority to accept card payments.
What does PCI compliance entail?
The compliance required by your business is based on factors according to your unique circumstances. Your compliance standards will rely on the number of credit card transactions you process, how you accept, process, and store credit card information, and what data you pass on to vendors and business associates.
PCI DSS is a 139-page document that outlines 6 goals and 12 corresponding requirements. The PCI DSS goals are: (1) build and maintain a secure network, (2) protect cardholder data, (3) maintain a vulnerability management program, (4) implement strong access control measures, (5) regularly monitor and test networks, and (6) maintain an information security policy.
- Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data.
- Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters.
- Protect stored cardholder data.
- Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks.
- Use and regularly update anti-virus software or programs.
- Develop and maintain secure systems and applications.
- 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.
- Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data.
- Regularly test security systems and processes.
- Maintain a policy that addresses information security for employees and contractors.
A technology partner for compliance.
PCI compliance is not a one-time thing. It is an ongoing process that requires a thorough understanding of the regulations and how to adhere to them within your business. You need an IT provider that can walk you through a PCI audit and help you complete the process with ease. Not only that, you need a partner with experience in PCI standards to assist you in developing systems and techniques that will keep your business in good standing.
At Enegren, we understand the complexities of PCI compliance, and we offer services to address each of the points in the PCI DSS listed above. When you choose Managed IT Services with us, we will help implement your plan to ensure continuity within your operations. With our support solutions, we will assist you in securing cardholder data throughout your business and create systems to audit your processes with ease. Contact us today to learn how we can be your partner for ongoing PCI management & monitoring.
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Phone 316.945.4210
Mail 6730 W. Kellogg Dr. Ste 3 Wichita, KS 67209
Fax 316.794.8359
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