Six easy steps to PCI Compliance

Overview

By the end of December 2007, any organization that accepts payment card transactions must be in compliance with the PCI (Payment Card Industry) Data Security Standard. Created in response to the increasing problem of security breaches in which thousands of customers have had credit card information stolen or compromised, the standard is the result of a collaboration between major card companies, including MasterCard and Visa, to create a common set of security requirements.

The standard requires organizations to develop policies and implement measures to ensure the secure management of credit card data and controlled access to the networks over which customers’ card information is sent. If you fail to comply, you are liable to face significant fines and possible permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs. So if you accept credit or debit card payment, or collect, process or store credit card transaction information, follow these simple steps to help you successfully meet the security aspects of PCI compliance.