The Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard or PCI-DSS is a set of standards created to help organizations provide a secure environment for cardholder data.
PCI-DSS compliance is not an easy task for any organization, but it is especially hard for small businesses and enterprises. The problem with PCI-DSS is that it requires a lot of time and effort without giving much in return – which means that the costs are high.
The PCI-DSS compliance is mandatory for all merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit cardholder data. It aims to ensure a consistent level of security across the industry, thereby protecting consumers from fraud.
The PCI DSS covers various topics from network architecture and design, access control, vulnerability management, and risk assessment.
—
PCI-DSS is a set of standards that provide specific requirements for protecting credit card data. This includes:
1) Data protection,
2) Security management, and
3) Compliance assessment.
The first two are designed to protect credit card data from being stolen or improperly accessed by hackers. Compliance assessment is designed to make sure that all businesses that process, store or transmit credit card data are compliant with the standards set forth by PCI-DSS. In order for a business to become compliant with these standards, they must undergo a PCI-DSS assessment which will determine their level of readiness.
This is only a breif overview of the complex framework that is PCI-DSS. We will continue to push out additional information that provides a closer look at not just the standard but how to make PCI-DSS work within your organization.
