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<\/div>\nPayment card industry (PCI) compliance is a set of rules that ensures the safety of a customer\u2019s credit card information. All businesses that receive, store, or transfer credit card information must maintain a secure environment.<\/p>\n
Major card companies\u2014including AMEX, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, and Discover\u2014established the Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council (PCI SSC) to develop and manage payment card security. The SSC has many standards and supporting materials, like frameworks, tools, and resources to help organizations ensure that cardholder information is always safe.<\/p>\n
Maintaining PCI compliance lowers the risk of data breaches, protects confidential data, and helps businesses boost their brand name. A credit card company\u2019s security protocol is incomplete without PCI compliance, and these companies typically require and mention this in their agreements when working with one another.<\/p>\n
PCI compliance steps for an organization<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Any business that accepts credit card payments, big or small, must be PCI compliant. This means that the organization must follow the rules set by the PCI Standards Council.<\/p>\n This typically involves following these five steps.<\/p>\n Any organization\u2019s PCI level is determined based on the number of annual transactions it processes. There are four levels of PCI compliance, each with its own set of requirements, starting from level one and going up to four:<\/p>\n Your organization must comply with these 12 PCI Data Security Standards (DSS) to be PCI compliant:<\/p>\n The SAQ thoroughly examines your organization\u2019s compliance with the 12 standards specified above. Each questionnaire is a set of yes or no questions to establish how closely your firm complies with the PCI DSS criteria.<\/p>\n For a PCI level one organization, a PCI-approved auditor verifies its compliance with the standards. Based on your SAQ, your organization can hire an approved scanning vendor (ASV) to look for security flaws and ensure that it meets all the standards. The questionnaires differ for different businesses for levels two to four, guided by the level of compliance you must meet and the number of transactions you have per year.<\/p>\n At its core, preventing untrusted parties from gaining access to sensitive data is the most fundamental aspect of PCI compliance. After installing and configuring the security system, have your employees set up a strict password policy. Tokenizing sensitive card data allows businesses to keep it safe and secure.<\/p>\n Last but not least, step five is crucial for completing the PCI compliance process. Organizations use the AOC form to certify that their PCI DSS evaluation\u2014as indicated in an SAQ or PCI compliance report\u2014has been a success.<\/p>\n Then, you submit SAQ, ASV, and AOC reports to financial institutions, such as banks and credit card firms, and to all the companies with which your organization does business.<\/p>\n You must carry out a yearly PCI audit with a qualified security assessor (QSA) or the company\u2019s internal security assessor. A PCI audit evaluates the security of your company\u2019s payment software from all aspects.<\/p>\n To be compliant, your organization must meet up to 281 standards listed in the 12 PCI DSS requirements to receive a Report on Compliance (ROC). Initial audits can take two years, and self-assessment can take up to a year.<\/p>\n The PCI audit process has three steps.<\/p>\n Scoping defines the assessment parameters for your PCI audit. The organization\u2019s crucial task is to pin down all sites and workflows with cardholder data. Annually scope all systems before your assessment, as PCI Audit is yearly.<\/p>\n To analyze network security, along with all its devices, policies, and protocols, QSA carries out a comprehensive onsite audit evaluation.<\/p>\n The QSA\u2019s duties are to:<\/p>\nStep 1: Understand your organization\u2019s PCI level<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Step 2: Learn the 12 PCI standards<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Step 3: Complete self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ)<\/span><\/h2>\n
Step 4: Protect cardholder data and your network<\/span><\/h2>\n
Step 5: Complete official attestation of compliance (AOC) form and submit documentation to credit card companies<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Scoping<\/span><\/h2>\n
2. On-site audit assessment<\/span><\/h2>\n