PCI DSS Compliance

Consumers have established charge accounts since the early 20th century, though in those days these accounts were tracked manually in books and ledgers and identities were accepted through the Honor Code.

Times have changed, with the advent of technology and account-holders using account numbers, “chip” technology, plastic cards with magnetic swipe strips and point-of-sale card readers, and the ability to communicate transactions in seconds using the Internet.

After major credit issuers, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, merged standards programs for the protection of their account holders – now known cardholders – and cardholder data security . Nearly 100 years after those early 20th-century charge accounts, the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council was formally established to align policies and share a common vision with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Uniform security standards for the payment card industry are much more than a set of guidelines for payment processing; payment processors have a responsibility to consumers to keep data secure with the sensitive cardholder information included in a transaction, which can include:

Cardholder name
Account number
Home/billing address
Social security numbers

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Standardizing security processes for the payment card industry seems logical, but payment processors are required to remain compliant to a strict set of security protocols organized into objective groups:

Network Security: Build and maintain a secure network, systems, and environment
Cardholder Information Security: Secure and protect cardholder data
Contingency Plans: Develop and maintain a Vulnerability Management Program
Access Control: Outline and implement access control oversight

Are You Compliant?

While compliance is not currently federal law, state laws differ on compliance and violations. It’s not enough to just commit to these protocols, or even to follow the guidelines outlined within each of these objective groups. Full compliance does not require auditing and confirmation of adherence through a validation evaluation process, though data must be secured in a compliant manner.

Navigating Compliance

Failure to remain compliant poses greater risks that violating a handful of laws – in fact, not being PCI DSS compliant impacts everyone. How many data breaches have made the news in the last year, three years, or five years? Every report of a data breach comes with a monetary value of the financial impact of the breach, with some incidents valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Aside from the immediate financial repercussions, consumers put more faith in payment processors and merchants that take proactive steps to protect cardholder data – it’s just good business.

Protect consumer data with PCI DSS and protect your reputation.

Contact Nexus IT Consultants at or (435) 659-2533, or email us at today to take active steps toward compliance before experiencing a loss that makes you wish you already had.