PCI DSS Compliance Overview

PCI DSS is a global security standard, created to guarantee the safety and reliability of its use by cardholders. Any organization that stores, processes, or transmits payment card data is required to adopt this standard. The standards have a very wide application to cover almost all facets of electronic payments, from transaction processing to fraud detection and management. PCI DSS creates technical and operational requirements to reduce the threat of data breaches and to manage payment data safely across systems and networks.

Why It Matters
PCI DSS is crucial for secure access of payment card information and trust in the payment ecosystem. Failure to comply by organizations can result in monetary penalties by card brands, higher transaction fees, mandatory audits, or the inability to process payments. More so than fines, data breaches on payment systems can inflict crippling reputational damage and costs to customers, which is why good security controls are critical.

Core Focus Areas
PCI DSS concentrates on the defense of cardholder data by using network security controls, proper access management, encryption, continual monitoring, and regular security testing. An organization may secure card data access at regular intervals, prevent unauthorized users from accessing the data, keep all necessary security controls in place, track system activity, and communicate to stakeholders how these controls are kept and maintained. Continual risk assessment and validation are integral to maintaining conformance.

Next Steps
Organizations that review their PCI DSS posture are generally addressing better identification of cardholder data environments, technical protections, and security policies that are enforced across payment operations.