PCI Compliance Services

There are very few businesses these days that don’t process cardholder data for various forms of payments. Whether you’re operating in a business-to-business or business-to-customer environment, cardholder data security has to be a conscious priority.

What many small and medium-sized companies don’t fully appreciate is the regulatory risks they are exposed to in regard to PCI DSS compliance. Lost or stolen payment card data can quickly become a major problem, especially if you don’t have all the necessary safeguards in place.

And while large corporations have dedicated IT security and regulatory compliance teams, that’s a luxury most smaller businesses can’t afford. That’s exactly why you should consider partnering with Charlotte IT Solutions to ensure you always remain PCI DSS compliant.

Since the early days of the Internet, cardholder data has been one of the focus points of cyber criminals. And payment card industry data security has become a major priority for financial institutions and governments worldwide.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of regulations that requires all businesses to protect cardholder data and sensitive authentication data from falling into the wrong hands.

But developing the right systems and safeguards to ensure maximum cardholder data security and, ultimately, PCI DSS compliance, requires more than just having a secure payment system on a website.

Most companies, directly and indirectly, store and transmit cardholder data through their IT systems and even in person in a store or over the phone. And because there can be multiple access points to such data, it’s vital that you fully protect it from the constant presence of data breach threats.

Not only will PCI compliance save you from costly audits, fines, and penalties, but failing to implement all PCI DSS requirements could also cause a lot of reputational damage.

Unfortunately, many companies try to manage this process without the help of experts because they simply don’t have the luxury of employing a team of IT and PCI DSS compliance experts.

But with an outsourced service like Charlotte IT Solutions offers, you can become PCI DSS compliant at a fraction of the cost and without all the stress that comes with trying to manage this yourself.

Before you can start tackling PCI DSS requirements, you first have to understand what kind of data you’re collecting, where you’re storing it, and how you protect cardholder data when you pass it on to third parties.

Most business owners we have asked these questions can’t provide a detailed enough answer. And without a detailed answer, you simply can’t maintain secure systems and prevent a data breach.

That’s why your first step has to be a comprehensive analysis of what payment information you’re collecting, how you are storing it, and where you pass it on for further processing.

Only then can you restrict physical access and prevent remote cyber criminals from finding a weak point to exploit.

It might seem like PCI compliance simply involves protecting data, but there are a lot of different systems involved in the processing of that information. You have separate systems that receive and transmit payment card data, and then there are protective technologies like firewalls, servers, and network routers.

Basically, if systems or devices in your IT infrastructure directly or indirectly provide support to securing PCI DSS compliance validation, then these will be in the scope of the regulations. That means that you don’t just need to have these systems in place, but they have to be configured and fully updated to ensure cardholder data doesn’t become vulnerable.

The biggest risk of breaking cardholder data security regulations is the impact of heavy fines, penalties, and even large legal fees resulting from lawsuits over data breaches.

You also have to factor in the reputational damage that major data breaches can have. Not only could you lose a lot of existing clients, but you could find it difficult to convince new clients that you’re able to handle their payment details and maintain full PCI compliance.

And if you can’t achieve PCI DSS compliance, you will discover financial services companies and many government agencies won’t be able to work with your business.