What does PCI compliance mean?
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. PCI compliance standards were developed by major credit card companies to define measures for ensuring data protection, and consistent security processes and procedures for online financial transactions.
PCI applies to ANY organization or merchant, regardless of size or amount of transactions, that accepts, transmits or stores any cardholder data. If any customer of that organization ever pays the merchant directly using a credit card or debit card, then PCI DSS requirements apply. Essentially, PCI compliance is required by any merchant that has a Merchant ID (MID). Businesses that fail to maintain PCI DSS compliance are subject to steep fines and penalties.
PCI DSS Compliance Mandates
As formulated by the PCI Security Standards Council, the mandates of PCI DSS compliance include:
- Developing and maintaining a security policy that covers all aspects of the business Installing firewalls to protect data;
- Encrypting cardholder data that is transmitted over public networks Using anti-virus software and updating it regularly;
- Establishing strong passwords and other cyber security protocols;
- Enforcing rigid access controls and monitoring access to account data.
For large merchants that conduct high volumes of online financial transactions, PCI DSS compliance is enforced by annual validations performed by an independent Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).
Achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance can be time-consuming and costly for merchants. The benefits to merchants of the PCI DSS compliance program come largely in the form of enhanced consumer confidence. Consumers shopping online expect their account data to be safe anywhere it is stored, transmitted, or processed in the course of completing a transaction. They demand reassurance that their personal information remains private. The PCI DSS compliance program contributes to the security of online commerce as it continues to grow.
Accelerate Your Content with PCI DSS Compliance
Security threats are constantly changing, and your PCI DSS compliance must keep pace. QUANTIL helps you to prevent hackers from stealing your customer data by extending the security perimeter outside your data center. This also prevents other types of threats, such as a denial of service (DoS) or a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which can block access to your web server.
PCI DSS is the leading industry standard to ensure the safety of consumer payment data. QUANTIL solutions allow you to operate with critical compliance standards while improving your content performance. Our globally distributed cloud computing network and enhanced features give you peace of mind; you don’t have to compromise on security to deliver your content globally. We ensure that your content enjoys enhanced security anytime, anywhere, on any device.
How is QUANTIL PCI compliant?
The integrated compliance management solution from QUANTIL maintains PCI DSS compliance while ensuring that the entire checkout process is secure. In 2016, we added 30 Points of Presence (PoPs) to our network, which comply with PCI DSS Version 3.1 and have been certified by Atsec, an information security provider.
QUANTIL provides documentation certifying that our network is PCI compliant for e-commerce businesses that use our secure Content Delivery Network. In this way, you can be PCI compliant and focus on your core business.
If you have any questions about PCI compliance, or how our Website Acceleration solution is PCI compliant, you can post a question in the comments section below, or contact our team on Twitter at @Team_QUANTIL.
Bin Ni is the VP of Engineering of QUANTIL. He and his team is working on all technical aspects of all QUANTIL products.