Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a joint initiative by Visa and MasterCard developed to protect against data compromises. This is a set of 12 industry-wide requirements and processes, supported by every major international payment card system. A final risk assessment and audit ensures your business is compliant.

If your business accepts Visa or MasterCard payments, compliance with the PCI DSS requirements is mandatory.

Benefits for your business

By following the industry-wide requirements of PCI DSS, you can:

Protect your customers’ personal data
Boost customer confidence through a higher level of data security
Lower their exposure to financial losses and remediation costs
Maintain customer trust and safeguard the reputation of their brand
Provide a complete “health check” for any business that stores or transmits customer information

How do I get started?

MasterCard and Visa have created a set of tools and resources to make it as straightforward as possible for you to implement PCI DSS.

Visa’s program is called Account Information Security (AIS) – for details on the program, click here.

MasterCard’s program is called Site Data Protection (SDP) – for details on the program, click here.

You can also contact your acquiring bank who will be able to guide you through the validation process. Further information on PCI DSS can be found here.

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Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)