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PCI compliance is a topic which most merchants do not like, because they feel that it is hard work for them. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has laid down certain guidelines, known as the Data Security Standard (DSS), which is used to ensure that all merchants who process credit card transactions provide adequate security to the credit card holders’ data, so that the data cannot be misused. The need for this standard arose when there were many fraudulent transactions reported by merchants who had no clue how the data had leaked out from their machines. To make sure that such fraudulent transactions do not take place often, the PCI DSS came into being, and the credit card companies have issued all merchants a notice that if they do not take the guidelines seriously to become PCI compliant, they will be levied a fine.
Now that sounds like a scary thing, and no doubt many merchants are nervous about the whole PCI compliance concept. But in reality there is nothing to be scared of, since PCI compliance is a very easy topic to deal with. It doesn’t take you a lot of while to make your business PCI compliant. You just need to follow some easy guidelines.
The main motive of the guidelines is to ensure that you have provided enough security for the sensitive credit card data which you process at your store. You can do this by getting the latest equipment to process credit card data, and by not depending on the old machinery, which provide a risk these days because they are very easy to hack into. By getting the latest machinery you will be able to ensure greater security for your customers’ data. So keep this in mind when you are about to start accepting cards from your customers.
Another thing that you should take care of is that your computer network should remain secure. Most merchants link their computer networks to the machine which processes credit cards, so if the computer network itself is weak. then the machine will be left exposed as well. To avoid this, it is recommended that you take the required precautions to provide adequate security for your computer network. This will make it strong and unbreakable, so no cyber criminals will be able to hack into your network and try to tamper with your machine, since it is now fool-proof.
It is that simple to follow the PCI guidelines. Sure, it will take up a little of your time to follow all the guidelines and set up all the machinery, but once it has been done, you will be able to provide a safer platform for your customers to use their credit cards at, which means that they will be more confident about purchasing from you. This is a good sign for returning customers as well. So all things considered, you should definitely give PCI compliance a serious thought, and take the required steps to become PCI compliant as soon as you can.
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