What does PCI Compliant mean?
‘PCI compliance‘ IS A TERM that gets bantered about by software companies, credit card companies, financial firms, banks and more.
So what is it? Basically it is a set of standards which have been agreed upon by the 4 largest Credit Card companies – ie, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. to guarantee the security of customer data and identity.
One of main tenets that applies to Retail and Hospitality location owners is that credit card information can no longer be stored at the local site in full format, ie, all numbers visible. Read this article for an example from the WALL STREET JOURNAL: In Data Leaks,Culprits Often are Mom, Pop”Many older POS systems, stand alone credit card terminals and cash registers with integrated credit card programs stored the entire credit card number within the system. It is greatly useful before the theft of personal information over the internet, hard drives and every other electronic device. Use the customer information to storing the credit card number allowed easy recall of sales orders, crediting back charges, establishing subscription or monthly recurring charges and being the neighborhood best buddy when mom called and said ‘Put it on the card and Junior will pick it up.”
Today those numbers can not only be easily stolen, they can also be transmitted around the world in one moment. Even though you may live in Muncie, Indiana the purchase of a computer in South America can easily be accomplished by anyone using your credit card or identity information.
So credit card information can not be stored directly on the system now. Numbers can’t be easily accessed. Receipts which must blank out a portion of the numbers,then they can not be duplicated.
So what does that mean for you, the merchant? If your Cash Register, POS System, Credit Card Terminal or Computer Program is displaying and printing the FULL CREDIT CARD NUMBER, you are in violation of PCI compliance and subject to very heavy fines for EACH INCIDENT! Up each Card Number stored to $25,000. Add up the numbers and the cost of a NEW POINT OF SALE SYSTEM that is PCI compliant is a ripple in the pond.
How to Evaluate Business Continuity Services
Business continuity is a matter of business survival. If you?re not sure what it is, it is what you do to make sure everything is up and running in the case of a disaster. Many companies have a business continuity plan, which means they will be prepared in case of an earthquake, a power surge, or another disaster that could keep them from doing business.
A business continuity service can help a business continue their business operations. This is usually because data center storage and other functions are taken care of off-site and usually from another place in the world. However, what this does is allow the business to retrieve the information that they need. In many cases, customers are not even aware that there is a problem. They don?t need to know that there is a problem. All they need to know is that their situation was taken care of accordingly. They don?t have to know about anything that is going on within your business.
Evaluating a business continuity service
To find the right business continuity service, you need to evaluate the service. First, you need to look at the continuity managed services they offer. If they offer things that you don?t need, then see if they can offer you just what you need. A lot of business continuity services have plans that you can choose from. Basically, you are able to customize your plan to what you need. Only you know what your business truly needs, so you should be able to have a choice within reason.
To really find out if they are everything they say that they are, you can check with the Better Business Bureau or similar organization in their area. You can also check online reviews and such. Someone somewhere has most likely said something about the business. They have either talked about how well the business did for them or how horrible their service was. Yes, it is very hard to satisfy everyone, but you can more or less pinpoint negative reviews or statements that are from hard to please people.
As you continue on in their research, make sure you ask the business continuity service a lot of questions. Ask them any questions about things that concern you. Also see about a trial period. Although it is slim that you?ll experience a disaster, you can possibly arrange a testing of the service to see how well they come through for you. You want to see how seamless they are when it comes to continuing on your services when your business is dealing with a disaster.
The advantages
The advantages are quite evident. First of all, you’re not alone in dealing with a disaster. Second, you do not have to answer a thousand questions from your employees. Third, your employees will know more about what is going on. That means they are less likely to panic when disaster strikes. The last thing you need during a disaster is a lot of unnecessary panic. This can make things worse than what they already are.
The disaster itself is hard enough the way it is, so it is only right that you employ a business continuity service to ensure that things go as smooth as possible. You need to focus on those other things that are affected. You shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not you’re entering into a situation that could take years to recover from. Then again, there are times when a business encounters a disaster that they never recover from. With a business continuity service in place and a plan, disaster can be averted.