With the use of active directory management tools, businesses can help to strengthen their network security access management reporting technology in order to further ensure their level of PCI DSS compliance. Organizations of any size can utilize customizable active directory tools so that they may have a system that they are comfortable operating. Customization is critical in catering to the sensibilities of a business’s needs, while still keeping them within compliance with PCI DSS, which is essential for nearly every company that’s in business today.

What Is PCI Compliance?

Whether it’s a big or small business, adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is critical for any business that accepts credit cards, no matter if it’s done online or offline. The entire purpose of PCI compliance is to ensure the security of customer payment card data . Without doing so, vital customer payment card information would be far more vulnerable to abuse via malicious fraudsters than it is today. There are different levels of compliance requirements that need to be met, depending on the size of the business, but, regardless of size, every business has to follow an established standard in order to be able to accept credit card payments.

Security management, policies, procedures, software design, and network architecture are critical protective measures that need to be held to a strict standard in order to ensure that every customer is protected at the high level which has been established as a standard.

On an operational level, PCI compliance indicates that a business is doing its part in protecting their customers’ credit card information, both during the transaction as well as post-transaction. PCI DSS compliance gives both the business and the customer comfort and confidence that everyone is protected against the damage that a data breach can cause for everyone.

Businesses need to put continual evaluation into their operations, as PCI compliance is not simply a mark you hit once. Rather, it is an ongoing process that needs to be met at all times, with each and every credit card transaction that flows through the business at hand. This means that businesses need to constantly and consistently fix any issues or weaknesses in their infrastructure of which they are aware.

What Are the Consequences of Not Being PCI Compliant?

Failure to comply with PCI DSS requirements can lead to a number of penalties, depending on the size of the company and how long they have been non-compliant. However, to put it simply, the penalties are not cheap. They come on a monthly basis and can range from as low as $5,000 a month for level two companies, to $10,000 a month for level 1 companies, to as high as $50,000 a month for level 2 companies and $100,000 a month for level one businesses. Aside from these hefty penalties that can be imposed, additional consequences can come out of a data breach, including $50-$90 per incident of cardholder information that has been compromised; loss of reputation with customers, suppliers, and partners; and civil litigation, to name just a few.

Company Bio

Established in 1999, Visual Click is a leader and innovator in providing organizations of all sizes with customizable computer network security, access management, and reporting technology. Visual Click offers the best system audit, management, and reporting tools, as well as the Windows File System, eDirectory, and Active Directory, making Visual Click the premier choice for any organization looking to reduce time, complexity, and costs of network security management.