What is PCI DSS Compliance?

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security practices set forth by American Express, Discover, Japan Central Bank, MasterCard, and VISA (PCI DSS VISA) to protect cardholder data.  It is an industry-established policy requiring compliance by all merchants and service providers that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. PCI Compliance is now a standard for merchants.

Separate and distinct from the mandate to comply with the PCI Data Security Standard is the validation of compliance whereby service providers like Stafford Associates verify and demonstrate their PCI Compliance status.  It is a fundamental and critical function that identifies and corrects vulnerabilities, and protects customers by ensuring that appropriate levels of cardholder information security are maintained. We can provide a detailed report of you PCI Compliance based on your adherence to the PCI Data Security Standards.

Our network conforms to the following PCI Compliant Security Standards:

Secure PCI Compliant Hosting Network:

Our PCI Compliant Hosting service features dual tiered application firewall and network IDS used to protect credit card information and insure PCI Compliance. Our hosting service is fully PCI Compliant, that is, PCI Compliant Hosting.

Cardholder Data Protection:

Protection of stored cardholder data and encrypted transmission of cardholder data across open networks is now a must under PCI DSS. For vulnerability management, we use and regularly update anti-virus software, develop secure applications, and maintain secure systems which provide PCI Compliance. Remember, we are a certified PCI Compliant Hosting site.

Access Control:

Restricted access to cardholder data and assign a dual factor token to each person with remote access to our PCI Compliant Hosting Server. This is part of Managed PCI Hosting. Again, this is part of PCI DSS.

Monitor and Test Networks to Insure PCI Compliance:

Monitoring of all access to network resources and cardholder data and regularly test security systems and processes to insure PCI Compliance. This again is part of the PCI DSS.

PCI DSS Compliance security standards have grown more demanding in recent years and Stafford can help you comply with every part of the PCI code. We have extensive experience working with clients to meet the most demanding PCI Compliance security standards. Stafford is PCI Certified.

We have developed a wide range of PCI Compliant services to meet PCI Compliance security standards and the needs of the regulated marketplace including regulated and managed hosting services, application development, and consulting services. Our PCI Hosting Service can provide PCI security to your critical data.

PCI Compliance security standards have requirements not just for application and server operations, but application development as well. Production data is never applied in a development environment and our PCI DSS compliant development methodology is driven by our client’s business needs and Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) guidelines.

PCI DSS Compliant Services & Solutions

PCI Data Security & Assurance

Our PCI DSS experts provide PCI Data Security and Assurance services based on the latest PCI Data Security Standards that are customizable to meet any PCI Compliance standards that your organization must satisfy.

At the core of our PCI Compliant Service offerings is our Change Management Process, that incorporates changes to hardware, network devices, operating systems, and mission critical applications as required to meet mission critical demands as well as all levels of PCI standards. Our PCI Data Security Services are backed by our intrusion detection and monitoring hardware and software, by change monitoring software from Cisco. For complete Data Security we provide intrusion detection, immediate response to identified issues, all backed by the Stafford Computer Security Intrusion Response Team (CSIRT). We also provide encrypted backup of your PCI and non PCI Data as well as a whole range of solutions from email to remote network monitoring. There is more to our service offerings than just PCI DSS.

In today’s world securing your information assets, whether it be PCI Data or your normal business resource data, requires 24/7/365 vigilance. The threats to your information assets are smarter, better organized, and more targeted than ever before, that is why the credit card industry has developed the PCI DSS. For you to meet these threats and become or remain PCI Compliant requires you to secure your data assets. Our PCI Data Security can provide you with premier system security and management to meet all your PCI Compliance and regulatory needs.

PCI Compliant Application Services

Our PCI Compliance Services Team has extensive experience developing Web based and client server based applications using a variety of technologies in many vertical markets. They have expertise in developing PCI Compliant Applications. PCI Compliance standards have requirements for application and server operations, as well as application development. Our team of designers and programmers can provide you with PCI Compliant applications. We do not use production data in a development environment in order to maintain strict PCI Development Standards.  Our development methodology is driven by our client’s business needs and Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) guidelines. As a PCI Certified company we can assist you in becoming PCI Compliant.

Our large corporate client base includes an array of businesses and institutions, Not-For-Profit organizations, retail businesses, advertising firms, communications companies, consulting firms, major banking companies, as well as schools and governmental institutions. Our banking and financial clients who incorporate PCI standards in their business model rely on our PCI compliant application services. Remember, we offer PCI Compliant Hosting.

PCI DSS Compliance Consulting Services

When it comes to navigating the complex web of PCI Compliance regulatory requirements for your business, our PCI DSS Compliance consulting services offer consultative and auditing services to your organization to help assure your PCI DSS Compliance.

Stafford brings first hand experience to the process of PCI Compliancy. We practice the recommendations we offer on a daily basis, through the maintenance of our own PCI Level 1 service provider certification.

Let Stafford be instrumental in recommending various applications and business processes we have successfully used in the past and continue to use to maintain PCI DSS Compliance. We will work with you to update your current procedures and business practices to bring your organization into compliance with PCI DSS Compliance standards. Particularly with regard to data storage and data security you want to insure that your critical data is stored and maintained to the highest level of physical and logical security that PCS DDD requires. Our PCI DSS Compliance consulting services will provide your business with all of your PCI DSS Compliance needs.

PCI DSS Compliant Ecommerce Solutions

Is ecommerce a business goal? Stafford Associates has the knowledge and experience to help you move your product line or service offerings to the World Wide Web with our Certified PCI Compliant Hosting and ecommerce solutions. We can introduce shopping cart functionality and credit card processing to your web site using our trusted standard Certified PCI Complaint ecommerce storefront software; or if your ecommerce solution needs are more unique and specific, our highly trained development team can design a customized solution from the ground-up to meet all of you requirements.

Not only does each of Stafford Associates’ methods of ecommerce cover the basic authentication and capture of transactions, but they will also keep your site in compliance with the PCI regulatory standards when obtaining credit card and other personal identification information.

The Web is public, your data can not be; data security is a vital necessity as well as a PCI Compliance requirement if you are going to do business on the Internet. Stafford Associates will provide your internet business with Certified PCI Compliant Hosting and ecommerce solution that will insure data security/ integrity and insure your PCI Compliance.

Contact Stafford Associates Regarding your PCI Compliance Needs

Do you have questions on PCI Compliance, Certified PCI Compliant Hosting, implementing PCI in your business, security standards in general or do you have concerns about you Data storage, its security, its redundancy, Managed PCI Hosting? Stafford Associates is PCI Certified and will answer your questions. Contact the PCI DSS people at Stafford; ask for Harry or Ken.

You can contact us by phone, fax, eMail or by using the form on our Contact page. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please feel free to contact us.

Stafford Associates’ state of the art PCI Compliant Data Center is the first PCI Compliant Certified data center in the Tri-State/Metropolitan area!