Why is it Important for your Merchant Account Provider to be PCI Compliant?
PCI compliant refers to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and applies to all businesses that accept credit card payments. If your business accepts credit card payments you will be storing, processing and transmitting cardholder data. In order to do that you must host your data with a PCI compliant hosting provider, such as Charge.com to ensure the safety of your customers’ secure data.
Regulations require that merchant account services providers maintain certain security standards to protect cardholders. These standards are prescribed by the PCI Security Standards Council and comprises of twelve PCI compliance requirements to meet a variety of goals.
What does PCI compliance protect?
First and foremost, it protects cardholders’ personal data to ensure that there is no breach of their personal and sensitive information. Secondly, by ensuring that you choose a merchant account services provider that is PCI compliant, your business is protected from any legal action should a cardholders’ personal data be leaked and confidentiality be breached.
In brief, compliance regulations include building and maintaining firewall configurations, creating and maintaining secure passwords, protecting stored data, creating multiple layers of defense and secure data protection models. They also ensure restricted access and server storage and cabinet locks, create encrypted data that is unreadable across public networks, maintain and utilize anti-virus software protection, identify security vulnerabilities, implement strong access control measures and maintain an information security policy.
This all sounds (and is) very technical, but you need not concern yourself about these technicalities as long as you ensure that the merchant account services provider that you choose is PCI compliant. Maintaining the compliance regulations is their responsibility!
Making the right choice
Charge.com is your best choice if you want to ensure that the merchant account service provider that you use to process all credit card payments is PCI compliant. Charge.com has been in the card processing industry for over twenty years and has been rated the #1 merchant account provider for six years in a row. Sporting a track record like that, you can be assured that Charge.com practice transparency in all their activities, they remain up to date with changes in regulation and compliance and they will guarantee your business reliable and safe card transacting. This together with of the best rates in the industry, a painless application with no application fee, no minimum contract term, no setup fees, no cancellation fees and 24/7/365 live toll-free helpline support – you know that you are dealing with industry professionals.
Charge.com provides all software or equipment required for your business to accept card payments free of charge. No matter the size of your business or the type of business that you run, they offer a solution that will suit your requirements. Protecting your customers’ secure data and your businesses reputation could not be easier. Phone 1-888-924-2743 today to speak to an expert consultant or sign up now at www.charge.com.