pcipolicyportal.com offers comprehensive PCI SAQ compliance, certification and consulting at fixed-fees for San Francisco merchants and service providers.  As the world’s leading provider of PCI policies and procedures since 2009, pcipolicyportal.com has an experienced, trusted, and well-respected team of professionals ready to help you become PCI compliant.

One of the most challenging aspects of becoming PCI DSS compliant is determining the actual scoping boundaries of an organization’s environment.  Are all servers in scope? What about end-user workstations? How do we reduce scope and what are good examples of system architecture designs?  These are just a few of the dozens of questions we’re asked by clients all throughout the country.  We’ve got the answers – and the solutions you need for rapid PCI compliance for San Francisco merchants and service providers – so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com, or call us at 424-274-1952 to learn more.

Download PCI Policy Toolkits Today

As the global leader in offering PCI policies and procedures and PCI compliance toolkits, pcipolicyportal.com can help San Francisco businesses save thousands of dollars on costly policy documentation needs.  Whichever PCI SAQ you choose – or if it’s even an onsite Level 1 audit, we offer the following SAQ Policy Packets for San Francisco businesses:

• SAQ A
• SAQ A-EP
• SAQ B
• SAQ B-IP
• SAQ C
• SAQ C-VT
• SAQ P2PE-HW
• SAQ D for Merchants
• SAQ D for Service Providers

Additionally, picpolicyportal.com provides the following consulting services to San Francisco merchants and service providers:

PCI DSS Scoping & Readiness Assessments:  Is your organization new to PCI compliance? If not, have you made changes to your systems and overall business model that will require a re-examination of controls for purpose of PCI?  Questions such as these often result in companies performing a PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment as unearthing, assessing, and ultimately correcting gaps and noted deficiencies within one’s environment is critical to becoming PCI compliant.

Materdei Consulting, LLC offers a comprehensive, yet brief, and cost-effective upfront PCI scoping & readiness assessment that examines an organizations PCI “boundaries”, policies and procedures, along with other essential PCI mandated compliance initiatives.  Knowing, understanding, and being readily aware of all critical gaps – and how to remediate such issues – is fundamentally important for achieving PCI certification, so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more about our services and solutions for San Francisco businesses.

PCI SAQ Assistance and Completion of Attestation of Compliance (AoC):  Of the millions of merchant ID accounts assigned to businesses throughout North America, the vast majority of entities can self-assess via any number of the PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ).  While businesses all throughout San Francisco are being required to become PCI DSS compliant, thankfully many of these entities can also self-assess with the PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) available at pcisecuritystandards.org.

The challenge, however, is that merchants and service providers run into is the overall complexity and length of the SAQ documents. With upwards of 200 mandates – many of them technical – for some of the SAQ forms (i.e., SAQ A-EP and SAQ D), compliance becomes extremely challenging and operationally taxing.  Soon thereafter, frustration sets in and companies simply ignore and completely abandon PCI compliance because of frustration with the SAQ documents.  If you need help with your SAQ, we can assist.

San Francisco’s PCI DSS Compliance Experts

Let the PCI compliance experts at Materdei Consulting, LLC end your frustration, as we offer comprehensive, fixed-fee consulting and compliance services for the PCI DSS SAQ documents.  From SAQ A to the much-dreaded SAQ D for merchants and service providers, we’ll guide you through the entire process from beginning to end, offering invaluable insight into each of the respective PCI DSS “Requirements”.

More specifically, we’ll give you clear and concise directions on what security tools need to be implemented, what policies and procedures need to be authored, what operational initiatives need to be undertaken, and so much more. We’ll provide you with total guidance and support throughout the entire process, that’s our promise.

Fixed-Fee PCI DSS Services and Solutions for Bay Area Businesses

PCI Policy and Procedures Writing:  While most businesses focus on the technical aspects of PCI compliance, such as firewalls, routers, databases, encryption, and numerous other security topics, they often fail to understand the importance of documentation.  It’s something that’s easy to “slip through the cracks”, after all, you’re busy trying to configure and enhance the security provisions necessary for PCI compliance, so PCI policies and procedures are often secondary in terms of prioritization.

Unfortunately, while documentation may not be tops on your list of PCI DSS “to do” items, developing all the necessary PCI policies and procedures can be an incredibly time-consuming process, but not with Materdei Consulting, LLC. Sure, we provide the very best PCI policies and Procedures found anywhere, but we also offer comprehensive writing services if you desire additional customization or are just short on time or staff.  Time is money, and we’re here to help you save both on PCI compliance for San Francisco businesses.  Contact us today at pcip@pcipolicyportal.com, or call us at 424-274-1952 to learn more.

We’ve got the answers – and the solutions you need for rapid PCI compliance for San Francisco merchants and service providers – so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com, or call us at 424-274-1952 to learn more.

PCI Compliance, Certification, Consultant Phoenix, AZ – SAQ Help, Policies

Phoenix, AZ merchants, service providers, and other businesses seeking to become PCI DSS compliant cost-effectively and quickly can now turn to the PCI compliance and certification experts at Materdei Consulting, LLC. Since 2009, we’ve been the leading provider of PCI services to Arizona businesses – Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson, and all other locations throughout the Valley of the Sun – so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com for a free consultation on how we can assist your business.

From PCI Policy Packets to SAQ Consulting – We’re Arizona’s PCI DSS Experts

One of the most demanding and time-consuming aspects of becoming PCI DSS compliant for Arizona merchants and service providers is the need for comprehensive, well-written documentation. More specifically, you need to have PCI policies and procedures in place, and our award-winning PCI Policy Packets are just the answer for saving endless hours and thousands of dollars on policy creation. Why start from scratch developing policies, or even trying to enhance existing policy documents – it’s not an efficient process – so do what hundreds of Phoenix, AZ businesses have done, and that’s download the PCI Policy Packets today from pcipolicyportal.com.

PCI DSS Services at Fixed-Fees for Phoenix, AZ businesses

Fixed-fees. Superior Service. Industry leading policy templates, and more. That’s what Materdei Consulting, LLC offers Arizona businesses when it comes to PCI compliance. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more or call us at 424-274-1952.  As to our services offerings for Phoenix business, we offer the following:

PCI DSS Scoping & Readiness Assessments

Having a clear understanding and roadmap of PCI DSS compliance in terms of milestones, deliverables, expectations, and the final certification process is what you’ll get when performing a scoping & readiness assessment with us. Need to determine what gaps and deficiencies – both technical and operational – exist within your control environment? Looking for expert guidance on necessary security tools to implement for compliance? How about recommendations on prioritizing the entire PCI project for ensuring project completion on-time and within budget? If you answered yes, then all signs point to a PCI scoping & readiness assessment for your business.

Developing PCI DSS Policies and Procedures

Our industry leading products are the PCI Policy Packets containing hundreds of pages of PCI policies, procedures, forms, templates, and other essential documents for helping Arizona businesses achieve rapid compliance. Whatever the industry is, we offer easy-to-use and implement documents that have been professionally researched by some of the world’s most respected compliance auditors.

Materdei Consulting, LLC also offers policy customization services where we can fine-tune our already high-quality documents to your exact PCI DSS compliance needs. Yes, our documentation is that good, but if you need additional customization, we can assist, just contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com so we can discuss your needs.

The vast majority of Phoenix merchants and service providers can self-assess using any of the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) provided by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council at pcisecuritystandards.org. The challenge, however, is that many businesses find out they need expert guidance as the actual mandates start to become quite technical, leaving many to wonder what the actual intent of the requirement is. Bottom line, frustration sets in and businesses start to get extremely paralyzed by the SAQ documents, ultimately calling in reinforcement for help. Don’t wait until that time comes, contact Materdei Consulting, LLC today for a fixed-fee SAQ engagement for helping charter the rough compliance waters of the PCI SAQ documents. We’ll take the time to walk you through each requirement step-by-step, offering expert guidance and recommendations for becoming compliant.

PCI SAQ Experts for Phoenix, AZ Businesses – Call Us Today

Time is money, and not getting the proper SAQ help can result in a waste of both, so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com, or call us at 424-274-1952. It’s also important to note that many of the SAQ documents that must be completed are often found in the form of online portals that ask a series of questions for guiding merchants and service providers through the process. These online “wizards”, which we call them, can be quite frustrating indeed, and we offer compliance services for assisting Phoenix businesses in completing them in their entirety.

Materdei Consulting, LLC also offers comprehensive vendor selection services where we find and help acquire the necessary security tools required for PCI DSS compliance. Do you have File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) in place? How about two-factor authentication for remote and/or privileged access? Have you sourced a viable scanning solution for both internal and external scans? This is just a small sample of questions we receive from clients every day, and it underscores the importance of finding a well-skilled consulting firm who can ask the right questions and source the right products for you. Want to save thousands of dollars on essential security tool acquisition initiatives, then contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

Arizona’s Premier Provider of PCI DSS Services

Since 2009, Materdei Consulting has helped hundreds of Phoenix area businesses become PCI compliant by using our award-winning, easy-to-use PCI policies and procedures and toolkits. Additionally, our nationally recognized consulting team offers superior services and solutions for ensuring rapid and complete PCI compliance. Need a scoping & readiness assessment? Not a problem, we’ve performed hundreds of such assessments throughout the country. Pressed for time and prefer somebody else author your PCI policies and procedures? It’s what we do best and would be happy to help. Whatever Arizona businesses need in terms of PCI compliance, we’re here to help you every step of the way, so visit pcipolicyportal.com today to learn more.

Do I Need PCI Compliance with Stripe?

Question: Do I Need PCI Compliance with Stripe?

Answer: Yes, you do, but you need to qualify exactly what your question means when asking “do I need PCI compliance with Stripe.” Let’s dig a little deeper to answer your question, providing you the necessary guidance in becoming compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) mandates.

First and foremost, let’s discuss what Stripe is, and how using Stripe can assist your organization in becoming PCI DSS compliant.

What is Stripe?

Stripe is essentially a company that has developed a software platform for payment processing; a platform that connects all relevant parties in the overall buying process. Buyers, sellers, developers – and more – they’re all a part of the Stripe software platform for payment processing. More specifically, Stripe touts their platform as “One Solution to Cover your Payment Needs”, effectively providing the following services relating to the full payment lifecycle for cardholder data (i.e., credit cards):

• Accept
• Process
• Settle and Reconcile
• Manage

Source: https://stripe.com/us/payments/features

So, to answer the question “Do I need PCI compliance with Stripe,” this would be determined by exactly what services you are using from them. So, let’s take a look at the following credit card services offered by Stripe:

Checkout (https://stripe.com/checkout)

Per Stripe, “Checkout is an embeddable payment form for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. It works within your site—customers can pay instantly, without being redirected away to complete the transaction.” What’s great about “Checkout” is that it can reduce – but not entirely eliminate – your PCI DSS reporting requirements. Specifically, “Checkout” securely accepts a customer’s payment details and directly passes them to Stripe’s servers. Stripe then returns a token representation of those payment details, which can then be submitted to a server for use. Therefore, with Stripe, sensitive cardholder data does not hit your server, ultimately minimizing (but again, not eliminating) one’s PCI compliance reporting requirements.

The Stripe “Checkout” service essentially takes care of some of the most demanding aspects and parts of PCI compliance, such as the reporting requirements, if you store cardholder data. Merchants using Stripe Checkout can therefore greatly reduce many aspects of PCI DSS compliance reporting, such as tests in Requirement 3, and other requirements. The key is to NOT store cardholder data, and if you don’t, then yes, you can reduce your footprint in terms of PCI DSS compliance reporting. You can therefore use SAQ-A if you’re using “Checkout”, but you’ll still need to obtain PCI policies and procedures for SAQ-A, for which we offer, so download the pcipolicyportal.com SAQ-A packet today and get started!

Mobile SDK

Stripe’s mobile SDK development and change control is done in accordance with PCI DSS (requirements 6.3 – 6.5), thus delivered through Stripe’s PCI DSS validated architecture and supporting systems. As such, Stripe advises customers to rely on their official SDKs for iOS or Android, or to build a payment form with Elements in a WebView, to be eligible for the simplest form of PCI validation: SAQ A.

Bottom line: If you only use Stripe’s mobile SDKs or an Elements-based WebView, this essentially means that cardholder data passes directly from customers to the Stripe platform.However, if you decide to develop your own code and then transmit cardholder data to the Stripe API, you may be responsible for additional PCI DSS requirements (6.3 – 6.5), which would require compliance with SAQ A-EP or SAQ-D. And lastly, if your application is intended for your customers to enter their information on their own devices, then you qualify for SAQ A. pcipolicyportal.com offers industry leading SAQ policy packets for SAQ-A, SAQ A-EP, SAQ-D, and more.

Stripe.js v2

The PCI DSS Security Standards Council has put forth a number of changes to eligibility requirements for SAQ A. These require that businesses use input fields hosted by a payments provider in order to be eligible for SAQ A, which is by far the quickest, easiest, and simplest method for PCI DSS compliance. Luckily, Stripe has designed both Checkout and Elements with these changes in mind so that you can continue to validate using SAQ A, however, for Stripe.js v2, you’ll need to work a little harder in terms of PCI DSS compliance.

Bottom line, if you continue to use Stripe.js v2, you’ll thus be required to perform an actual SAQ A-EP annually to prove your business is PCI compliant. This is a much more complex endeavor, so working with a proven and trusted PCI DSS consultant, such as the professionals at pcipolicyportal.com, is highly recommended.

Dashboard

Please note that Stripe reminds users of their platform that manually creating card payments through the Dashboard is meant only for exceptional circumstances. This method should essentially never be how you routinely process payments, specifically, your customers should be entering their card information into a suitable payment form or mobile application.

Keep in mind that when cardholder data is manually entered into the Dashboard, Stripe ultimately cannot verify that it’s being kept secure outside of Stripe, therefore customers are responsible for ensuring the protection of cardholder data in accordance with the PCI DSS compliance requirements. Ultimately, merchants will be required to perform an SAQ C-VT annually for purposes of PCI DSS compliance.

Note that to be eligible for the simplest form of PCI validation, SAQ A, you are only allowed collect card information using Checkout, Stripe.js and Elements, or the mobile SDKs. Additionally, you can also make use of a third-party integration, such as an invoicing service or online marketplace, to ensure that you’re processing charges in a secure manner.

Directly to the API

Stripe discourage passing card information directly to Stripe’s API as it means one’s integration is directly handling card information. Even if merchants do not store any cardholder data, Stripe only help simplify PCI compliance for merchants if they have integrated with Checkout, Elements, or Stripe’s mobile SDKs.

If you continue to send credit card information directly to your API, you’ll ultimately be required to upload your SAQ D annually for purposes of proving PCI DSS compliance. Keep in mind that SAQ D is the most comprehensive and time-consuming of all the SAQs, with over 50 + pages of requirements you must implement for becoming – and remaining – PCI DSS compliance. Thus, pcipolicyportal.com recommends migrating to a client-side tokenization of card information to substantially reduce the scope of your PCI DSS compliance.

In addition to the significant PCI burden that this method places on businesses (specifically, merchants) it is not supported by Radar, which is Stripe’s fraud prevention toolset. Radar’s functionality (e.g., risk evaluation, rules, etc.) is only available when using any of Stripe’s methods of client-size tokenization.

Why pcipolicyportal.com when it comes to PCI Compliance for Stripe?

Simple? Because whatever the level and type of PCI DSS compliance you need to comply with when using stripe – from a simple SAQ A to a full-blown Level 1 onsite assessment by a PCI-QSA, pcipolicyportal.com has the documentation you need. We are the world’s leading provider of high-quality, professionally developed PCI policies, procedures, forms, checklists, and so much more.

If you want to save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on PCI DSS compliance, then it starts by utilizing our award-wining PCI policy toolkits. Visit pcipolicyportal.com today to learn more about the dozens of PCI policy toolkits and templates that are available for instant download today.

Using stripe for payment processing for transactions? Great, because it’s a highly secure tool, but don’t forget the importance of documentation for becoming compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

With documentation being one of the most time-consuming mandates for PCI compliance, you’ve now got a company that offers industry specific PCI Policy Toolkits, along with the following PCI SAQ Policy Packets:

• SAQ A
• SAQ A-EP
• SAQ B
• SAQ B-IP
• SAQ C
• SAQ C-VT
• SAQ P2PE-HW
• SAQ D for Merchants
• SAQ D for Service Providers

References:

• https://stripe.com/docs/security#validating-pci-compliance
• https://stripe.com/docs/quickstart
• https://stripe.com/docs/stripe-js

Orange County, CA PCI SAQ Compliance, Certification, & Consulting

pcipolicyportal.com offers industry leading Orange County, CA PCI DSS compliance, certification and consulting services. From merchants to service providers, the growing Orange County economy just keeps getting bigger and busier, meaning a number of regulatory compliance mandates have come calling, especially PCI. Do you store, process, and/or transmit credit card information and are in need of an experienced, well-versed, and highly-skilled PCI DSS compliance expert for helping your business become compliant – then get to know Materdei Consulting, LLC, the founders of pcipolicyportal.com.

Since 2009, pcipolicyportal.com has been helping merchants and service provider all throughout the globe with our industry leading, easy-to-use, high-quality PCI policies and procedures and toolkits. With documentation being one of the most time-consuming mandates for PCI compliance, you’ve now got a company that offers industry specific PCI Policy Toolkits, along with the following PCI SAQ Policy Packets:

• SAQ A
• SAQ A-EP
• SAQ B
• SAQ B-IP
• SAQ C
• SAQ C-VT
• SAQ P2PE-HW
• SAQ D for Merchants
• SAQ D for Service Providers

Comprehensive PCI Services for Orange County Businesses

Additionally, Materdei Consulting, LLC also offers the following comprehensive PCI compliance and consulting services for Orange County, CA merchants and service providers:

Fixed-Fee PCI DSS Scoping & Readiness Assessments

As a business in Orange County, CA, are you new to the world of PCI compliance, and do you have a strong technical and operational understanding of all necessary mandates for achieving certification? Have you taken the time to assess your documentation and security posture against the prescribed PCI DSS framework? These questions, and many others, should be asked amongst internal personnel for assessing the need for a PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment. Trying to become PCI certified with little or no upfront, pre-certification due-diligence measures can be a recipe for disaster. PCI compliance is technical, challenging, so proper pre-planning and examination of one’s control is essential, and it’s why we offer such services.

More specifically, when you engage with Materdei Consulting, LLC for a PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment, we’ll perform the following: (1). Assess business process boundaries regarding the storing, processing, and transmittal of cardholder data. (2). Examine and assess the maturity of your information security policies and procedures. (3). Recommend tools and solutions for becoming compliant, and next steps.
World-Class Providers of PCI SAQ Assistance and Completion of AoC

Completing an actual PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) can often be more challenging than initially thought. While the vast majority of merchants and service providers can luckily self-assess via a PCI SAQ document – therefore effectively avoiding the dreaded Level 1 onsite assessments – that doesn’t mean the SAQ process is a walk in the park.

In fact, three of the PCI SAQ documents – SAQ A-EP, SAQ D for Merchants, and SAQ D for Service Providers, can present immense challenges for companies. Why? Because the length and overall complexity of the questionnaires makes the entire process very difficult. What’s worse, if you don’t have a high-qualified and competent PCI DSS expert to assist, the process then becomes even harder.

The solution? Talk to the experts today at pcipolicyportal.com about our PCI SAQ assistance for Orange County, CA businesses. We’ve helped hundreds of OC merchants and service providers, so email us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com. If you’re looking to save dozens of hours and thousands of dollars on PCI SAQ compliance, then it’s recommended to hire an expert. “Going it alone” it quite difficult, so keep this in mind.

World-Class PCI Policy and Procedures Writing Solutions

Authoring PCI policies and procedures is what we do best, and it’s also one of the most time-consuming initiatives for becoming PCI DSS compliant. Merchants and service providers are spending dozens upon dozens of hours writing PCI policies and procedures, but it doesn’t have to be a laborious and time-consuming exercise – not any more.

Just simply download the PCI policies and procedures toolkits and packets at pcipolicyportal.com today. Since 2009, no other company has helped merchants and service providers more in terms of PCI DSS documentation requirements than us – so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

We offer industry leading toolkits for the following PCI DSS reporting requirements:

• SAQ A
• SAQ A-EP
• SAQ B
• SAQ B-IP
• SAQ C
• SAQ C-VT
• SAQ P2PE-HW
• SAQ D for Merchants
• SAQ D for Service Providers
• Level 1 onsite assessments for merchants and service providers

Industry Leading Security Awareness Training

Hey Orange County, CA businesses. What’s the very best initiative for ensuring all employees are up to date on emerging security issues, threats, and best practices? If you said security awareness training – then you’re right, and we offer a high-quality, easy-to-use and implement training manual that’s authored by world-class compliance leaders. It’s available for download when you purchase any of our PCI policies and procedures packets.
Offering Easy-to-Use Risk Assessment Forms

For many merchants and service providers, performing a risk assessment is an absolute mandate, and we’ve got you covered with the very best risk management & risk assessment program. Our documentation is comprehensive, easy-to-use and implement, and is a great tool for assessing material risks to your business. Hey, performing a risk assessment, while mandatory for many merchants and service providers in the world of PCI DSS compliance, is also a best practice that every business should be performing.

Assistance with Vendor Selection for Security Products

Becoming PCI DSS compliant ultimately means acquiring various security tools and solutions. Perhaps it’s a tool for File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), or anti-virus, vulnerability scanning. Whatever the solution is, Materdei Consulting, LLC can assist, as we have years of experience helping merchants and service providers in choosing the right tools at the right price. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

PCI DSS Continuous Monitoring Services for Helping You STAY Compliant

Orange County, CA businesses that become PCI DSS compliant will no doubt need to maintain compliance on an annual basis, and this can be a time-consuming and somewhat challenging endeavor. The solution is to let Materdei Consulting, LLC provide a cost-effective, fixed-fee continuous monitoring program for you, one that keeps you compliant for years to come. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

Denver, Colorado PCI SAQ Compliance, Certification, & Consulting – Fixed Fees

With business booming in Denver, merchants, retailors, and other storefront entities are being required to become PCI DSS compliant. Do you store, process, and or transmit cardholder data, if so, talk to the experts at Materdei Consulting, LLC, Denver, Colorado’s leading provider of PCI DSS compliance and consulting services and solutions. We offer a full-lifecycle of PCI service offerings, from scoping & readiness assessments to PCI policy writing, assistance with completing the ever-growing list of Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ), and more. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com, or call us at 424-274-1952 to learn more.

PCI Compliance is a Must for Denver, CO Businesses

Payment gateways and processors are demanding that their merchants become PCI DSS compliant each year, or face stiff fines and other penalties. With demanding workloads and competition everywhere, businesses are doing all they can to “stay” in business and remain profitable, which means PCI DSS compliance often takes a back seat in terms of prioritization. Yet with increasing cybersecurity threats and demanding compliance mandates looming, Denver merchants and service providers have no choice but to implement the necessary processes and procedures for becoming PCI compliant.

Frustrated on where to begin your PCI initiatives? Need assistance in developing a workable roadmap, one that includes developing much-needed PCI policies, training material, and more? Then do what other Denver, Colorado businesses are doing, and that’s turning to the experts at pcipolicyportal.com. You’ve worked long and hard in building a profitable business, so keep it that way by adhering to the PCI compliance requirements, while also putting in place a wide-range of information security best practices.

Download your PCI Policy Toolkit Today and Get Compliant

One of the most expensive and laborious processes for becoming – and staying – PCI compliant for Denver businesses are developing policy documents specific to PCI, implementing security awareness training, conducting an annual risk assessment, and more. Such initiatives require a combination of well-written InfoSec policy templates, along with comprehensive supporting materials, which is exactly what pcipolicyportal.com offers with PCI Policy Toolkits available for instant download today.

We take the pain out of PCI policy development for Denver, CO merchants and service providers by offering exceptionally well-researched and developed PCI policies that are simply second to none. Forget about revamping your antiquated InfoSec policies – we’ve got a much better, faster, and more cost-effective strategy – use our policy templates!

Colorado’s Leading Provider for PCI DSS Compliance, Consulting, Certification

pcipolicyportal.com offers the following PCI compliance and consulting services to the greater Denver area, including Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Golden, and other regions:

PCI Scoping & Readiness Assessments: Achieving PCI DSS compliance efficiently means beginning with a scoping & readiness assessment. The notion that you can simply download the PCI DSS standards, check “yes” for in place for all items, and you’re then certified as compliant is simply false. Many entities fail to recognize the complexities and challenges with the PCI framework – all the more reason for working with proven professionals in helping to carefully scope and assess your environment.

Questions we ask for getting to the bottom of PCI compliance for such an exercise include: (1). What is the specific business process and how do you store, process, and transmit cardholder data? (2). Do you have adequate PCI policies and procedures in place and can we review them? (3). Are you aware of the various security tools and systems that need to be in place for PCI compliance, such as FIM, vulnerability scanning, etc.?

The list goes on, but the point to make is that we unearth all issues, ultimately laying the groundwork for a successful PCI compliance process from beginning to end. Simply stated, a PCI scoping & readiness assessment is an essential activity for long-term compliance success, so we highly recommend them. Merchants and service providers in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Golden – and all other areas within Colorado – can now turn to the experts at Materdei Consulting, LLC, so visit pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and AoC Guidance: What’s one of the demanding and challenging aspects of becoming PCI DSS compliant for Colorado merchants and service providers? If you answered that it’s filling out and completing the various PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ), then you’re correct. Millions of business in North America can “thankfully” self-assess against the ever-growing list of PCI SAQ documents, yet such material is becoming incredibly detailed, complex, and challenging, leaving many businesses frustrated and exhausted.

You need help completing the SAQ documents – and you’re not alone – as we often field phone calls from Colorado businesses who’ve called it quits on PCI compliance because the SAQ documents were so demanding. Don’t give up or give in, contact Colorado’s PCI compliance experts today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com. We’ll walk you through the entire set of PCI mandates, from Requirement 1 to Requirement 12, putting in place a structure roadmap that’s scalable, workable, and can deliver results.

Scanning Services: One of core mandates for PCI DSS compliance is performing regularly scheduled internal and external vulnerability scans. It’s not only a requirement for PCI DSS, it just makes sense from an information security best practices perspective. Scanning is critical as it identifies security threats and weaknesses within an organization’s network – and if not corrected – allows malicious hackers to ultimately penetrate a network.

Materdei Consulting, LLC offers services for sourcing scanning vendors for Colorado business. Looking for a cloud-based solution, or a traditional rack mounted device, or both? Have questions pertaining to scope and the relevant IP’s that must be scanned for PCI compliance? Need guidance on how to interpret and ultimately remediate failed scans? We provide all these services, and more, so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

Penetration Testing: What’s without question one of the very initiatives any company can perform regarding the security posture – or lack thereof – of one’s network? It’s penetration testing, and it’s also a strict requirement for PCI DSS compliance. Materdei Consulting, LLC offers comprehensive penetration services for Colorado business, from traditional white-box and black-box testing, to hybrid test procedures. What’s more, the importance of penetration testing has resulted in the PCI DSS framework mandating that multiple such tests are required each year for compliance. The annual pen test days are over, so finding a high-quality, fixed-fee provider for penetration testing for Colorado business is critical.

Denver’s PCI DSS Compliance Experts – Give us a Call

PCI compliance isn’t an overnight process, especially with many of the complexities involved in today’s growing number of SAQ documents – but we can help you get across that finish line. We’ve been helping merchants and service providers all throughout Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Spring, Golden – and other locations – since 2009, so let’s talk today about your PCI needs.

PCI Policy Writing Solutions: One of the most demanding and time-consuming aspect of PCI DSS compliance is authoring the almost endless amounts of documents needed – specifically – the dozens of PCI policies and procedures. From Requirement 1 to Requirement 12, up to fifty different PCI policies are needed, and it’s why Materdei Consulting, LLC offers comprehensive policy writing services. Sure, our PCI policies and procedures are industry leading and easy to configure, but if you’re looking for that extra level of customization and short on time, then let us author your policies for you.

We’ve been helping Denver merchants and service providers save thousands of dollars on policy writing requirements, so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more. Whatever the industry is you’re, in, we offer a wide-range of PCI policies and procedures for helping ensure rapid and complete compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) mandates for Denver, CO merchants and service providers.

Vendor Selection for Security Tools/Products: Are you familiar with File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), two-factor authentication (2FA), network-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) – if so, great – if not, then get to know these security solutions as they’re essential for meeting PCI compliance. We can help source high-quality, cost-effective vendors that offer such tools, saving you dozens of hours when it comes to choosing the right vendor(s).

Continuous Monitoring for Compliance: Hey, PCI DSS compliance for Denver merchants and service providers is not a one-and-done scenario – not at all. If you’ve climbed to the top of the PCI DSS compliance mountain by becoming complaint, then congratulations, but you’ll have to stay there, and that requires work. What type of work – it’s what we call Continuous Monitoring – regularly assessing your internal controls and related policies, procedures, and processes – and making changes as necessary.

It can be a big challenge – Continuous Compliance, that is – but not with Materdei Consulting, LLC, as we offer comprehensive services, forms, checklists, and other solutions for keeping you on top of the PCI DSS compliance mountain. Ready to learn more, then email us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more about our PCI DSS compliance services and solutions for Denver, CO merchants and service providers.

PCI DSS Compliance Requirements for Financial Institutions

PCI compliance requirements for financial institutions – banks, insurance companies, mortgage brokers/agencies, and others – requires such entities to put in place comprehensive internal controls, along with supporting documentation. It can be an incredibly challenging and daunting task – but it doesn’t have to be – so long as you have a solid understanding of the overall intent and merit of PCI DSS compliance, along with helpful tools for getting you past the finish line. Financial institutions are some of the most heavily regulated sectors in the U.S. economy, thus the PCI DSS mandates are yet another layer of regulatory requirements that require immediate attention.

Our PCI Compliance Toolkits save Financial Institutions Thousands of Dollars

Before we dig into best practices for PCI compliance requirements for financial institutions, just a quick note that pcipolicyportal.com offers industry leading, award-winning PCI Compliance Toolkits containing hundreds of pages of information security policies, procedures, forms, checklists, and numerous other documents – essential material for helping FI’s become compliant.

From policy templates to security awareness training material, risk assessment templates – and more – our PCI Policy Packets & Compliance Toolkits for banking & financial services entities will save you hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. Visit pcipolicyportal.com today to learn more.

8 Essential Things Financial Institutions Need to Know About PCI Compliance

Understanding important elements of PCI compliance will ultimately save you hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on annual costs associated with the PCI DSS standards. Financial institutions are often storing, processing, and transmitting cardholder data, and because of this, not only is PCI DSS compliance mandatory, but additional consideration must be taken with other existing compliance mandates and the relationship to consumer data that FI’s store. With that said, let’s dig into some important things you need to know.

1. Begin with a Scoping & Readiness Assessment. A PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment – which can be performed by internal personnel or a seasoned PCI DSS professional – is absolutely necessary for FI’s who have never undertaken this type of compliance mandate. After all, you want to assess and confirm scope, identify gaps and deficiencies, put in place a structured roadmap with deliverables and milestones, and more.

That’s exactly what you’ll get out of a PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment – when properly performed. Scope creep for compliance often begins by not truly understanding the boundaries of an audit and the remediation efforts that must be performed for becoming compliant, so keep that in mind.

2. Understand the Relationship with Credit Cards and Consumer Data (i.e., PII, etc.). There are more than likely a number of scenarios where FIs are storing both cardholder data and sensitive consumer data, which essentially falls under the larger umbrella of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). While the lawyers, pundits, and academia world like to argue as to what the definition of PII is and what is constitutes – and there’s quite a bit of chatter on this topic – we can all agree that any type of information relating to consumer information needs to be protected, no question about it.

Thus, not only does PCI compliance have crossover applicability to the likes of numerous banking and financial regulations, it also allows the PCI standards to be used as a great starting point in terms of baseline information security best practices.

3. Policies and Procedures are Critical for Compliance. If any industry is well aware of the layers of bureaucracy, it’s banking and financial, which also means you’re well aware of the importance of documentation – specifically – policies and procedures. Sure, they’re exhausting to develop, and can be quite costly, and it’s why FI’s download our PCI Policy Packets & Compliance Toolkits for banking & financial services entities at pcipolicyportal.com. Everything you need for PCI compliance in terms of documentation is right there for you, ultimately resulting in big savings in terms of operational man-hours.

4. Expect Technical Remediation to be Performed. FI’s new to the PCI DSS framework will without question have a number of technical “to do” items on their task list, and that’s largely because the PCI mandates are comprehensive, covering a wide-range of information security domains. We already spoke about the importance of PCI policies and procedures, but consider the following technical/security requirements found within the current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards framework:

• Provisioning and hardening of firewall rules/configuration files
• Server hardening
• Anti-virus
• File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)
• Two-factor/multifactor authentication
• Audit logs and audit trails
• Vulnerability scanning
• Penetration testing
• Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
• And more

As you can clearly see, it’s a healthy list of initiatives, many of which can take time and money to successfully implement. Luckily, Materdei Consulting, LLC has years of experience helping FI’s in becoming PCI compliant. We know what tools you need to implement, what vendors you should turn to, and more. It’s just another reason why companies all throughout North America turn to us for industry leading PCI solutions and consulting services. Visit pcipolicyportal.com today to learn more.

5. Assessing Risk is Mandatory. So what’s one of the most important initiatives any business should be doing ever year, regardless of industry, size, or sector? Assessing risk, that’s what! How can a company reasonably expect to survive and move forward without understanding short-term and long-term issues, risks and threats to the organization? Risk assessments, when performed properly, are very beneficial and insightful indeed, and they’re also a strict requirement for many merchants and service providers seeking to become PCI DSS compliant. Our PCI Policy Packets & Compliance Toolkits for banking & financial services offer a comprehensive and easy-to-use risk assessment packet.

6. The Importance of Security Awareness Training. Do you train your employees on a regular basis regarding essential security threats, issues, and topics for today’s complex and digitally driven economy we all live in? If not, now’s the time, because much like risk assessments, security awareness training is a best practice every business should be performing, and it’s also a mandate for many merchants and service providers. pcipolicyportal.com offers an in-depth, high-quality security awareness training packet consisting of a PowerPoint presentation and a training manual – thus giving you two options for PCI security awareness training. Knowledge is power – all the more reason to perform annual PCI security awareness training.

7. Annual Compliance is Mandatory. There’s no such thing as a one-and-done scenario for PCI DSS compliance for any business. While becoming PCI DSS compliant is a monumental milestone to meet, staying compliant year after year is often a more taxing, time-consuming, and challenging process. The world of regulatory compliance just continues to grow each year, with the PCI DSS framework often leading the way. With millions of businesses storing, processing, and/or transmitting cardholder data, the safety and security of credit card information is now more important than ever, so turn to the proven and trusted experts today at pcipolicyportal.com. Call us today at 424-274-1952 to learn more about our products, services, and solutions and how we can help FI’s become PCI DSS compliant.

8. Put in place “Continuous Monitoring”. As for mandatory PCI DSS compliance, the very best way to ensure one’s annual PCI certification is kept current is by putting in place a concept known as “Continuous Monitoring” – the practice of inspecting, assessing, changing and ultimately enhancing one’s internal controls at it relates to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. Visit pcipolicyportal.com to learn more today.

Download PCI Compliance Toolkit today and get Compliant

Becoming PCI compliant for FI’s requires a tremendous amount of documentation – no question about it – and it’s why businesses in the banking and financial services sector turn to pcipolicyportal.com and instantly download the PCI Policy Packets & Compliance Toolkits for banking & financial services. Spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on costly policy and procedures writing is not high on anybody’s wish list, so do what thousands of businesses have done since 2009, and that’s download the very best set of PCI policy and compliance documents today from pcipolicyportal.com.

Overview of PCI Compliance & Certification for Cloud Computing and SaaS Vendors

PCI compliance & certification for cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors is becoming a notable topic in regulatory compliance as numerous technology companies are now heavily involved in the storage and transmission of cardholder data. While they may not be technically “processing” cardholder data, the very notion of storing and transmitting such sensitive information puts cloud computing and SaaS vendors clearly in the crosshairs for PCI DSS compliance. Take note of the following checklist and best practices regarding compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) for cloud computing & SaaS vendors, provided by pcipolicyportal.com:

Assessing Scope and Understanding Your Requirements are Critical.

The vast majority of cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors are essentially offering client facing, web based services, be it multi-tenancy, an architecture in which a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers, to multi-instance architectures, where separate software instances operate on behalf of different tenants. Because of the complexities involved in these environments, assessing scope – and ultimately, PCI DSS compliance responsibilities – can become subjective, to say the least. Thus, analyzing the twelve (12) respective PCI DSS mandates is what’s needed for ultimately ensuring the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards are being met as required for cloud computing and SaaS vendors.

But even before that, it’s important to understand the various types of cloud offerings (i.e., deployment models), along with the respective service models, as this ultimately will determine scope and which of the twelve (12) PCI DSS requirements are applicable to a cloud computing/SaaS vendor (herein collectively referred to as a Cloud Service Provider – CSP).

As for deployment models, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides the following information:

Private cloud – A cloud platform operating solely for a single entity/client. The platform itself may be managed by the single entity/client itself or an actual third-party service provider, and it may even be on premise or an off premise deployment. The key is “private” in that it’s dedicated to one single organization, with no “sharing” of cloud resources.

Community cloud – A cloud platform that’s essentially shared by several entities, supporting a specific community with shared requirements or needs (for example, business model, security requirements, policy, or compliance considerations). The platform itself may be managed by the single entity/client itself or an actual third-party service provider, and it may even be on premise or off premise deployment.

Public cloud – The cloud platform that’s generally available for use by the general public and/or some type of industry group. More specifically, a public cloud is a multi-tenant environment, whereby services in a cloud computing environment are shared with a number of other clients or tenants, thus a “multi-tenant” environment.

Hybrid cloud – This particular cloud platform generally consists of a combination of two or more respective cloud platforms effectively bound together by technology for enabling delivery of services. According to the PCI DSS Guidelines publication on cloud computing, “Hybrid clouds are commonly used for redundancy or load-balancing purposes”.

So those are the different types of cloud models – but what about the service models – the delivery format for each of the cloud models? Again, with cloud technology still an evolving concept, one can at least define service delivery in the following manner:

Software as a Service (SaaS): Currently the largest – and most recognizable form of cloud computing – is Software as a Service, simply known as SaaS. Characteristics of SaaS cloud computing include the following:

• SaaS uses the web to deliver applications that are managed by a third-party vendor and whose interface is accessed on the clients’ side.
• Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required, although some require plugins for optimal performance.
• SaaS provides the ability for clients to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. Thus, the applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface, such as a web browser, or a program interface.
• With SaaS, it’s quite easy for enterprises to streamline their maintenance and support, because everything can be managed by vendors, such as the operating systems, applications, runtime, data, middleware, virtualization, servers, storage, networking, etc.

Additionally, other characteristics of SaaS is that software is managed from a central location, delivered in a “one to many” model, with users not required to handle software upgrades and patches to the SaaS platform itself.  Examples of SaaS models include Google Apps, Salesforce, Workday, Concur, Citrix GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, and many others.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): Though the lines are blurring between PaaS, IaaS, and SaaS, the actual PaaS offering is looked upon as a platform for clients to deploy their applications (created or acquired) onto an actual cloud infrastructure, using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools, etc. that are supported by the cloud provider. Specifically, what developers gain with a PaaS framework is the ability to build upon, develop or customize applications, making development, testing, and deployment of applications quick, simple, and easy – all things considered.

PaaS allows the ability to effectively develop applications using software components that are built into the PaaS platform itself. Applications using PaaS therefore inherit cloud characteristic such as scalability, high-availability, while benefiting from the amount of development – specifically, coding – that is necessary. Simply stated, PaaS allows users to effectively create software applications using tools supplied by the provider.

With a PaaS platform, one can expect to have the following service offerings available:

• Operating system
• Server-side scripting environment
• Database management system
• Server Software
• Tools for design and development
• Support
• Storage
• Network access
• Hosting

Examples of PaaS models include salesforce.com, along with Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Assure platforms.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS allows a user to spin up a virtual machine in no time, with that machine often being nothing more than a bare bones platform running just an operating system, or one with a preconfigured system or software stack. Therefore, the user is ultimately responsible for managing the resources on that machine. For example, disk utilization and CPU capacity usage issues are left to the user to monitor and administer. It also means that you’ll be spending time evaluating, assessing, and implementing various tools and plugins for helping ensure the safety and security of your IaaS platform. From anti-virus needs to File Integrity Monitoring FIM) – and more – IaaS platforms can require a tremendous amount of work, so keep this in mind.

The most popular public IaaS provider is Amazon, with EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud). Other competitors include Google Compute Engine, RackSpace, DigitalOcean, Azure, and Linode.

While many businesses very well find themselves agreeable to SaaS and PaaS platforms, due to the resource savings and reduced responsibilities for administering the cloud infrastructure, they also need to know that there’s a greater loss of control of the environment housing their sensitive data. It means that businesses will need to conduct their own due-diligence for ensuring compliance mandates by such vendors – specifically that of PCI DSS – are being met, and maintained. For simplicity and an ounce of clarity, just remember that SaaS model decrease the degree of PCI DSS compliance for businesses using such services, while IaaS platforms increase the degree of PCI DSS compliance. The more you rely on a cloud provider for a platform – and its underlying functioning – the less you need to worry about PCI compliance – generally speaking, that is.

Documentation is key to the success of PCI compliance.

That’s right and when we say “documentation”, we’re talking about putting in place comprehensive information security policies and procedures, but also various processes and initiatives that also require documentation. PCI DSS compliance – much like any of today’s growing compliance edicts – demands granular and in-depth policies and procedures for ensuring compliance – it’s just the world we live in today. Take note of the following areas of documentation regarding PCI compliance for cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors:

Information Security Policies and Procedures: It’s probably fair to say that almost everyone in the world of regulatory compliance is aware of the need for information security policies and procedures – the essential documents that form the basis of any company’s daily I.T. environment. But remember that policies are just that – nothing more than written words – if not enacted upon and followed, and that’s the “procedures” aspect of them. You don’t want your documentation becoming “shelfware” – a term that essentially means policies have been developed, and then never looked at again or even followed – that’s not a healthy practice. pcipolicyportal.com offers industry leading PCI policies for instant download today.

Risk Assessment Materials: A large part of PCI compliance for cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors is much more than policies – it’s about taking action and implementing initiatives – such is the case with assessing organizational risk for cloud computing providers. Specifically, PCI compliance mandates that an annual risk assessment be performed for assessing risks, threats, and other issues from an enterprise-wide perspective, which includes the cardholder data environment. pcipolicyportal.com offers an in-depth and easy-to-use risk assessment program allowing for effective documentation of all critical and essential risk categories within an organization., and it’s available for instant download today! We hope you enjoyed our overview on PCI compliance for cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors.

Are you a merchant or service provider that’s been through an annual on-site assessment by a Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI QSA), or are looking to achieve compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) initiatives in the near future? Want to avoid having your PCI engagement turn into a nightmare? If so, take note of the experiences and first-hand accounts from a highly qualified PCI compliance firm that’s worked with numerous companies regarding PCI certification, and that’s Materdei Consulting, LLC. While we’re widely known throughout the world as the leading provider of PCI policies and compliance packets, we also offer high-quality, professional consulting and advisory services to merchants and service providers throughout North America. Visit pcipolicyportal.com today to learn more.

We’re Experts at Turning PCI Compliance into an Efficient Process

PCI DSS compliance is fast becoming one of the most widely recognized compliance initiatives around the globe, and for good reason. If your organization – which is traditionally defined as a merchant or service provider in the world of PCI compliance – is directly involved in the processing, storage, or transmission of transaction data or cardholder, then without question you are a candidate for PCI DSS compliance.

But how difficult can PCI compliance be? After all, you simply follow the prescribed matrix from the PCI Security Standards Council, implement the requirements and “check the box”, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. PCI DSS assessments often turn into engagements of nightmarish proportions as personnel involved within the assessment itself fail to effectively plan and strategize for the following 4 key areas.

4 Important Components for PCI DSS Compliance

Perform an upfront PCI DSS Scoping & Readiness Assessment: You need to crawl before you walk – as the old saying goes – and with that said, successful PCI DSS engagements can only be achieved when you undertake an actual PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment BEFORE the engagement commences. Crucial to the overall on-site assessment, a well-planned and executed scoping & readiness assessment effectively defines scope, identifies personnel to be involved in the process, while also assessing critical gaps and deficiencies that require remediation. Make no mistake, when a PCI DSS scoping & readiness assessment is done correctly, EVERY company will have a marginal to meaningful amount of remediation to conduct, and that’s because no organization has a picture-perfect control environment.

You need to be aware of missing documents, gaps in operational procedures, features to enable on various security tools, and much more, and that’s exactly what Materdei Consulting, LLC offers, all at a competitively priced fixed-fee. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more.

Policies and Procedures are Incredibly Important: As one of North America’s leading PCI DSS consulting firms, we can’t tell you how many times prospective or actual clients ask, “Where can I find PCI policy and procedure templates” or “how much do you charge to write them, because we just don’t have the time”. The point is that developing policies and procedures for PCI DSS compliance is often one of the most time-consuming aspects of the engagement itself. Shocked at that statement? You shouldn’t be. Read through the PCI requirements matrix lately? We’ve counted approximately three dozen “tests” throughout the 12 functional PCI requirements that call for a documented policy or procedure. Our advice is to find a reputable vendor that provides policies and procedures –such us the products we offer – and download them today.

Unexpected Operational Time Commitments: Familiar with two-factor authentication, a web application firewall (WAF), or file integrity monitoring (FIM), just to name a few catchy PCI phrases? If not, and you’re considering tackling PCI compliance, then you need to invest considerable operational time commitments into implementing many of the tools and appliances required by PCI. And here’s what’s interesting; many of these tools can be had via open source-requiring minimal costs to obtain usage rights for them. Thus, it’s generally not the financial costs to obtain these tools that cause significant strains on PCI engagements, rather, the unplanned operational time commitments in provisioning and hardening these tools within the cardholder data environment.

Continuous Monitoring can be Challenging: Once you’ve become PCI DSS compliant, the fun just begins because annual compliance is mandatory. That’s right, ensuring your policies, procedures, and processes are in place and control are operating as designed can be a time-consuming process, but it’s got to be done, hence the requirement of “Continuous Monitoring” comes into play. Contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com to learn more about our nationwide PCI DSS consulting, certification, and compliance services for merchants and service providers.