PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SS) Overview – pcisecuritystandards.org 

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) (the council) is – according to https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/ – an open global forum, launched in 2006, and is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the actual Payment Card Industry Standards (PCI), including the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), and PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements. As for the major payment brands (AMEX, VISA, MasterCard, Discover & JCB), they are the council’s founding payment brands, and are actively involved in many aspects of the PCI security compliance initiatives themselves.

From an organizational perspective, the council is led by a policy-setting Executive Committee, which includes representatives from the major payment brands, along with other strategic members.  Moreover, a Board of Advisors and participating organizations also provide valuable input to the council as it relates to the PCI standards.  Lastly, there are also Working Groups, Taskforces, and Special Interest Groups that also actively participate within the PCI community as a whole.  It’s a dynamic organization, one that actively seeks to meet the needs of a broad and varied range of entities within the payments industry.

PCI Policies, Procedures, and Templates for SAQ and Onsite Assessments 

As for pcipolicyportal.com, we’re excited to be a part of this dynamic industry, developing industry leading PCI DSS policies, procedures, forms, checklists, templates, and other supporting documentation.  From small merchants to large-multinational organizations, pcipolicyportal.com offers a wide collection of professionally developed, high-quality PCI policies and procedures for the following specific reporting mandates:

•    SAQ A for Merchants
•    SAQ B for Merchants
•    SAQ C for Merchants
•    SAQ C-VT for Merchants
•    SAQ D for Merchants and Service Providers
•    SAQ P2PE-HW for Merchants
•    Onsite Assessments by PCI-QSA for Merchants and Service Providers

Purchase and immediately download your PCI Policies Packet today for SAQ A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW, and Level 1 onsite assessments.

Offering you industry leading PCI policies, procedures, and templates for the above reporting requirements – that’s the pcipolicyportal.com difference. It’s also why companies all around the globe trust us when it comes to high-quality, professionally developed PCI compliance policies.

Our PCI Policy Toolkits save Businesses Thousands of Dollars – Download Now!

Learn more about the PCI certification process for both the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ A – D), and the Level 1 onsite assessments, along with the importance of PCI policies for compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Provisions. Don’t forget to join us each week for our free PCI webinar, where we discuss important topics relating to PCI DSS compliance.  Furthermore, pcpolicyportal.com also offers PCI policy and procedure writing services, so contact us today at pci@pcipolicyportal.com, or by calling 424-274-1952 now.

PCI Compliance Requirements Overview for Self-Assessments (SAQ) and QSA Reporting

What is PCI? What are the PCI compliance requirements for merchants, service providers, and other organizations having a credible nexus with cardholder data? Let’s try and answer some of these questions, hopefully providing you much-needed clarity regarding the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) provisions.

PCI, according to the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, is the following:

“The PCI DSS is a multifaceted security standard that includes requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures. This comprehensive standard is intended to help organizations proactively protect customer account data.”

Source: http://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml

In simpler terms, it’s about ensuring the protection of cardholder data being stored, processed, and/or transmitted by merchants, service providers, and other affiliated entities.  Stop and think about all the organizations that “touch” credit cards, and one can quickly see how widespread the adoption of PCI actually is.  Name an industry or business sector, and chances are highly likely – almost certain – that PCI is a large and notable presence, one that requires constant effort and attention.

As to what the actual PCI DSS requirements are, they consist of what’s known as twelve (12) core “Requirements” – mandates for protecting cardholder data.  Within these twelve (12) requirements are provisions for various policies, procedures, forms, etc. to be in place. It’s just one reason why pcipolicyportal.com came about – to provide high-quality, industry leading PCI compliance policies for all organizations, and for all levels of PCI compliance, from SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW and for Level 1 onsite assessments by an actual PCI-QSA.

As for the twelve (12) PCI “Requirements”, they consist of the following:

Build and Maintain a Secure Network
•    Requirement 1: Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data.
•    Requirement 2: Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters.

Protect Cardholder Data
•    Requirement 3: Protect stored cardholder data.
•    Requirement 4: Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks.

Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program
•    Requirement 5: Use and regularly update anti-virus software.
•    Requirement 6: Develop and maintain secure systems and applications.

Implement Strong Access Control Measures
•    Requirement 7: Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know.
•    Requirement 8: Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access.
•    Requirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data.

Regularly Monitor and Test Networks
•    Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data.
•    Requirement 11: Regularly test security systems and processes.

Maintain an Information Security Policy
•    Requirement 12: Maintain a policy that addresses information security.

Why PCI Policies and Procedures are Critical for Compliance

As for PCI compliance requirements for reporting, there are two essential categories – Self-Assessment, along with Level 1 onsite assessments by an actual licensed PCI-QSA.  While the vast majority of merchants (and to a certain degree, service providers), can “self-assess”, there are a large and growing number of organizations that actually require an onsite assessment by a PCI-QSA.  Regardless of which category you fall into, both the “self-assessment” process and the onsite assessments require organization’s to have documented PCI compliance policies and procedures in place.  Trust the experts at pcipolicyportal.com for all your PCI compliance policy needs.

PCI DSS Policies and Procedures for SAQ A – D,and QSA Assessments

From self-assessments to Level 1 onsite assessments by a PCI-QSA, pcipolicyportal.com has all the documented policies and procedures you’ll need for compliance. Specifically, we’ve developed PCI information security compliance policies and procedures and templates specific to each of the following reporting mandates:

PCI Policy Packets & Templates for all SAQ Requirements – Download Now

Specifically, pcipolicyportal.com provides policies, procedures, and templates for the following PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) PCI 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

Purchase and immediately download your PCI Policies Packet today for SAQ A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW, and Level 1 onsite assessments.

The Global Leader for PCI Policies and Procedures – Learn More

Learn more about the PCI certification process for both the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ A – D), and the Level 1 onsite assessments, along with the importance of PCI compliance policies, procedures, and templates for compliance by visiting pcipolicyportal.com today.

PCI Compliance Policies & Template for SAQ and Onsite Assessments

As the leading global provider of PCI compliance policies, procedures, and templates for SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW, and onsite assessments, we’re often asked why the focus on such a specific niche area? Well, the answer is rather easy: compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) often requires a large number of documented operational and information security policies and procedures. And while PCI DSS compliance may very well be technical in nature, we found that policy and procedural requirements were often overlooked, forgotten, or simply never initiated by many organizations.

As a result, pcipolicyportal.com set out to change the “tone” towards one of the most important aspects of PCI compliance, and that’s educating merchants, service providers, and other organizations about the true need and overall importance of having documented policies and procedures in place. And it’s worked, as witnessed by our documents being used by companies all around the globe, from South Africa to South Carolina.

Providing High-Quality PCI Policies for SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW, Onsite Assessments

Whatever your PCI DSS policy and procedure compliance needs are, the experts at pcipolicyportal.com have developed PCI compliance policies, procedures, and PCI DSS templates for SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW, along with Level 1 onsite assessments. You now have a highly-regarded, well-known organization offering policy and procedure documentation for the following areas of PCI compliance:

• SAQ A for Merchants
• SAQ B for Merchants
• SAQ C for Merchants
• SAQ C-VT for Merchants
• SAQ D for Merchants and Service Providers
• SAQ P2PE-HW for Merchants
• Onsite Assessments by PCI-QSA for Merchants and Service Providers

Purchase and immediately download your PCI Policies Packet today for SAQ A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW, and Level 1 onsite assessments.

PCI DSS Onsite Assessments by  Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)

Additionally, if your organization is seeking an actual onsite assessment by a Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor, then contact us today as we have capable and well-qualified PCI-QSA personnel.

Experts at Developing PCI Policies & Procedures for SAQ and Onsite QSA Assessments

We’re the proven and trusted experts when it comes to developing PCI policies, procedures, and templates, along with providing additional supporting compliance and consulting solutions specific to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards provisions. Working in the payments industry for many years resulted in developing comprehensive PCI DSS policies and procedures and other supporting documents for merchants, service, providers, and all other organizations involved in the processing, storage, and/or transmission of cardholder data.

Now, for the first time, merchants and service providers have the opportunity to purchase a comprehensive and in-depth set of PCI policies and procedures specific to each of the various mandated requirements for PCI, ranging from Self-Assessment Questionnaires to documentation for Level 1 onsite assessments performed by a licensed PCI-QSA.

PCI Policy Packets & Templates for all SAQ Requirements – Download Now

Specifically, pcipolicyportal.com provides policies, procedures, and templates for the following PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) PCI 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

Purchase and immediately download your PCI Policies Packet today for SAQ A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW, and Level 1 onsite assessments.

How has our background afforded us the opportunity to develop these cost-saving and highly useful PCI policy and procedure templates for SAQ A – D, P2PHE, and Level 1 onsite assessments? Years ago, VISA implemented the CISP program, which we quickly became heavily involved in – and over time – the maturity of the CISP program resulted in the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, also known as PCI DSS. Though the CISP initiatives have now been formally superseded by PCI, the requirements for policies and procedures will always be there. The PCI policies and procedure templates are a culmination of years of expertise in the payments industry.

Policies, Procedures for all Levels of PCI Compliance

pcipolicyportal.com now provides years of knowledge and industry expertise in assisting merchants, service providers and any other businesses with PCI DSS compliance. If you need to be compliant, our industry leading PCI policies and procedure templates are an excellent investment. Additionally, if you require an actual PCI DSS Level 1 onsite assessment by a licensed Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI-QSA), then contact us today.

Learn about the PCI Certification Process with our Free Weekly PCI Webinars

Learn more about the PCI certification process for both the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ A – D), and the Level 1 onsite assessments, along with the importance of PCI policies, procedures, and templates for compliance. pcipolicyportal.com also offers policy and procedure writing services for organizations seeking a highly customized set of PCI policies and procedures.

Global Regulatory Compliance Professionals

pcipolicyportal.com was launched in 2009 by Materdei Consulting, LLC, a highly specialized information security and regulatory compliance professional services firm founded on the principles of providing industry leading security documentation, along with highly specialized services geared towards today’s growing regulatory compliance mandates. At our heart, we’re expert regulatory compliance & information security advisors & policy and procedure experts. We specialize in offering the very best PCI policies and procedures found anywhere today.

Since 2009, over 10,000 companies around the world have relied on our industry-leading PCI Policy Toolkits & Templates

Information Security Policy & Procedure Experts

It seems as though with each passing year, yet another significant piece of law, legislation, or industry specific compliance directive is being placed on businesses throughout all throughout the globe. While there are without questions hundreds of various pieces of compliance initiatives circulating in the business arena, they often share a number of common traits, ultimately requiring organizations to implement an exhaustive amount of time and energy for ensuring compliance.

The U.S. economy – without question the largest and most dynamic in the world – has not been spared, as witnessed by the continued growth of massive regulatory compliance laws and legislation, with even more being discussed in the mighty halls of Congress and state legislatures.

Additionally, cyber security threats are becoming a very serious issue for everyone throughout the world, resulting in the pronouncement of even more legislative and industry compliance mandates for society. From protecting critical infrastructure assets, to the safeguarding of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), regulatory compliance, cyber security, and privacy provisions are becoming well-acquainted with one another.

We are the undisputed leading provider of PCI Compliance Toolkits to merchants and service providers all throughout the globe. When it comes to critical documentation for PCI DSS compliance, the only name you need to know if pcipolicyportal.com.

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PCI Policies and Procedures | PCI DSS Policy Templates for Download

Your Trusted Source for High-Quality, Professionally Developed PCI Policies for SAQ Self-Assessment Questionnaires and Level 1 Onsite Assessments.

pcipolicyportal.com is the unquestioned leader in providing essential policies and procedures as required by the Payment Card Industry Data Security (PCI DSS) reporting mandates.

• Thousands of satisfied customers all throughout the globe
• Easy-to-use and download PCI policies and procedures
• Documentation Available for SAQ A – D and onsite assessments

Purchase Today!

• SAQ A for Merchants
• SAQ B for Merchants
• SAQ C for Merchants
• SAQ C-VT for Merchants
• SAQ D for Merchants and Service Providers
• SAQ P2PE-HW for Merchants
• Onsite Assessments by PCI-QSA for Merchants and Service Providers

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If you have an issues, questions, or comments, please feel free to give us a call at:

(424) 274-1952

PCI DSS Level 1 Onsite Assessment Process and the Importance of PCI Compliance Policies, Templates

PCI-QSA Onsite Assessments are reserved for merchants and service providers that either (1). Have met or exceeded certain transaction volume thresholds,  or (2). are being requested by a third party, such as a customer, regulatory authority, acquirer, merchant bank or some other entity, regardless of transaction volume.  Additionally, onsite assessments – also commonly known as Level 1 reporting, can only be performed by a Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI-QSA) – no exceptions. These onsite assessments can be extremely challenging for organizations, simply based on the enormous scope for which compliance is mandatory.  With well over 200 + requirements throughout the twelve (12) PCI DSS reporting standards, Level 1 onsite assessments are often the news of nightmarish stories regarding PCI compliance, but they don’t have to be.  One of the biggest and often most forgotten areas for merchants and service providers are policies and procedures.  That’s right – there are literally dozens of operational and information security policies and procedures required for PCI onsite assessments – change control, patch management, incident response, along with usage policies – and many others.

PCI Compliance Policies and Procedures for Level 1 Onsite Assessments by a PCI-QSA
Your solutions are the comprehensive set of PCI compliance policies and templates developed exclusively for onsite assessments by the experts at pcipolicyportal.com.  Since 2009, merchants and service providers all around the globe – from Cape Town, South Africa, to Greenville, South Carolina – companies have come to trust the professionally developed PCI compliance policies and templates from pcipolicyportal.com. Available for purchase and immediate download, the PCI compliance policies and templates developed exclusively for Level 1 onsite assessments contains all necessary policy, procedure, form, and other documentation for helping merchants and service providers get compliant.  Our policies and procedures have been purchased and used by all different types of organizations, ranging from small, entrepreneurial start-ups, to multi-national organizations in North America, Africa, and Europe.

PCI Compliance Policies and Templates for Merchants and Service Providers | Download Today
As for the politics at play, many service providers are now being required to undertake an actual Level 1 onsite assessment by a PCI-QSA, which means then they’ll need PCI compliance policies and templates also.  Service providers such as data centers, collection agencies, managed service providers, web hosting companies – all organizations having a direct nexus with cardholder data – are being forced to become PCI DSS Level 1 compliant. This is a noticeable change from just a few years ago when merchants were the primary focus, but advances in technology have resulted in many other organizations – now deemed service providers – having a credible relationship with cardholder data.  With the mandates for compliance come with it numerous security and technical requirements, such as provisioning systems in accordance with PCI, along with installing various software and monitoring utilities, etc. But don’t forget about the need for PCI compliance policies and templates for Level 1 assessments also, which are offered by pcipolicyportal.com today.   If you’re in need of a comprehensive set of PCI compliance policies and templates, then pcipolicyportal.com should be your only choice.

PCI Compliance Policies and Templates for PCI-SAQ | QSA Services and Policy Writing Also
Additionally, we also offer PCI compliance policies for all PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaires (A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW), along with PCI policy and procedure writing services, and onsite assessments by a PCI-QSA.  Additionally, learn more about PCI compliance with our PCI webinars – free of charge – so join us.  Lastly, learn about the PCI Compliance Certification Process for Level 1 onsite Assessments, along with the PCI certification process for the Self-Assessment Questionnaires.

The PCI DSS SAQ documents – also commonly known as the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ), are essentially the reporting requirements for merchants and service providers that do NOT have to undergo an annual Level 1 onsite assessment by a licensed Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI-QSA). The good news is that the vast majority of businesses that store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data can “self-assess” against the actual PCI DSS standards.  The challenge, however, is actually meeting the requirements set forth in each of the following respective SAQ reporting mandates:

•    SAQ A for Merchants (Card-not-present merchants, with all Cardholder Data functions being outsourced).
•    SAQ B for Merchants (Merchants with only imprint machines, or only stand-alone, dial-out terminals, with NO electronic cardholder data storage).
•    SAQ C for Merchants (Merchants with payment application systems connected to the Internet, but with NO electronic Cardholder Data storage).
•    SAQ C-VT for Merchants (Merchants using web-based virtual terminals, with NO electronic Cardholder Data storage).
•    SAQ D for Merchants and Service Providers (for all other Merchants not included in the descriptions for SAQ A – C-VT, and for ALL service providers defined by a payment brand as being actually eligible to complete a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), and the accompany Attestation of Compliance (AOC).
•    SAQ P2PE-HW for Merchants (Merchants using only hardware payment terminals included in a PCI SSC-listed, validated, P2PE solution, with NO electronic cardholder data storage.

Sample PCI Templates for SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW | Order and Download Today | Free PCI Webinars
Additionally, the SAQ process is a two part process – first adhering to all the statement requirements for which Self-Assessment Questionnaire an organization must comply with, and then actually completing the applicable Attestation of Compliance (AoC). What merchants and service providers find that they need are policies and procedures, such as the sample PCI DSS information security compliance policies and procedures templates offered by pcipolicyportal.com. We’ve essentially taken each of the above SAQ reporting platforms (SAQ A – D, P2PE-HW) and developed PCI policies and procedures specific to each of them, providing you exactly what’s needed from a policy requirement for PCI. It’s yet another reason why pcipolicyportal.com is the undisputed leader in offering sample PCI DSS information security compliance policies and procedures templates.  Learn more about our policy and procedure writing services, the PCI certification process for the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ A – D), and the importance of sample PCI templates for compliance.  Additionally, join us for free PCI training webinars to learn more about compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Policy and Procedure Writing: As the industry leader in providing documented PCI compliance policy templates for merchants and service providers, pcipolicyportal.com also offers hourly and fixed-fee rates for custom policy writing services.  All of the PCI reporting mandates, from the Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ) A – D, P2PE-HW, to Level 1 onsite assessments, require PCI policies and procedures for compliance.  While we provide policy and procedure documentation specific to each of these reporting mandates, many clients request additional writing services for developing highly customized policies and procedures.  No problem at all – after all – writing PCI policies is our specialty.  When it comes to finding high-quality PCI compliance policy templates, look no further than the experts at pcipolicyportal.com, as we’ve developed PCI policies and procedures that map directly to each of the following PCI DSS reporting requirements:

•    SAQ A for Merchants
•    SAQ B for Merchants
•    SAQ C for Merchants
•    SAQ C-VT for Merchants
•    SAQ D for Merchants and Service Providers
•    SAQ P2PE-HW for Merchants
•    Onsite Assessments by PCI-QSA for Merchants and Service Providers

Purchase and immediately download your PCI Policies Packet today for SAQ A, B, C, C-VT, D, P2PE-HW, and Level 1 onsite assessments.

Hourly Consulting:  Need assistance in understanding which Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is right for your organization?  Perhaps an in-depth overview of the “who, what, when, where, and why” of PCI compliance is needed for your organization? Whatever your PCI needs are, pcipolicyportal.com offers hourly fees for general strategy and consulting services.

Other Services: Developing and writing PCI policies is what we do, and we’re proud to say we’re very good at it. However, we recognize the importance of other services being demanded by merchants and service providers, such as a high-quality, well-skilled Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), somebody who can perform PCI Readiness Assessments, along with conducing Level 1 onsite assessments.  Contact us today to learn more about our other services.

Want to learn more about PCI – then join pcipolicyportal.com for our free webinars.  Additionally, learn about the PCI Compliance Certification Process for Level 1 onsite Assessments, along with the PCI certification process for the Self-Assessment Questionnaires, written exclusively by an industry leading PCI-QSA.