The PCI Security Standards Council leads a global cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing flexible, industry-driven and effective payment data security standards and programs.
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council is a global forum that develops, maintains and manages the PCI Security Standards for the protection of payment data.
Our standards cover everything from the point of entry of card data into a system, to how the data is processed through secure payment applications. We seek to protect and educate industry players such as merchants, processors, financial institutions and any other organizations around the world that store, process and transmit cardholder data. The Council works to educate stakeholders about the PCI Security Standards, operates programs to train and qualify security professionals in assessing and achieving compliance with PCI Security Standards, and promotes awareness of the need for payment data security to the public.
The Council’s five founding global payment brands, American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, Mastercard and Visa Inc., have incorporated the PCI DSS as the technical requirements for their data security compliance programs. Each founding member also recognizes the practitioners and companies, Qualified Security Assessors and Approved Scanning Vendors, certified by the PCI Security Standards Council as being qualified to validate compliance to the PCI DSS, making the Council a centralized resource for access to standards and services approved by all five payment brands.
If you are involved in the payment processing industry in any way, you have the opportunity to influence the direction of PCI Data Security Standards by becoming a PCI SSC Participating Organization, running for a seat on the Board of Advisors or joining through Strategic or Affiliate Membership. To achieve and improve payment card account data security worldwide, while embracing new technologies as they are developed, the Council wants and needs involvement by all sectors of the industry, from merchants and service providers to payment device manufacturers and software developers, financial institutions and processors.
PCI Security Standards are everyone’s business; that means that everyone has a right and an obligation to help reduce network security threats and data breaches. The PCI Security Standards Council needs your participation in order to drive the security standards to higher levels of adoption and strength. Do your part and you will benefit as well.
Participating Organizations (POs) enjoy active involvement in community meetings, advance review of drafts of standards and supporting materials and regular dialogue with key stakeholders. Plus, POs receive the weekly communication from the Council, the PCI Monitor. More than 900 organizations around the world have signed up – have a look at the list and you will likely find your competitors or partners. Don’t miss out – becoming a PO could lead to a competitive advantage for your company.