PCI Compliance is just good practice.

When PCI was first introduced into the Australian market in 2004, our initial response was that it made good sense.   PCI addresses 12 key areas in a company relating to the security and handling of credit card information.  Nothing we found in the 12 key points were any different to how we wanted to operate our business – with secure systems and safe handling of data.

So why do we hear so much about PCI being too hard, too costly or just too inconvenient ?  Lack of understanding is one of the main issues, followed closely by being too busy with other (read “money making”) activities.  Yes, is it true that PCI Compliance does incur costs (both financial and time), but those costs are usually offset by having a more secure, more reliable and more efficient system.

So what is PCI ?