Globally constant standard for security, governed by the PCI Security Standards Council LLC, which is an independent body (www.pcisecuritystandards.org). security standard that includes requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures The PCI Council issues and maintains the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a multifaceted was founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa International.
All merchants and / or third party providers that store, process or handle payment card data are required to meet the PCI DSS and regularly report their compliance status. Compliance reporting for small merchants can be as simple as completing a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), for larger merchants and third party providers, assessments must be conducted by a PCI Security Standards Council certified Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).