Despite the advances in cyber security technology and government initiatives and regulations, attackers will continue to attempt to steal unprotected payment card data. And, far too often, they are successful. Merchants and service providers are greatly concerned about what this means for their business. A lack of trust from customers and clients will hurt the bottom line. So remaining compliant with the latest security standards is important.

One of the most important security standards is PCI DSS, which stands for, “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.” According to the PCI Security Standards Council, “PCI DSS is the global data security standard adopted by the payment card brands for all entities that process, store or transmit cardholder data. It consists of common sense steps that mirror security best practices.”