About PCI Data Security
The PCI Security Standards Council’s mission is to enhance payment account data security by driving education and awareness of the PCI Security Standards. The organization was founded by American Express®, Discover Financial Services®, JCB International®, MasterCard Worldwide®, and Visa Inc.® Compliance is mandatory and non-compliance fines are steep.
The Three Standards
The PCI Security Standards Council has developed three separate standards that govern the payment card industry.
PCI DSS - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard - 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.
CHARGE Anywhere® utilizes its own PCI DSS Level 1 payment gateway (ComsGate®) for all transactions. Since started in 2004, CHARGE Anywhere® has been breach free and operating with unparalleled up-time. Our state of the art ComsGate® payment gateway is certified by VISA® and meets the most stringent Level 1 security requirements
PA DSS - Payment Application Data Security Standard – PA DSS validation is give to payment applications that adhere to the strict security standards and protocols developed by the council. An application is validated by a PCI approved lab if it adheres to PCI DSS & PA DSS Standards and passes critical testing guidelines.
CHARGE Anywhere® has 10 PCI PA DSS Validated Payment Applications. You can see all validated applications on the council's web site located at: List of PA-DSS Validated Payment Applications
Links and resources:
- Visa Inc.
- JCB International
- MasterCard Worldwide
- American Express
- Discover Financial Services
