An 8-Step guide to achieving PCI compliance for small businesses

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of standards businesses must adhere to when accepting card payments to ensure the security of sensitive cardholder data. Compliance with the PCI DSS  is important for all businesses to protect both their customers' sensitive data and their reputation.

Here's a guide on how you can become PCI compliant:

1. Determine your PCI compliance level

 Small businesses can fall into one of four categories for PCI compliance based on their transaction volume:

• Level 1: Merchants processing over 6 million card transactions with Visa or Mastercard per year.
• Level 2: Merchants processing 1 to 6 million transactions with Visa or Mastercard per year.
• Level 3: Merchants handling under 1 million transactions with Visa or Mastercard per year but over 20,000 e-commerce transactions.
• Level 4: Merchants handling fewer than  1 million transactions with Visa or Mastercard per year across all processing channels.

2. Define your scope

Identify all locations and flows of cardholder data, including any systems and processes that (if impacted) could compromise its security, and document accordingly.

3. Implement security measures

Implement security measures to protect cardholder data, including firewalls, encryption, access control, and password protection. You should also ensure that you're using only trusted third-party vendors for payment processing and card storage.

4. Train employees

Train employees on PCI compliance and data security policies. Make sure they understand the importance of protecting cardholder data and how to handle sensitive information.

5. Regularly review and update security measures

Review your security measures regularly and update them as needed. This can include performing vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and updating software and hardware as necessary.

6. Complete a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

Once you've determined your PCI compliance level, scope, and implemented the necessary security measures, you'll need to complete an SAQ to confirm you are meeting the relevant controls applicable to your business. There are several types of SAQs, and the one you'll need to complete will depend on your business's payment processing methods.

7. Complete an Attestation of Compliance (AOC)

Once you've completed your SAQ and implemented security measures, you'll need to complete and sign an AOC to confirm your compliance with the applicable PCI standards.

8. Maintain compliance

PCI compliance is not a one-time event, it's an ongoing process that should form part of business-as-usual activities. You'll need to regularly review your security measures, perform vulnerability scans, and update your systems to stay compliant.