The challenge all small and large companies face today is keeping up with security standards. Criminals seemingly always know how to attack a company and steal their most valuable data. In fact, you could wake up one morning to find all of your company assets are gone. Meeting PCI compliance standards will take a little more effort in 2017 than it has in past years. IT support for small businesses is crucial, but larger companies need just as good (or better) protection. Here are some steps to take to ensure your company meets PCI compliance standards this year.
1. Stay Informed About New Updates and Procedures
A hacker knows people are generally behind in updating their policies, procedures and security measures. This lack of information makes your company vulnerable to an attack. Whether you choose to perform weekly updates, or hire managed IT solutions to take care of your updates for you, you need to stay informed about the newest protection measures.
2. Create a Security Checklist
Here’s the thing about creating a security checklist: it’s a great baseline, but it shouldn’t be the only tool you rely on. Hackers never take time off from learning new ways to get around security protection, so you shouldn’t take time off either. Making a security checklist of the things you need to do to meet PCI compliance standards is only valid for a short time. With how quickly hackers learn new tricks, your checklist may be outdated by the end of the day.
3. Be Open to Change
Nothing ever remains the same in business. Whether it’s your IT security services, the network you use, the people you employ or anything else, even the simplest change means you need to reevaluate procedures. Companies have to be open to change at every level of their business, including security. Not incorporating valuable updates or taking an extra step to prevent data breaches could be detrimental, not to mention PCI noncompliant.
4. Find the Best Managed IT Support
Becoming PCI compliant and staying that way requires some time and effort. No matter the size of your company, managed IT solutions can help relieve the stress and pressure associated with PCI compliance. You don’t have to worry as much about the security aspect when you work with IT security services you trust.
We specialize in providing the best IT security services to help large and small companies meet PCI compliance standards. For more information about PCI compliance or our services, be sure to contact us.
