When it comes to the security of your business and its daily transactions, you want as much security as possible. Even the smallest bit of negligence could cause your business to fall victim to all sorts of theft, harming both your staff and clientele. Naturally, this is the last thing any business owner wants.In our last article, we covered the process of obtaining PCI compliance as well as defined all of its different nuances. Now we’ll cover how to keep your PCI compliance now that you have it.
1) Create a Policy for Information Security
Since one of the biggest reasons to have PCI compliance is to protect information, you need to put a plan in place as to how you’ll stay on top of this information protection. Be sure to record every aspect of how you record and use your information, from how it’s organized on a daily basis and at a rudimentary level to the types of technology you use within your company and how you use it.
2) Place a Firewall
A firewall is one of the best forms of front line security your company can utilize, as it helps to keep unwanted visitors out of your files. This is amazingly convenient for companies that may juggle several volumes of confidential information. Be sure to speak with your IT security provider to learn how you can better protect your company’s network and the information within it. You’ll want to work with them to ensure you have the strongest firewall and other security tools possible.
3) Test Everything
All too often business owners realize something is wrong with their security tools only once ne’er-do-wells have wormed their way through a serious breach. You never want this to happen to you! To prevent any developing problems from escalating into a horrible security hazard, you’ll want to test all of your mechanisms on a regular basis. This will help to protect your clients’ information, as well as the rest of the information maintained by your company.
4) Never Rely on Defaults
You may have heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This absolutely doesn’t apply to PCI compliance and its security requirements! If you already have security software for your company’s network, you’ll want to make sure it’s not still stuck on the same settings it used fresh out of the box. All too often these default settings aren’t strong enough to really protect your information, and are very easy for hackers and other technological deviants to figure out.
Once they break in, it’s game over for your clients’ credit information. Work together with your staff to make sure your software maintains the highest level of security possible, and pay special attention to passwords! Reset them to something complex and hard to crack if you haven’t already.
At Single Point of Contact, we strive to be the number one complete managed IT support service for all of your business needs. You can contact us with any questions you have about PCI compliance or other company-oriented security measures.
