PCI DSS for DATA CENTERS | It’s only going to become MORE of a Requirement

I attended a recent compliance conference for data centers and the phrase that kept coming up was PCI DSS. That’s right, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, simply known as PCI DSS to millions, is spreading like a virus throughout the business community. Merchants were the first set of businesses to be hit with the compliance mandate, quickly followed by “service providers” that also “process, store, and transmit” cardholder data or transaction data.

Data centers, co-locations, and managed service entities are now quickly getting up to speed with PCI DSS compliance. These types of businesses will fall under the realm of a “service provider”, thus most will more than likely “have to” go through an actual on-site PCI DSS assessment by a Qualified Security Assessor, known as a QSA. The real big news about PCI DSS and data centers is not so much that they are having to become compliant, but what truly is the “scope” of the assessment. I’ll cover that in subsequent blogs, but for now, just be aware of the growing importance of PCI DSS compliance for data centers, co-location, and managed service entities.

To learn more about PCI DSS compliance, visit the official PCI Resource Guide.