| My name is Taunia Kipp and I am the COO for | | | | Again, if you can’t prove your compliance, you can |
| Mountain Media. I’m here to talk to online merchants | | | | face fines, additional fees imposed by your merchant |
| about PCI compliance. | | | | bank or even the loss of your ability to take credit |
| First off, what is PCI compliance? Well, the PCI DSS | | | | cards. Now, being with a compliant provider (such as |
| (or Payment Card Industry – Data Security | | | | Mountain Media) is your first step and makes your |
| Standards) are the result of collaboration between the | | | | compliance process pretty simple. Because you |
| 5 major credit card companies (Visa, Mastercard, | | | | process cards through a level 1 provider, you are able |
| American Express, Discover and JCB) to develop a | | | | to complete a simplified self assessment questionnaire |
| set of standards and a single approach to | | | | (or SAQ) that focuses on your activities and that |
| safeguarding sensitive data, preventing credit card | | | | testifies to the fact that you perform the appropriate |
| fraud, hacking and various other security issues. So, | | | | actions when handing card data. Once you’ve |
| the DSS or Data Security Standards are a series of | | | | completed that questionnaire, you’ll also need to |
| “best practices” for handling, transmitting and | | | | have your website scanned for vulnerabilities by an |
| storing sensitive data. | | | | approved scanning provider. Upon a successful |
| What does this mean for you, the online merchant? | | | | website scanning and the completion of the |
| Well, currently, any merchant who processes, stores | | | | questionnaire, you can obtain a “certificate of |
| or disseminates credit card data MUST be compliant | | | | compliance” to provide to your merchant bank to |
| with the standards or they risk hefty fines, additional | | | | prove that you’re adhering to the PCI standards. |
| fees charged by their merchant bank or even losing | | | | So, how do you get started with YOUR compliance |
| the ability to process credit cards altogether… putting | | | | as a merchant? |
| your entire business at risk. | | | | Well, Mountain Media is currently offering our |
| My company, Mountain Media, is an ecommerce | | | | merchants FREE PCI Compliance through a |
| provider who is level 1 PCI DSS compliant. That means | | | | partnership with McAfee. You can learn more about |
| that we can provide merchants with a safe and | | | | the program and how to sign up on our website at but |
| reliable solution for their ecommerce needs including | | | | even if you don’t work with Mountain Media as |
| hosting and payment processing. Mountain Media | | | | your provider, I urge you to find a level 1 compliant |
| adheres to the strictest level of the PCI standards. If | | | | ecommerce provider to partner with for your needs |
| you’d like to learn more about the services that we | | | | and I also warn you to protect your business by |
| can provide, please visit today. But wait, there’s | | | | becoming compliant yourself! You can learn more |
| more to your role as a merchant than simply | | | | about the PCI DSS by visiting the PCI Standards |
| partnering with a compliant ecommerce provider. | | | | Council home page at pcisecuritystandards.org. |
| As an online merchant, even if you host and process | | | | I hope that this information was helpful and I hope that |
| your credit card transactions through a compliant | | | | you take the necessary steps to protect both your |
| provider, YOU also need to demonstrate and prove | | | | business and your customers from data security |
| your compliance with the standards because of the | | | | breaches and credit card fraud. |
| activities that you perform in your place of business. | | | | |