PCI DSS

Compliance for the Payment Card Industry

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PCI DSS Compliance

Online transactions are an integral part of our daily lives—and keeping payment card information secure is essential. If your business stores, processes, or transmits credit card data, then the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) likely applies to you.

As a PCI DSS qualified security assessor (QSA) firm, BARR Advisory helps organizations achieve PCI DSS compliance so your customers can rest assured that their data is secure as your business grows.

What is PCI DSS?

PCI DSS is a set of security standards established to safeguard payment card information and prevent unauthorized access. Developed by major credit card companies, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, the standard aims to create a secure environment for processing, storing, and transmitting cardholder data.

PCI DSS compliance involves:

  • Ensuring sensitive card details are collected and transmitted appropriately from start to finish.
  • Storing data securely as outlined by the 12 security domains of PCI DSS.
  • Validating that required security controls are in place on an annual basis.

Why BARR for PCI Compliance

  • Our PCI DSS kickoff meeting helps prepare your organization well before the start of your engagement—giving you the knowledge and confidence you need to achieve compliance.
  • BARR can perform hybrid audits with PCI DSS requirements and provides flexible arrangements depending on your organization’s needs.
  • BARR services as a trusted advisor to some of the fastest growing cloud service providers (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) in the country.
  • We put you and your business first, providing unparalleled communication and accessibility at all times.
  • 40% of BARR reports are delivered early.
  • We put you and your business first, providing unparalleled communication and accessibility at all times.
  • Competitive, fixed rates to accommodate growing enterprises.

How BARR Simplifies the PCI DSS Process

BARR uses our four-phase PCI DSS proven process to help organizations prepare for and successfully achieve compliance seamlessly.

The planning phase of PCI DSS compliance helps BARR and your organization set expectations for your PCI engagement. Your engagement team will partner with you to:

  • Complete a scoping assessment, which determines your in-scope system components.
  • Determine the timing of your engagement and applicable travel plans.
  • Gain a better understanding of your organization’s cardholder data environment (CDE).
  • Create all necessary administration files and evidence request documents.

At least three months prior to your PCI compliance report date, BARR will hold a kickoff meeting to finalize the engagement plans and ensure you’re as prepared as possible. Your organization will then respond to evidence requests that are customized to your unique CDE through BARR’s audit portal, and your engagement team conduct the testing and gathering process—including policy reviews, system evidence reviews, interviews, and observations.

Depending on your organization’s transaction amounts and customer requests, you can choose to perform a self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) or a report of compliance (RoC). Your organization can complete an SAQ on your own, or you can have a QSA like BARR assist you with the process.

If you choose to perform an RoC, BARR will draft the report along with an attestation of compliance (AoC), which will be submitted to the appropriate entities for official attestation. As your trusted partner and a certified QSA, BARR serves as an official reviewer of these reports—and will give you the opportunity to review them—prior to receiving your final deliverable.

Our reporting services include:

  • PCI DSS RoCs and AoCs
  • QSA-assisted SAQs and AoCs

Depending on the complexity of your CDE, achieving an RoC will take three to six months to complete.

Once your report is issued and your audit is archived, BARR will debrief with your organization, communicating process improvement opportunities (PIOs), action items for continuous management, and a pre-plan for your next engagement. Organizations should conduct PCI DSS engagements at least annually and continuously consider your customers and vendors’ requests to determine the appropriate cadence for achieving PCI DSS compliance.

Finally, BARR will help you celebrate and optimize your accomplishment, ensuring your organization is prepared to achieve future security and compliance goals.

How to Prepare

Understand your CDE segmentation.

Understanding your CDE segmentation is often referred to as “requirement zero.” To do this, it’s helpful to maintain current network diagrams that reflect how data is transmitted, processed, and stored, which will help limit your scope prior to your engagement.

Understand your requirements.

Are you a service provider or a merchant? Protect yourself from last-minute surprises by recognizing any specific requirements that may apply to your organization.

Know your transaction amount.

Organizations are held accountable on the number of transactions handled annually. Prepare for your audit by having these numbers readily accessible.

Benefits of PCI DSS Compliance

Protect your customer’s data.

Build stakeholder trust.

Meet business requirements.

Avoid hefty fines and financial loss.

Demonstrate your compliance.

Gain an official report.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

We’re here to help you! Speak with a BARR specialist about your security and compliance needs.