PCI Compliant Hosting (All you need to know)

If your organization stores or transmits online payment information on the server, Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is a must. Your web host must also meet this standard. However, it takes some research to find the best PCI compliant web hosting companies.

Some platforms only provide PCI compliance with specific plans, so it’s critical to pick the right one. Some companies have more expensive plans with higher security measures, whereas others offer budget-friendly options as well.

In this article, we will go through PCI, what compliance is and why it’s so important, as well as six of the best PCI compliant web hosting companies that are the best choices when processing online payments on your server. Let’s learn more!

What is PCI compliant hosting? 

PCI compliant hosting is a hosting service laid out to help merchants comply with the PCI DSS or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard as constituted by credit card companies.

In general, organizations that process credit card transactions on their server must comply with the PCI DSS. In certain cases, organizations are audited for compliance, where auditors inspect all aspects of the IT operations to ensure cardholder information is handled safely, including during transmission, storage, and processing.

New hosting services, such as cloud provider services, designate themselves as being PCI compliant that conform to the PCI DSS standards. To ensure that organizations can pass any audit, clients must ask cloud vendors to prove PCI compliance. 

PCI compliant hosting generally creates a safe connection to the Internet from the buyer’s browser to the organization’s Web server as well as provides a safe and secure environment for cardholder information.

Why do you need PCI DSS-compliant hosting?

PCI standards are in place to ensure that companies collect, transmit, and process their customers’ credit card information safely and securely. Your cloud host must be PCI compliant in case your organization transmits payment data on its servers because it is indirectly involved in processing payment data.

The 12 core requirements of PCI-DSS must be met by you and your web host. Some of the key requirements are:

• Using networks as well as systems that are up to date
• Implementing a vulnerability management program to counter threats
• Preventing any unauthorized entry by exercising strict access control
• Maintaining and implementing a security policy that is reviewed periodically

Businesses that are required to become PCI compliant are typically any kind of website that accepts and processes credit card payments on its cloud server or eCommerce stores. If you utilize WooCommerce or WordPress for your eCommerce needs, note that although these platforms have the highest security standards, they may not be technically PCI compliant.

Alternatively, using third-party payment services such as Stripe or PayPal takes care of credit card payments on your behalf.

Also check out what’s new in PCI DSS 4.0:

Top 5 PCI compliant web hosting providers

We have put together the 5 best PCI compliant hosting providers based on their price, performance, and features to ensure compliance.

Bluehost

Bluehost provides PCI compliance across all its plans and is a beginner-friendly web hosting company. You can pass your PCI scan successfully with some configuration and guidance, no matter which plans you go for.

It’s worth looking into the WooCommerce hosting option if you’re using WordPress and WooCommerce, as it provides additional security features, such as:

• Secure online payments
• Free SSL certificates
• Domain Protection
• A dedicated IP address

InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting provides reliable performance as well as PCI assistance. Its live support team can suggest improvements based on the PCI scan results while helping with your compliance reviews. Note that, in order to access these features, you need to choose one of the VPS or dedicated hosting plans.

InMotion Hosting provides other solid features as well, such as:

• WooCommerce optimization
• Automatic daily backups
• Access to SSH keys
• Free SSL certificates
• Fast VPS servers
• Free site migrations

WP Engine

WP Engine implements PCI DSS v3.2 standards across all its sites and servers. An expert team is available at all times for PCI guidance. Note that the company doesn’t deal in cardholder information, and its Acceptable Use Policy forbids you from doing so as well.

WP Engine provides quick-loading WordPress hosting with the following features:

• Consistently solid performance
• Easy site migration
• Support for staging sites
• Free SSL certificates

Liquid Web

Liquid Web provides full PCI compliance as well as expert advice. In addition to providing quarterly PCI scans, its dedicated team will go to great lengths to provide a custom solution for your website. Liquid Web can aid you in many ways, although some PCI requirements are still your responsibility, and help you in obtaining an Attestation of Compliance.

It offers robust eCommerce features within a wide range of WooCommerce hosting plans, such as:

• Beaver Builder
• Free SSL certificates
• Dropshipping functionality
• Jilt Pro included
• Exceptional scalability and speed thanks to Nexcess

DreamHost

DreamHost’s sites, as well as cloud servers, are PCI compliant. The company doesn’t provide much information on this topic, and it urges you to contact your payment processor for advice. However, you can become fully compliant once you obtain your PCI certification when hosting your site with DreamHost.

You should look into DreamHosts’s managed WordPress solutions if you’re running an online store. They offer excellent performance as well as useful eCommerce features, such as:

• Automatic WordPress updates
• Free SSL certificates
• Jetpack integration
• Automatic caching

How to pick the right PCI compliant hosting provider?

Finding the right PCI compliant hosting might be a challenge for many enterprises. Many server hosting firms do not guarantee that their services comply with the PCI DSS.

Member merchants are in charge of processing credit card information by standards and securely. Additionally, they must make sure that the third-party services they use are also compatible and compliant. After all, not the third-party hosting, but the vendor will be penalized for security leaks and incompatibility.

Instead of shared hosting providers, resellers should search for co-hosting providers with experience in managing servers securely. After identifying a potential hosting provider, you need to scrutinize the following questions:

What steps is the hosting company following to ensure PCI compliance? 

A seasoned hosting company will gladly demonstrate their physical, data, and network security configurations.

What are the responsibilities of the merchant and the hosting provider? 

Additional security features and managed services may be available from hosting providers, enabling retailers to adjust more swiftly.

Can the host provide third-party certification for PCI DSS compliance?

Once you ensure the hosting provider can aid your business in staying compliant, look at other hosting services’ features. Pay special attention to network and server performance, quality of support, and managed services.

Merchants are accountable for ensuring that credit card data is processed in accordance with PCI DSS. Building secure infrastructure on-premises is complex and expensive. PCI compliant hosting offers a low-complexity and low-cost alternative.

With PCI compliant hosting, your SaaS application, e-commerce store, or mobile app backend ensures PCI compliance with the aid of a specialist hosting provider.

Get PCI Compliant with Sprinto

For any business that deals in Card Holder Data or CHD, having a PCI attestation of compliance certificate is essential.

Becoming PCI compliant is essential to business needs, but doing so alone can be a tedious and complicated process, especially with over a dozen security requirements as well as 300 rigorous security controls(as required by PCI).

Sprinto seamlessly integrates with any cloud setup and puts PCI compliance on auto-pilot, saving you hundreds of hours and enabling you to implement security best practices. Learn more about how Sprinto can aid your organization in becoming PCI compliant. Book a demo today. 

FAQs

How do I know if my website is PCI DSS compliant?

An organization’s Attestation of Compliance or AOC is formal proof of a website’s PCI DSS compliance. A company’s AOC is their formal proof that they are compliant with PCI DSS requirements.

How do I know if PCI DSS is applicable to me?

The PCI Data Security Standard is applicable to all entities that process, store, and/or transmit cardholder data. It covers operational and technical practices for embedded system components or connected to environments dealing with cardholder data. If you process or accept payment cards, PCI DSS applies to you.

How do I make my website PCI DSS compliant?

Maintaining an Information Security Policy that addresses information security for all personnel helps achieve PCI compliance. This means codifying an overall usage policy and security policy for relevant technologies. as well as regularly reviewing safety measures and assessing risks.