Complete Guide to PCI DSS Certification Process
Meeba Gracy
Nov 15, 2024
PCI DSS is for payment card data. It is seen as the gold standard for protecting sensitive authentication data and with PCI DSS 4.0 in effect the requirements have only become more stringent.
The newer and stronger version was built after much input from the PCI Community, including 6,000+ comments from 200 companies and many different surveys. The thorough update requires a lot of familiarization and implementation effort.
So here’s your complete guide on PCI DSS certification including the steps to get certified, the costs involved, and more.
TL;DR
- PCI DSS applies to any merchant that stores, processes, or transmits sensitive cardholder data
- The certification can be achieved if you familiarize yourself with the requirements, determine your compliance level, implement the right controls, and meet other compliance checkboxes before proceeding with a formal assessment
- The certification can takeanywhere from one day to two weeks
- The certification costs can range from $5000 to $200000 and more depending on the organization’s risk maturity
What is a PCI DSS certification?
PCI DSS certification is an audited assurance of adherence to the PCI DSS standard that aims to protect sensitive cardholder information. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requires companies that collect, store, or transmit credit card data to maintain a secure environment and minimize fraud and breaches.
PCI certification is achieved once you meet the PCI requirements established by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), which comprises six major payment brands: American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa Inc. The 12 major requirements include installing firewalls, encrypting data, and more.
Why is PCI DSS certification required?
PCI DSS certification is required to protect sensitive cardholder and authentication data, whether stored, transmitted, or processed. This applies whether you are a global enterprise or a start-up.
Your business must always be compliant, and if you accept credit card brands like American Express, JCB International, VISA, and more, you should validate your compliance annually.
PCI DSS compliance burden applies to all companies that collect, process, and transmit credit card data. If you accept or process credit card payments as a service provider, you must comply with PCI DSS requirements based on the security policy.
11 Steps to get PCI DSS Certification
Getting PCI DSS certified from external Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) by following the process from 12 certification requirements until continuous monitoring, and it typically takes companies one day to a few weeks to get PCI certified, depending on payment complexity and current information security status.
If you’re keen on achieving PCI compliance, Here is the 11 step process to get PCI DSS compliance certification:
1. Get familiar with 12 PCI DSS requirements
PCI DSS certification process requires you to adhere to twelve PCI DSS requirements, which are distributed among six goals necessary for any company to comply with PCI compliance requirements.
Look at the video for the twelve PCI DSS requirements based on their control objectives.