PCI Compliance - Keeping You Safe

It can be quite alarming just how easy we are convinced to reach for our wallet and enter our card details into some website we have never used before.

In reality, we all have to take extra care when shopping online because we often have little knowledge of the company that we are doing business with. We tap in our search words into Google <or any search engine of choice>, find a website in the results and purchase what we have been looking for.... or at least that is what we take for granted.

If a stranger walked up to you in the street and asked for your credit card details would you just hand them over without question? No, you certainly would not! But yet you do it online without a second thought because you want what you see on your screen and take for granted that by entering your details you will receive your goods and that your information is safe. When websites can be setup so easily like 'pop-up stores' you always have to be pro-active with your online security.

For a company to accept credit/debit cards they have to be fully PCI Compliant, this is the same for 'real life' shops and not just online stores. This means that the company (such as ourselves) have to follow very strict industry guidelines and ensure that the way we capture/process data, specifically credit/debit card data, is in a secure way. These guidelines change constantly to keep up with new threats and it is a constantly evolving playing field.

Here at The Badge Centre we have always taken security very seriously and we have a firm belief that prevention is better than cure. For that reason we have always complied with and maintained PCI Compliance. Furthermore we often go above and beyond the requirements to ensure that customer security is maintained.

With PCI Compliance there are 4 different levels based on the volume of transactions processed, with Level 1 being the highest that can be achieved.

We use only PCI Level 1 Compliant providers to ensure that we can provide the highest level possible.

For more information on PCI Compliance and the requirement, please visit the PCI Security Standards Council at www.pcisecuritystandards.org