From The Editor: PCI: Still Not In Our Rearview Mirror

By Mike Monocello, chief editor, Business Solutions magazine.

On a whim, while paying by credit card at a locally owned small retailer in my hometown of Erie, PA, I asked the owner/operator about payment security. Her response was alarming. In short, the owner had little to no knowledge of PCI (payment card industry), data security standards, deadlines, or fines. Apart from teaching me to pay by cash the next time I'm at that store, the encounter got me wondering about the status of other retailers. The next week, I headed out to a local boutique plaza where I could find an assortment of locally owned retailers to ask them the same questions surrounding payment security. While many were hesitant to speak frankly about the topic with a complete stranger, I did have enough conversations to come to the conclusion that there's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to educating retailers on the seriousness of card data and its security.