Why PCI DSS gets the attention of management

I was thinking about all the hype surrounding PCI DSS requirement 6.6 compliance. The deadline is just three weeks away. I do a lot of compliance-related work and have seen the interpretation of 'compliance' all over the map. Why is PCI DSS any different?

Well, for the most part, it's not like other regulations such as HIPAA and GLBA where many in management give it lip service but don’t really do much to comply. Generally speaking, it’s more along the lines of Sarbanes-Oxley 404 where, if companies slip up, there are real consequences. It is interesting how things like orange jumpsuits (SOX) and loss of credit card privileges (PCI) gets the attention of the powers that be.

That said, I have come across business managers recently that weren’t aware of PCI and others that thought it only applied if credit card data is stored locally (contradicting the “stored, processed, or transmitted” stipulation outlined in the PCI standard). Wow.

If you're not sure whether your organization is required to comply - or if you don't have faith in your business operations folks to make that call - now's the time to get it figured out.