Are you a restaurant owner? Is your restaurant PCI compliant? There are measures to prevent the personal information of your customers. You can ensure your restaurant technology is up-to-date, your Wi-Fi connection safe, and train your staff to handle the personal information and credit card information with care. There is a need for PCI DSS Compliance.
PCI Compliance
PCI compliance refers to the standards that the merchants processing transactions of credit or debit cards must follow, regardless of whether they are small or big businesses. The PCI Compliance demonstrates across IT’s entire infrastructure that it transmits, stores, or tracks customer card data through any device.
For PCI Compliance, there is the need for a few major requirements:
- Maintain a program for vulnerability management
- Preserve an information security policy
- Build and uphold a secure infrastructure and network connection
- Regularly test and monitor networks
- Implement strong measures for access control
- Safeguard cardholder data of customers
PCI Compliance for a restaurant
PCI compliance you a restaurant is a way of safeguarding the personal card data of your customers from potential breaches. Thereby, you can reassure your customers that you are a trustworthy establishment.
PCI compliance protects you from stiff astronomical fines and penalties, which include:
- Point of sale system investigation
- Replacement of credit cards, if stolen
- Reimbursement for purchases made through lost or stolen cards
- Higher fees than lenders and banks
- Non-compliance fines with MasterCard and VISA.
A few ways for your restaurant to have PCI Compliance
Implementing PCI DSS Compliance is a must in your restaurant. You can look for merchant services offering you POS provider, Wi-Fi provider, payments processing company, and bank to ascertain you meet the standards for PCI compliance.
Update POS Software
The POS modern systems stay fully connected and, due to cloud-based nature, stay updated. Some legacy software requires manual update. If it is a must in your restaurant, establish regular check, install, download, and troubleshoot updates before the service. Look for high risk merchant account services or any small business merchant services; ensure you are PCI compliant. Thus, you will receive no sudden surprises as you open your business doors to your customers.
A firewall
Establish a public internet network and payment data as a digital barrier. You can ensure the data of the cardholders do not get exposed to other guests, businesses, or even random strangers. The Wi-Fi networks prevalence everywhere is also risky, as data becomes easy to access anywhere if you are less careful. There is a need for a firewall to ensure your restaurant business is PCI compliant. It will protect the data safe in your network.
Change Passwords Often
Setting a new POS or credit card processing system implies the vendors set a generic password or something very simple to remember. These are stock passwords that are in use to set up in the beginning. It is time you schedule a time regularly and change the passwords. It helps in ensuring only trained staff members access the business information or the cardholder data.
Keep card transactions away.
Keeping the card transactions from other’s sight is not a huge task to perform, yet most restaurants are careless. Card processing must be out of the other guests’ views. Creating a small alcove or nook in your restaurant keeps away prying eyes and thus ensures the card details go a long way between the POS system and the customer. A better option is to accept tableside payments. It helps the guests view their card, and the risk is less for the restaurant and the guest, ensuring PCI Compliance.
Ascertain EMV Compliance
EMV refers to the chip. Ensuring your restaurant payment processing has EMV Compliance standards keeps the guest’s data safe and protects from a chargeback.
Delete Cardholder Data
A good POS system does not need the credit card details and will manage the deletions. However, for a justifiable and definitive reason, keeping specific cardholder data implies you should have the POS network, and it must be encrypted securely to ascertain PCI Compliance. You may use the card to swipe or insert for payment processing and return. Thus, you must ensure none of the management staff or members get access to the cardholder data.
Not having PCI Compliance?
Depending on the violation magnitude and severity of breaking PCI compliance or not adhering to PCI Compliance, there will be fines from the credit card companies. It also means the loss of trust. The frequenting customers may stop visiting your restaurant. The food service business is a restaurant, and it must be PCI compliant.