What Are P.C.I. D.S.S. Compliant Paper Shredders?
Many offices are aware of the standards by which the PCI DSS determine that businesses should run, in terms of financial records processing, but many folk still have to ask, what are PCI DSS compliant paper document shredders?
PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. It is a comprehensive list of set requirements and standards which businesses are obliged to adhere to to make sure that the data which their clientele use to perform transactions is kept safe and secure. If your company makes use of credit card transactions to do business then is it mandatory that your firm is in compliance.
Being PCI DSS compliant means that your business needs to follow the set standards and practices when it comes to making secure and safe credit card payments and it also includes the way any records are handled post payment. These methods are put in place to guarantee that customer’s data is kept secure from fraud or identity theft.
To make certain a secure and safe process all the way to the finish, the PCI DSS standards state that any forms which bear the consumer’s names, social security number and any contact or address details need to be destroyed. This also goes for any details which contain any personal medical or financial data. These records need to be shredded using a PCI DSS regulation paper shredding machine as soon as your firm has no further use for them.
This fact may seem obvious but as dumpster diving is still legal in some places and the fact that laws state that if the dumpster is on public property then whatever the criminals may find inside is theirs. True criminals will also go to lengths to piece together shredded information as they know it must be of importance.
A cross cut document shredding machine is PCI DSS recommended as opposed to simply cutting the paper into strips. They trim down documents even further to dimensions of about 1/4″ x 1/2″. This smaller shred provides a greater level of privacy and the smaller cuts also mean that the shreds take up less room
It is essential to dispose of any cardholder information in the prescribed matter as soon as your business has no further use for it. The regulations state that the document destroying machine to be used must be a cross-cut paper shredder or you can use a certified destroying service. It is not advisable to simply throw these documents away in the rubbish as they can be found by thieves and your business will also then be classed as non compliant and could face a hefty fine.