IT Governance urges SA businesses to improve the security of their card handling operations by ensuring their conformance to the latest iteration of the PCI DSS

JOHANNESBURG, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, SOUTH AFRICA, November 26, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- IT Governance, the international provider of information security expertise, urges South African businesses to improve the security of their card handling operations by ensuring their conformance to the latest iteration of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

As the 1 January 2015 deadline for transitioning to PCI DSS version 3.0 fast approaches, merchants should consider what they need to do now in order to be compliant with the new version of the Standard next year.

Alan Calder, founder and chief executive of IT Governance, says, “Although chip and PIN cards are increasing in popularity in South Africa, card fraud remains a serious problem. South African organisations need to ensure their payment processing systems meet the requirements of PCI DSS version 3.”

The widespread mistrust of credit card technology in Africa – partly explained by high fraud rates – means that the majority of financial transactions are still made in cash. However, the penetration rate of chip and PIN – a more secure payment card technology based on the EMV standard and widely adopted around the world – is 77% in Africa and climbing, according to CreditCards.com.

“All South African enterprises that transmit, store or process payment card details must comply with the PCI DSS. The newest version of the Standard will come into effect on 1 January 2015, so it is vital that merchants act now so that they conform to the new version by their next annual validation. IT Governance’s PCI DSS v3.0 Documentation Toolkit can help them,” Calder continues.

The PCI DSS v3.0 Documentation Toolkit has been specifically designed by IT Governance to help payment card-accepting merchants comply with PCI DSS v3.0. Not only does it provide compliant documentation templates for all of the Standard’s mandatory policies and guidelines, it also contains a gap analysis tool to assess your level of compliance against PCI DSS v3.0 and identify where you need to make changes.

Find out more: www.itgovernancesa.co.za/p-573.aspx.

For further information on this service, or to make a general enquiry about PCI DSS v3.0, call IT Governance on +27 (0) 57 550 2768 or email servicecentre@itgovernancesa.co.za.

Melanie Watson
IT Governance
+448450701750
email us here