Revised payment-processing guidelines will go into effect Jan. 1 for restaurateurs accepting credit or debit cards

Author: Barney Wolf

Restaurants and other businesses that capture and store credit and debit card data on their computers will be required to meet updated security standards beginning next year.

Version 2.0 of the guidelines, developed by the PCI Security Standards Council, doesn’t include major new requirements. Instead, it contains some revisions and clearer guidance for merchants and others who must make sure that security meets the council’s criterion. The new version was announced in late October and becomes effective January 1. Systems that met the standards’ previous version have additional time to make sure they comply.

Data theft can have severe repercussions for merchants. They may suffer financial losses, fines from card providers, and, more importantly, damage to their reputations, which would create long-term consequences, such as losing customers and sales.

To help small businesses comply with PCI standards, the council updated its website, www.pcisecuritystandards.org, to include more user-friendly language, forms to help merchants self-evaluate their compliance, and a list of software that meets the guidelines.

The updated PCI standards will be covered in greater depth, followed by a question-and-answer period, during a webinar at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) November 16 and at 11 a.m. (ET) November 18. To register go to  https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/training/webinars.php.