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Introducing PCI DSS support for cardholder data security
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October 26, 2021

Introducing PCI DSS support for cardholder data security

Today we’re excited to announce support for PCI DSS, Vanta’s latest integrated security framework centered on protecting customer cardholder data. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a global standard that applies to any business that accepts, processes, stores, or potentially impacts the security of cardholder data. And with Vanta’s PCI DSS solution, companies can automate up to 60% of the evidence gathering process needed to prove PCI compliance.


Support for PCI DSS only became more pressing this year with over 1,700 publicly reported data breaches – in just the first half of 2021. Of those breaches, credit card and financial data accounted for 32% of the 18.9 billion exposed records.


For many companies, and especially those in the payments, fintech, or insurance industry, demonstrating PCI compliance is a prerequisite to earning new business. And in most cases, a company’s largest customers will require that their vendors prove PCI compliance on an annual basis. 

Yet, the existing ways of demonstrating payment and cardholder security remain labor and cost intensive. Companies spend weeks, if not months, researching and completing lengthy self-assessment questionnaires (SAQs). And with 8 different questionnaires to choose from and up to 76 pages to complete, these self-assessments remain an annual chore for most businesses on top of already expensive consulting fees for PCI templates and guidance.


For merchants with higher transaction volumes or service providers innovating in the field of fintech or online payments, preparing for and completing the required Report on Compliance (ROC) can take up to a year and be an immense drain on core operations and people.


That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our streamlined approach to PCI DSS, which automates more than half of the work needed to prove compliance. Vanta’s PCI DSS product takes the guesswork out of getting PCI compliant and saves businesses time and money while enabling companies to successfully prove that their payment systems are secure and consumer data is protected against future data breaches.

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Access Review Stage Content / Functionality
Across all stages
  • Easily create and save a new access review at a point in time
  • View detailed audit evidence of historical access reviews
Setup access review procedures
  • Define a global access review procedure that stakeholders can follow, ensuring consistency and mitigation of human error in reviews
  • Set your access review frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and working period/deadlines
Consolidate account access data from systems
  • Integrate systems using dozens of pre-built integrations, or “connectors”. System account and HRIS data is pulled into Vanta.
  • Upcoming integrations include Zoom and Intercom (account access), and Personio (HRIS)
  • Upload access files from non-integrated systems
  • View and select systems in-scope for the review
Review, approve, and deny user access
  • Select the appropriate systems reviewer and due date
  • Get automatic notifications and reminders to systems reviewer of deadlines
  • Automatic flagging of “risky” employee accounts that have been terminated or switched departments
  • Intuitive interface to see all accounts with access, account accept/deny buttons, and notes section
  • Track progress of individual systems access reviews and see accounts that need to be removed or have access modified
  • Bulk sort, filter, and alter accounts based on account roles and employee title
Assign remediation tasks to system owners
  • Built-in remediation workflow for reviewers to request access changes and for admin to view and manage requests
  • Optional task tracker integration to create tickets for any access changes and provide visibility to the status of tickets and remediation
Verify changes to access
  • Focused view of accounts flagged for access changes for easy tracking and management
  • Automated evidence of remediation completion displayed for integrated systems
  • Manual evidence of remediation can be uploaded for non-integrated systems
Report and re-evaluate results
  • Auditor can log into Vanta to see history of all completed access reviews
  • Internals can see status of reviews in progress and also historical review detail
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The ultimate guide to scaling your compliance program

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PCI Compliance Selection Guide

Determine Your PCI Compliance Level

If your organization processes, stores, or transmits cardholder data, you must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a global mandate created by major credit card companies. Compliance is mandatory for any business that accepts credit card payments.

When establishing strategies for implementing and maintaining PCI compliance, your organization needs to understand what constitutes a Merchant or Service Provider, and whether a Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) or Report on Compliance (ROC) is most applicable to your business.

Answer a few short questions and we’ll help identify your compliance level.

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Does your business offer services to customers who are interested in your level of PCI compliance?

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Identify your PCI SAQ or ROC level

The PCI Security Standards Council has established the below criteria for Merchant and Service Provider validation. Use these descriptions to help determine the SAQ or ROC that best applies to your organization.

Good news! Vanta supports all of the following compliance levels:

SAQ A

A SAQ A is required for Merchants that do not require the physical presence of a credit card (like an eCommerce, mail, or telephone purchase). This means that the Merchant’s business has fully outsourced all cardholder data processing to PCI DSS compliant third party Service Providers, with no electronic storage, processing, or transmission of any cardholder data on the Merchant’s system or premises.

Get PCI DSS certified

SAQ A-EP

A SAQ A-EP is similar to a SAQ A, but is a requirement for Merchants that don't receive cardholder data, but control how cardholder data is redirected to a PCI DSS validated third-party payment processor.

Learn more about eCommerce PCI

SAQ D
for service providers

A SAQ D includes over 200 requirements and covers the entirety of PCI DSS compliance. If you are a Service Provider, a SAQ D is the only SAQ you’re eligible to complete.

Use our PCI checklist

ROC
Level 1 for service providers

A Report on Compliance (ROC) is an annual assessment that determines your organization’s ability to protect cardholder data. If you’re a Merchant that processes over six million transactions annually or a Service Provider that processes more than 300,000 transactions annually, your organization is responsible for both a ROC and an Attestation of Compliance (AOC).

Automate your ROC and AOC

Download this checklist for easy reference

Questions?

Learn more about how Vanta can help. You can also find information on PCI compliance levels at the PCI Security Standards Council website or by contacting your payment processing partner.

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