Security & Compliance
PCI Compliance Explained for Small Business Owners
What PCI DSS Actually Requires
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security controls designed to protect cardholder data. For most small businesses using a cloud-based POS or hosted payment page, the compliance burden is minimal — your processor handles the heavy lifting.
What You're Responsible For
Your responsibilities typically include: completing an annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), ensuring your Wi-Fi network is password protected and separate from customer-facing networks, and never storing raw card numbers in spreadsheets or email.
What Happens If You're Not Compliant
Non-compliant merchants face fines ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 per month from card networks, plus liability for any fraud losses that occur. Most acquiring banks will suspend your ability to process cards until compliance is restored.
Most merchants evaluate a POS by its sticker price. But the real cost of the wrong payment system shows up in places that never appear on an invoice.
