I. Components of PCI StandardsThe PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) (PCI DSS) is the foundational standard for merchants and card processors. It addresses security technology controls and processes to protect cardholder data. Complying with PCI DSS can be challenging and have a significant impact on your organization's business processes, services, and technology architecture (Microsoft, 2009). PCI DSS version 1.2 is the most recent version of the standard and replaces all previous versions of PCI DSS. The DSS standard is structured into a group of six principles and 12 requirements. The Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA DSS) is the benchmark for software developers who commercially develop payment card processing software. PED(PED) is the standard for manufacturers of point-of-sale payment card devices. It is mandatory under PCI DSS for software developers, merchants, and card processors to use only approved and PED-compliant devices (SearchFinancialSecurity, 2010).II. Importance and Benefits of PCI Following PCI compliance guidelines and procedures can help businesses maintain credibility. PCI compliance builds trust through a high level of security standards. PCI compliance provides a sanity check for any business that stores or transmits customer information. PCI-compliant merchants are offered protection from fines for violations (Eliason, 2008). General Requirements for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards There are a total of six PCI data security standards and each of them has its own implementation requirements. (Practical eCommerce Staff, 2007...... middle of paper ......d information from transferring, copying, modifying, faxing and printing. This also prevents copying of sensitive information with the Print Screen feature of Windows Microsoft Security Assessment Tool is a free application that helps organizations access weaknesses in a functioning IT infrastructure. prioritize issues and provide guidance on how to minimize these risks. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is an easy-to-use tool that identifies common security risks across a number of Microsoft products, including operating systems. explorer and office suite, it provides details on missing security update patches Keeping your systems up to date is a very important way to secure your IT infrastructure Operation Manager 2007 can securely and efficiently extract and collect them. logs of operating systems running the Windows operating system..