PCI is an abbreviation of Payment Card Industry. PCI compliance is, therefore, the following of a particular set of security standard that was developed to protect card information during and after a financial transaction. Companies that are compliant with PCI DSS regulations are less likely to have the data breach. The data collection of the cardholder is, therefore, advised where it is deemed necessary. The information collected should also be stored appropriately according to the PCI DSS regulations. BCS, on the other hand, is an abbreviation of British Computer Society while HIPAA is legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information (Techtarget, 2015).
There are some organizations mandated with the oversight role of making sure that companies using cards are compliant and do not risk the cardholder to a data breach. There is the requirement of a well-managed program to integrate security into the organization's activities. PCI DSS provide just a baseline and different organizations that handle cardholder data may be forced to come with their measures according to the assessed risk level and frequency. The tailor-made strategy makes integration of PCI DSS easy. Continuous automated monitoring is essential. Proper detection and mitigation are vital. An assessment of the program is also required to ensure necessary changes are made (Best Practices for Maintaining PCI DSS Compliance Special Interest Group PCI Security Standards Council, 2014).
BCS uses assigned responsibility to HIPAA Security Officer. The expectation of the officer is to safeguard information from any threat. It establishes risk analysis through thorough assessment and the management of data. It develops a procedure to control breaches whenever they occur so that they can be handled promptly. The system is audited to improve the agency's security management. It encourages documentation and compliance evaluation. Information is only allowed to authorized personnel. Termination procedures are enforced for ex-workers. It comes up with proper security parameters, and remote access is not allowed. Data encryption is advised, and hardware containing information is has restricted access. BCS comes up with measures to make sure the equipment are not physically harmed. It has memoranda that protect clients' data (Brooklyn Community Services, 2013).
In a nutshell, information is power. Information in the wrong hands is very dangerous for it can be manipulated to serve the wrong group of people. The companies mandated with the security of such information should come up with the necessary measures as show in the explanations above. According to PCI DSS, safeguarding of data involves all stakeholders. In conclusion, everybody deserves his or her privacy, and this should be the status quo.
Reference
Best Practices for Maintaining PCI DSS Compliance Special Interest Group PCI Security Standards Council. (2014) Information Supplement: Best Practices for Maintaining PCI DSS Compliance. Security Standards Council.
Brooklyn Community Services. (2013). Policies and Compliance Guide Relating to the HIPAA Security Rule.
Techtarget. (2009). PCI Compliance retrieved on 28 May 2016 from http://searchcompliance.techtarget.com/definition/PCI-compliance
