Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

PCI University™ (pciuniversity.org) Gives Merchants Fighting Chance Against Credit Card Companies and PCI DSS Complexities
  • USA - English


News provided by

PCI University

Jul 14, 2014, 05:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX


Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) July 14, 2014 -- The failures by banks and Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to educate and protect businesses from the devastation of security breaches has prompted two experts to launch a new online service. PCI University™, including the unique PCI-Q™ Risk Assessment Tool (http://pciuniversity.org/) is designed to give business owners a chance to survive the unfair contract conditions imposed on them by the credit card companies, as well as the financial ruin resulting from a credit card security breach.

“If every bank, credit card processor, and POS company made it mandatory for their merchant customers to spend 15 minutes to watch our video and learn their PCI-Q risk levels, there would be a dramatic decrease in data security breaches.”

Post this

“Data thefts like those at Target, Subway, Michaels, Zaxby’s, Wyndham Hotels, Five Guys Burgers, Neiman Marcus, and even a credit card processor like Heartland Payment Systems get the headlines but they’re not the norm,” said Charles Hoff, a hospitality industry attorney and nationally-recognized speaker and litigator on issues involving Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). “Research from groups such as the PCI Security Standards Council as well as the 2012 Trustwave Global Security Report shows that the vast majority of breaches happen at small- to medium-sized businesses. And the credit card companies and banks have rigged the game so that they never lose. Their fines, penalties, and freezing of a merchant’s account can wipe out a business after just one breach. The business gets a black eye on its reputation and is stripped of its assets. We’re leveling the playing field with PCI University™.”

“For years, credit card companies have imposed PCI DSS on merchants who want to take payments by credit cards. The best practices and procedures in PCI DSS are intended to thwart hackers. But banks, point of sale (POS) equipment companies, credit card companies, and processors have failed to effectively educate and make merchants aware of these standards,” said Hoff.

“The merchants then get slammed with frozen accounts (stopping income), penalty payments, and crushing fines when a security breach occurs. Often merchants are surprised to know that PCI DSS requirements were buried in their credit card contracts and they have no right of refusal and no effective means to appeal. Adding to the problem is that the credit card companies dump mind numbing technical information on the merchants in the name of PCI DSS ‘education.’”

“Business owners can’t wade through white papers, webinars, and technical jargon. They’re consumed with the day-to-day challenges of running their companies,” said Hoff. “That’s why PCI University delivers in clear, plain English, with animations and quick presentations requiring no technical skills.”

At PCI University™ (http://pciuniversity.org/), in 15 minutes, any merchant (even those without technical know-how) can take two immediate steps to ramp up their PCI DSS understanding and security:

1) Intro to PCI-Q™: Watch an easy-to-understand animated video that helps merchants grasp the basics of PCI DSS and their relationship with the banks and POS companies.

2) PCI-Q Risk Assessment Tool™: An engaging, no-fee self-assessment that determines how vulnerable a merchant is to data security breaches. Using a scoring system (like a credit score), the self-assessment covers the most common mistakes that lead to the vast majority of security breaches. But the tool also lets merchants take instant action: by checking a box they get immediate access to vetted, reputable experts and vendors who supply whatever security measures are required to protect their businesses. Technology fixes and controls exist today and are readily available if merchants become aware of how and when to use them.

PCI University™ (http://pciuniversity.org/) is the brainchild of Hoff and Internet business and strategy veteran Josh Wildstein. Hoff worked on identity theft issues as a Senior Vice President at Equifax and has been deeply involved in PCI DSS issues for years in his role as a Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) Board Member and as the GRA’s General Counsel. He wrote the nationwide education brochures on PCI DSS for the National Restaurant Association and their state restaurant associations. Wildstein is best-known for his work building WebMD.com and other digital health information web companies and a number of software products. The colleagues saw the need for PCI University™ (http://pciuniversity.org/) after witnessing hardworking business owners devastated by Visa, MasterCard, and American Express in the wake of unexpected security breaches.

“We identified a serious problem that affects businesses in every sector of the economy and created an effective solution,” said Wildstein. “It’s a clean, simple, self-assessment that allows immediate action with one click. Best of all, there is no bias since we have no personal agenda and serve no masters at the credit card companies or POS providers. PCI University™ is built for the merchants.”

“We know from our research that half of all small business owners don’t even know that PCI DSS exists,” said Hoff. “If every bank, credit card processor, and POS company made it mandatory for their merchant customers to spend 15 minutes to watch our video and learn their PCI-Q risk levels via our self-assessment tool to grasp the fundamentals of PCI, there would be a dramatic decrease in data security breaches.”

###

Charles Hoff, PCI University, http://pci-q.com, +1 678-778-6481, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.