Unless you happen to be one of those weird businesses that only accepts cash, you probably deal with credit cards.

And, as you know, credit card data security is an integral part of safe shopping in modern times. Generally speaking, people aren’t too happy when their credit card info gets swiped. In particular, businesses who accept or process credit cards in any way are required to make sure their files and other systems are kept secure.

These standards are called the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). (Side note: there are going to be a TON of acronyms in this article.)

Because we realize this is complicated and confusing, we’ve compiled this somewhat simple guide to acquaint small or medium-size business owners with the PCI DSS and how they can comply with its standards.

How Does the PCI DSS Work?

In September 2006, the five major credit card