What is PCI Compliance?

PCI Compliance, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance, is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. The primary goal is to protect sensitive cardholder data and reduce the risk of data breaches and fraud.

In 2006, payment card networks worked together to form the Payment Cards Security Standards Council and set 12 security standards for all businesses that accept debit or credit cards. These standards were put in place to protect both the business and consumers from cyber-attacks and the theft of their sensitive, private information. Payment card networks and payment processors enforce PCI standards, leaving every business owner responsible to ensure they are following all 12 requirements. Compliance with PCI DSS is typically required for any business that accepts credit card payments. These requirements are not enforced by law, but instead are typical terms of the contract business owners sign with the payment card company. The level of compliance required may vary based on the number of transactions a business processes and other factors. Non-compliance can result in fines, increased transaction fees, or even the loss of the ability to process credit card transactions.

It’s important to note that achieving and maintaining PCI compliance is an ongoing process, and businesses are encouraged to regularly assess their security measures and update them to address evolving threats and vulnerabilities. Additionally, businesses often undergo PCI DSS assessments, either self-assessments or third-party assessments, to demonstrate compliance.

What are the Requirements?

1. Have a functioning firewall.
2. Cardholder data must be encrypted when transmitting it across public networks.
3. Change your password and security settings from the default.
4. Restrict physical access to cardholder data.
5.  Dispose of data, limit what data is stored, and avoiding storing certain types of data.
6. Use and update antivirus software.
7. Plan how to find and take action on vulnerabilities regularly.
8. Assign user IDs to everybody with computer access.
9. Track and monitor who accesses networks and cardholder data.
10. Have a policy on information security.
11. Regularly test systems and processes
12. Restrict access to cardholder data to a need-to-know basis.

How can you become PCI Compliant?

With the recent launch of MosaicEdge^® Pro for our business customers, we are excited to present an upgraded option to help small business owners follow PCI standards while providing even more customization to tailor your internet experience to the needs of your business. Here are just a handful of the features MosaicEdge^® Pro offers to make running your business a little easier:

• Built-in security threat detection and blocking.
• Fast and easy network name and password changes.
• Dedicated POS network to ensure your card readers are safe and secure from other devices.
• Separate business, staff, and guest networks for multiple layers of device and user isolation.
• Automatic connection backup to keep your business up and running during an outage.
• Easy to customize Wi-Fi login splash page for guests.
• App for customization of each Wi-Fi network and managing how staff and guests use it.

MosaicEdge^® Pro offers customers a way to bridge the gap between the small town feel that many customers love while still having that big business capabilities that make life easier for our customers.

At just $20 a month, you can protect yourself from thousands of dollars in fines that could come with non-compliance. For more information on this new and exciting solution, please reach out to us at (715) 458-5400 or visit our website at https://ExperienceMosaic.com/MosaicEdge-Pro/.

References

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/pci-compliance

PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) Website:  PCI Security Standards Council

PCI DSS Documentation:  PCI DSS Documentation

PCI Compliance Guide: PCI Compliance Guide

PCI SSC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):  PCI SSC FAQ

PCI SSC Glossary of Terms: PCI SSC Glossary

This list of requirements is not exhaustive, as they are always changing. Please refer to https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/ for the most up-to-date, official requirements.

MyMosaic

MyMosaic is your key to managing your Mosaic account and services right from your phone! This free app, links below, can be set up in minutes and allows you to not only pay your bill from your phone but also set up autopay, submit questions to tech support (trouble ticket) and even upgrade/activate new or existing services!

All you need to set up your account is the most recent invoice you’ve received from Mosaic! Once you have that on hand and you’ve downloaded the app, you can follow the steps on your phone or watch our step-by-step tutorial on how to install the app on your Apple and Android devices. Once you’re logged in, view your invoice and pay it in minutes, or set up autopay and never think about your monthly invoice again! Experience a modern billing system that gives you the power to save time and effort when paying your monthly bills with one simple app and less than 10 minutes of set up.

Drop Box Closure Announcement

Last week, we announced that we are shifting our main payment option to the MyMosaic app, where you can pay your invoice right from your phone! This means drop box locations in Chetek, Barron, and Rice Lake will no longer be available for payment drop-off after July 28th, 2023. This is a necessary step to further ensure our customers’ security as well as improve our community’s environmental efforts by cutting back on the amount of paper billing necessary. Thankfully, the MyMosaic app makes this transition seamless by providing an easier way to pay your bill than ever before!

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we transition to add an extra layer of security to our customers’ billing. We are excited to provide our customers with a safer option that makes the payment process as painless and fast as possible. If you need additional assistance setting up your app, please check out the YouTube videos linked above or call our office at (715) 458-5400, and one of our local professionals will be happy to assist you!

In October of 2021, we started our Electronic Recycling program to help reduce the electronic waste that went to our landfills. This program is available to our members and customers to provide a safe place to dispose of old electronics securely and without creating pollution. As technology progresses, so does our number of electronics. We see technology evolve and new products released everyday, but how to dispose of them safely is easily forgotten.

How It’s Going

We are now 20 months into our E-Recycling program and have collected over 15 tons of electronics from 338 community members. That’s an average of 1,500 lbs. of safely disposed electronics each month! TVs, computers, monitors, printers, and so much more are being reused instead of polluting our environment, creating a safe and clean environment for generations to come. We are so proud of our community’s adoption of this program and appreciate all efforts to reduce the impact of electronic pollution on the environment. We continue to provide this free service to our cooperative members and customers to ensure a better future and protect those within our community.

Electronic Waste is More Dangerous than You Think

One of the driving forces for creating this program was the staggering statistics we found when researching technology pollution. Electronic waste only accounts for 2% of trash in America’s landfills but is responsible for over 70% of all our toxic materials within them. Electronics take a minimum of 50 years to decompose, with some components estimated to take 1 million years.

As electronic devices have rapidly become essential to most households, we can expect a drastic increase in devices to end up in our landfills unless we work together to dispose of electronics properly. By recycling old electronics, toxic and harmful metals are kept out of landfills, and companies like our partners, First Choice, can repurpose them into new technology for the future generation to enjoy. E-recycling is an easy way to keep our Earth clean and free of pollution.

Preventing stolen data is another benefit of disposing of electronics safely through Electronic Recycling. Electronics such as laptops, tablets, and phones store our personal data. When disposed of improperly, a breach may occur, leading to the increased potential of a cybersecurity threat. Our partner, First Choice, is a registered recycler of the Wisconsin E Cycle program, certified by the National Association for Information Destruction, and has been certified in Environmental Management Systems, Responsible Recycling Systems, and Occupation Health and Safety Management Systems by Orion Registrar.

We utilize our partnership with First Choice to securely destroy all electronics. First Choice first extracts hard drives and crushes them and the components within to ensure data reconstruction is impossible. Then everything is ran through a shredder to be broken down and reused, meaning your data is never at risk. A certificate of destruction for your electronics is also available upon request!