Universities need to be aware of security requirements for payment card data

College and university campuses need to be aware that different portions of their computer networks may need to be secured because of requirements from the payment card industry. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) are some times overlooked by campuses, but the National Association of Campus Card Users hosted two Web conferences to bring some of the issues to light.

PCI DSS pertains to anyone who accepts credit or debit cards and how that information is stored and transmitted. If organizations don’t protect payment card information and a breach occurs it could result in fines from the card associations, says J. Ashley Ewing, director of information security and compliance at the University of Alabama. In 2006 alone Visa issued merchant fines totaling $4.4 million across all industries.