Why is PCI Compliance so Important?

When it comes to electronic payments, Web-based threats, attacks and crimes are escalating. To combat this, the Payment Card Industry has created the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for all companies that process or store credit card data. These standards enhance payment account security and protect cardholder data.

Companies that are not PCI compliant, even those that process very few transactions, have a lot to lose, and those costs continue to rise. In addition to fines, they can be prohibited from accepting credit cards in the future and suffer major loss.

When working towards compliance, there are a couple of options to consider before taking your decision:

Code review
This often entails various procedures. Applications should be reviewed by an organization specializing in security. If you opt for this method, your internal IT team must prepare the code for review, and be available for queries and support. Once vulnerabilities are identified they should be corrected, and when that is completed the application is tested and re-evaluated. Then fix and test cycles are scheduled on an ongoing basis.

Code review doesn’t always find all vulnerabilities, such as those unknown to the reviewer at that time. And the application must be re-tested frequently, including with each code change. This is often extremely costly, can result in production outages, manual validation and elimination of false findings, data ownership issues and more. When third party software is used, you don’t own the code and can’t fix it without breaking the licensing agreement.

dotDefender application firewall
This is a more consistent, less costly and more reliable unlike code review, it:

  • Provides an ongoing compliance solution that protects your website and Web service, even as updates and changes in code are made
  • Protects against vulnerabilities, instead of simply identifying them
  • Requires no development effort
  • Is suitable for third party applications and components
  • Causes little to no interference with business processes
  • Proves and documents corrected vulnerabilities
  • Has minimal impact on website response times
  • Performs a deep packet inspection of incoming traffic, creating a security layer in front of all Web applications

Ease of Use

dotDefender features comprehensive protection, along with remarkable ease of use. A Web administrator with no security training can have dotDefender up and running in minutes with just a few clicks. This out-of-the box protection is easily managed through a browser-based interface with virtually no impact on server or website performance.
dotDefender runs independently of other server applications, which allows for zero downstream maintenance for typical server changes.

Netcetera are very pleased to be able to offer dotDefender which not only provides comprehensive compliance, but also exceptional value to application owners and users. Being completely software based, dotDefender works with any web application, boasts a low TCO, and has minimal ongoing costs.

As your online business grows, you can rest assured that dotDefender has you covered with no expensive hardware upgrades or costly application integrations. dotDefender has no noticeable effect on web server resources, giving you enterprise-class protection with no degradation in performance, and prices range from are £55/pm per server for Dedicated Servers and £20/pm per server for Vmachines.  To test drive dotDefender today, contact Netcetera’s friendly Sales Team and take advantage of our FREE 30 DAY TRIAL.

 

Why Choose a VPS?

If you are looking for a hosting package and want the control of a Dedicated Server, but with the affordability of Shared Hosting, then VPS may be the answer. VPS stands for Virtual Private Server, and has become the preferred hosting solution for small to medium sized businesses.

It effectively provides a solution which successfully balances the limitations of shared hosting and the flexibility of dedicated server hosting. The reason it has become so popular is that it provides control which is at a similar level to a dedicated server, but at a price which is far more affordable and similar to that of shared hosting.

VPS Compared to a Dedicated Server

  • It is burstable and therefore you only take the available resources you need, as and when you require them
  • It has the functionality of a Dedicated Server at a far lower cost.
  • Backup is made easy as you can simply manage your own backups via your control Panel
  • Managing your VPS is made easy by allowing you to access your user friendly control panel for simple and easy upgrade of your VPS at any time.
  • You have the flexibility to increase your service plan as and when you require more resources when you grow.

VPS Compared to Shared Hosting

  • Security is provided in that your file system is not accessible or viewable by any other customer, therefore providing you with the assurance that all your files and information are private and secure.
  • You have control over the Server, as with either administrative or root access, you can modify server configuration files, install applications or modify system software.
  • As you are fully isolated from other users and actions on the server, no other customer can slow down or affect the service that you receive.
  • The performance of your resources will be guaranteed based on your plan, nothing else on the server will affect the performance of your VPS.

Netcetera offers a wide range of Virtual Servers which start from as little as £14.99/pm and include FREE setup.  To find out more about how Netcetera’s wide range of solutions can help you, contact our Sales Team today.