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Is BigCommerce PCI Compliance?

Last updated: August 01, 2024
Written and researched by experts at AvadaLearn more about our methodology

By Sam Nguyen

CEO Avada Commerce

If you have opened or attempted to run an online store on every eCommerce platform, it is necessary to understand their PCI Compliance level before making a purchase. This is applied to BigCommerce as well. Only when your eCommerce solution complies with the PCI set of rules, can you make sure that your customers’ payment information will not be stolen during the process?

In today’s article, we will be introducing the definition of PCI Compliance, its checklist, and most importantly, answering the question Is BigCommerce PCI Compliance.

What is BigCommerce PCI?

BigCommerce PCI Compliance

As a technical term, PCI refers to the Payment Card Industry. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a framework developed to promote a safe payment environment for all organizations that handle, store, or transfer cardholder data. This means that all companies using credit card payment methods must comply with PCI DSS regulations in order to keep running.

Visa, American Express, and Discover designed these safety rules set in 2004 and have grown significantly to help online merchants avoid data breaches.

PCI Compliance Checklist

Checklist for BigCommerce PCI Compliance

Before going any further into the main topic, you need to understand the rules that eCommerce solutions must follow so that they will be recognized as PCI Compliance.

Below is a list of 12 requirements set by PCI DSS for online retailers and businesses to obey:

  • Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data.
  • Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters.
  • Maintain a policy that addresses information security.
  • Protect stored cardholder data.
  • Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks.
  • Regularly test security systems and processes.
  • Develop and maintain secure systems and applications.
  • Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know. Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access. Restrict physical access to cardholder data.
  • Use and regularly update anti-virus software.
  • Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data.

It is important for businesses to do an internal and cyber vulnerability assessment, then take care of any available problems, and provide notification to relevant payment card firms. In addition to comprehensive annual audits, the two largest categories of merchants often get inspected by an impartial auditor.

There are four levels of PCI Compliance in total, Level 1 has the most stringent security criteria while level 4 has the least:

4 levels of PCI Compliance

Why do you need to check for BigCommerce PCI Compliance?

E-commerce is a prime target for malicious hackers, since it is easier to steal confidential data from this platform. And of course, data leaks and breaches will ruin your credibility sooner or later then lead to multi-million dollar penalties.

None of the customers would want their credit card information to be stolen or used for illegal purposes. If they find out the situation, the first one they blame would be online merchants instead of your eCommerce solution, no matter what.

For this reason, it became even more vital to choose a solid and reliable solution for eCommerce merchants. The only thing you can do here is to check for BigCommerce PCI Compliance to ensure that their system is secured.

On the other hand, if your system is recognized as PCI Non-compliance, you will have to receive some of these risks:

  • Penalties
  • Ban on Credit Cards Use
  • Liability claim
  • Reassessment
  • Card Reissuing Costs
  • Warnings from your customers

Here is how you have to pay for if you are using any eCommerce platforms that are PCI Non-compliance:

List of monthly fine

This is the same meaning with losing money and potential consumers in the future, and no one wants that, right?

Is BigCommerce PCI Compliance?

The answer is Yes, BigCommerce is PCI Compliance. Up to the present, BigCommerce PCI Compliance is standing at Level 1 of PCI DSS 3.1 - the strongest level of data protection for both Merchant and Service Provider.

They have fulfilled up to 6 out of 12 categories in the PCI DSS checklist discussed previously:

  • Protect the network’s confidentiality and integrity
  • Maintain a VMP service track and
  • Constantly check the network infrastructure performance
  • Secured system of storing credit card information
  • Utilize more restrictive controls
  • Keep the information management strategy consistent.

These policies will entirely cover all online stores operated by BigCommerce.

You may obtain an Attestation of PCI DSS Compliance for BigCommerce by downloading this file: Attestation of PCI DSS Compliance, an internal control report attesting to PCI DSS standards complying BigCommerce. This document enables you to show that your eCommerce solution adheres to the PCI requirements.

Conclusion

To sum up, checking for PCI Compliance of any eCommerce platform is crucial for successfully running an online store. You must know that the moment you receive a new order, your customers are willing to give their private information to your store and hope that it is protected. Additionally, the higher your credibility is, the more consumers will shop at your website. Losing it means that either you have to start over or never be able to do so.

BigCommerce PCI Compliance level ensures that both your and your customers’ data is safely kept at their fingertips. We are glad to know that this article will be a helpful answer to clear your thoughts on Is BigCommerce PCI Compliance.


Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.

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