The honest-to-goodness truth is this: making the leap to PCI DSS 4.0 is not going to be fun. Or quick. Or easy.
But you aren’t in it alone. EVERYONE will be in the same boat — Assessment firms, Consultants, service providers, vendors, companies going through compliance, compliance management software companies. You name it.
It’s painful to go from one major version of PCI DSS to another, because it forces everybody involved in PCI compliance to relearn the framework. Anyone who does anything with PCI DSS will have a steep learning curve ahead of them.
But for TCT customers, that learning curve will be astronomically flatter and quicker. Here’s why.
Time to Get Oriented to PCI 4.0
You and your team will need training to understand what’s changed, how things have been reshuffled, and what the new expectations are. It will take some time to get oriented to the new landscape that you find yourself in.
Not only will you have to familiarize yourself with the new stuff, you’ll have to relearn the old stuff as well, because it will have a new look. It’ll be time to relearn all of the requirement numbers and where everything is located within the new standard.
Imagine going back to college after being home all summer, only to discover that there are three new buildings on campus. Not only that, but the buildings you’re familiar with have been completely gutted and remodeled on the inside, and they’re all housing different academic departments. Everything you know and understand about your campus is up for grabs.
Switching from PCI DSS 3.2.1 to 4.0 will be something like that.
Time to Retool Your System
If you’re using a homegrown system — either a set of spreadsheets or your own proprietary application — you’ll have your hands full for months as you get your arms wrapped around the new changes and rebuild your system around them.
Whether it’s a spreadsheet, a drop zone, folder structures, or a tracking mechanism, you’ll have to basically gut everything you’re doing today and get it all geared up for v4.0.
Get started right away, because that kind of work could take the better part of a year (or more, depending on your internal resources).
Compounding things is the learning curve. While you’re trying to get your arms around PCI 4.0, so is everyone else. You won’t have an established body of knowledge you can tap into for clarity or guidance. You’ll be feeling your way through the fog just like everyone else in the space.
Jump Ahead with TCT Portal
TCT customers, on the other hand, can skip ahead in line. TCT Portal compliance software dramatically shortens the ramp-up time for learning PCI DSS 4.0 so you can be humming along faster.
Automatic mapping to v4.0
When you’re ready to transition to 4.0, all you have to do is click a button. TCT Portal’s automated mapping imports all of your existing evidence from 3.2.1 and stores it in the proper line items for 4.0.
There’s no guesswork about where something belongs in the new version. No research to verify your interpretation of the standard. No crossing your fingers and hoping that you got it right.
TCT’s compliance management tool lets you hone in on the new requirements. Why waste your time relearning the stuff you already know? Focus on the new items and cut your time dramatically, right from the first day.
What if you aren’t already a TCT customer? You can still benefit from the Portal’s mapping features. Simply run your first cycle with TCT Portal using version 3.2.1, or alternatively initially load your existing 3.2.1 into the TCT Portal. Then, once you’re ready, map it over to 4.0. It’s important to keep in mind that v3.2.1 will still be valid until 2024, you have plenty of time to make the switch.
Explanations at your fingertips
When I was going through PCI compliance back in the day, I’d need to have three or four different documents open at the same time, and would bounce between them. There’s a form to fill out, directional guidance from the certification body, the Assessor’s supplemental instructions and explanations, and internal notes from your team.
Usually, referencing all those artifacts means going back and forth between disparate places.
But not in TCT Portal. All of those inputs and requirements are loaded into TCT’s compliance software and stored in one convenient location.
- The guidance from PCI is associated with each line item.
- Your Assessor’s instructions and explanations are available with just a click.
- Your internal notes are right there at your fingertips.
Having that information right in front of you makes it tremendously easier to learn a new compliance standard. It’s like having a guide talk you through it as you go along.
Get started right away
Most organizations will have to wait for their Assessor to get a handle on PCI 4.0 before they can begin making the transition. So not only will their own learning curve be long, but they’ll have to wait for third parties upstream from them as well.
Unless you’re all working in TCT Portal. We’ll have our compliance software fitted for v4.0 fast. As soon as our update is released, you, your Assessor, and your Consultant can start working with PCI 4.0 immediately.
Because we serve everyone in the compliance space, your Assessors and Consultants have less work to do on their end to get set up for PCI 4.0. And that’ll reduce your ramp-up time as well.
Take on PCI 4.0 with Confidence
Making the switch to PCI DSS 4.0 won’t be quick and easy for anyone in compliance, but you can reduce the pain and toil dramatically. TCT Portal makes the learning curve flatter and shorter so you can take on version 4.0 with greater confidence.
TCT has dozens of Assessors on the TCT Portal, so if you’re struggling with an Assessment firm that needs weeks or months to get their tooling together, we’d be happy to make an introduction to an Assessment firm that can help you immediately.
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