Guest Series: More Retailers Heighten Focus On Data Security

By Ken Cheney, Vice President of Marketing And Sales,, Likewise Software

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS ) is affecting IT spending in a big way, despite the economic downturn. It's not just compliance that's driving PCI DSS implementation—retailers of all sizes are increasingly finding that all the trouble is well worth the effort. Recent security breaches, like those at TJX and the Gap that affected millions of customers, have put compliance front and center for many IT departments.

That's part of the results from a recent survey by Cisco Systems that polled 500 security professionals who noted that while PCI DSS compliance is hard, more than half recognize it as a "necessary hardship," according to an article in SearchSecurity.com: "'PCI is a top-of-mind business issue and is a budget driver for security and network projects,' said Fred Kost, director of security solutions at Cisco. The survey found slight increases in spending for security in 2011. Of those surveyed, 60% said their five-year spending on PCI compliance was between $100,000 to more than $1 million."