I am up to my ears in Parking Technology Today, PT’s all technology sister. It will be coming out in July. I have reached out to a number of my tech friends and have gotten a list of topics for the mag.
Topping the list are EMV and PCI. If you don’t know what they are, you have been living on another planet for the last year. But I will expound.
EMV stands for Europay Mastercard VISA and is the international standard for credit cards and their usage. What it means to you is that in the very near future all the cards in your wallet will be exchanged to ones that not only have a mag stripe on the back, but also a computer chip. Thrilling so far.
I just got off the phone with VISA and got all the cool information about the migration from mag stripe to chip cards. It was in a language that I could understand, and so could you. There is a problem…It was off the record — the fellow I spoke to was not authorized to speak to the press. However he is sending me the name of someone who can. In the meantime I can say only one thing — taken from the Hitchhikers guide — Mostly Harmless.
PCI is the security protocol that anyone taking credit cards (that probably means you) must follow. Its complex, difficult, and expensive. There has been PCI2.0, PCI2.0 and now here comes PCI3.0. I have spoken to numerous folks about this and frankly eyes tend to glaze over after the first sentence. However it is important. I can say this: Disregard at your peril.
PTT is coming and will have the definitive information. I will also blog here as soon as I get the facts. If possible.
JVH
