If you're a smaller company storing customer data, ask yourself this - is what I'm storing (and spending time, energy and resources storing) necessary? If the answer is no, consider this - a recent study by Visa and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) showed that smaller enterprises are storing data that shouldn't be stored. While 87 percent of the small businesses surveyed believe how they handle their customers' data would bring out feelings of trust in their customers, the study shows that more than half of those respondents store sensitive customer data that is supposed to be purged under Payment Card Industry data standards. Worse, many don't realize that they're storing such information. This information includes credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, check copies, bank numbers, and more.

To read the Visa/NFIB report summary, visit the Visa.com website.