Requirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data
Any physical access to data or systems that house cardholder data provides the opportunity for individuals to access devices or data and to remove systems or hardcopies, and should be appropriately restricted. For the purposes of Requirement 9, “onsite personnel” refers to full-time and part-time employees, temporary employees, contractors and consultants who are physically present on the entity’s premises. A “visitor” refers to a vendor, guest of any onsite personnel, service workers, or anyone who needs to enter the facility for a short duration, usually not more than one day. “Media” refers to all paper and electronic media containing cardholder data.