When it comes to securing some of the most sensitive data in the world—whether it’s your credit card information or your personal health history—two regulatory frameworks stand out: PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and the HIPAA Security Rule (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

These two giants in data protection may seem similar at first glance, but their approaches to safeguarding information couldn’t be more different. While both aim to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, fraud, and breaches, their methods are uniquely tailored to the industries they serve—finance and healthcare—each with its own set of challenges and priorities.