This is an important idea in PCI, and one that Merchants need to understand. The payment card environment includes ALL devices that:

  •       • process payment cards, OR
  •       • store information about payment cards, OR
  •       • that transmit that sort of information,

AND ALL devices that connect directly to one of those devices. For example, if a Merchant has a computer connected to a Point of Sale terminal, that computer is part of the payment card environment, no matter what the Merchant does (or does not do) on that computer.