A point-to-point encryption solution is the complete product through which a merchant receives point-to-point encryption (P2PE); the main entry explains how the technology works and why merchants use it. This page covers how the word "solution" is used.
In the card industry, a solution means the whole package rather than a single device. It combines approved secure card readers, the injection and management of encryption keys, a decryption environment built around a hardware security module, and a written manual telling the merchant how to install, inspect and return terminals. The company that runs it is called the solution provider and is often an acquirer, processor or payment gateway.
The PCI Security Standards Council assesses solutions against its P2PE standard and lists validated ones on its website. A merchant using a listed solution can usually reduce the scope of its PCI DSS assessment, while a product that merely claims encryption, sometimes sold as end-to-end encryption, does not automatically give that benefit.