North American Bancard To Partner With PCI Council to Improve Data Security

TROY -- North American Bancard, provider of the wireless device payment system PayAnywhere, announced  it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council as a new Participating Organization.

NAB will work with the council to achieve and improve payment data security worldwide through the ongoing development of the PCI Security Standards, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS).

Endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., the PCI Security Standards require merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to information security controls and processes that ensure data protection. To enhance payment data security globally while embracing new technologies as they are developed, the Council relies on involvement of those across the payments processing chain, from merchants and service providers to payment device manufacturers and software developers, financial institutions and processors.

As a Participating Organization, NAB adds its voice to the standards setting process and will receive previews of drafts of standards and supporting materials in order to provide feedback to shape their final versions, as well as engage a growing community of more than 600 organizations united to improve payment security.

North American Bancard will also have the opportunity to recommend new initiatives for consideration to the PCI Security Standards Council, participate in exclusive webinars and question and answer sessions with Council representatives, and review and discuss new versions of the PCI Security Standards while sharing cross-sector experiences and best practices at the annual Community Meetings.

"In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, adhering to the PCI DSS represents an entity's best protection against network security threats and data breaches," said Bob Russo, general manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. "By joining as a Participating Organization, North American Bancard demonstrates they are playing an active part in mitigating the threats and improving the security of the payment chain globally by driving the security standards to higher levels of adoption and strength."

"Payment data security is North American Bancard's top priority and our intention is to be an active participant in critical security conversations with other Participating Organizations of the PCI Security Standards Council so that we may raise the bar for the entire industry," said Tracy Metzger, CIO of North American Bancard. "NAB is an advocate for high level security standards that protect both businesses and consumers alike, and is committed to the security of the information that belongs to our merchant customers and the consumers they serve."

More at www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

North American Bancard is a multi-faceted payment solutions provider dedicated to providing the latest technology as well as the highest service levels to non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes with round-the-clock technical and customer service support. As a registered MSP/ISO since 1992,

North American Bancard processes more than $12 billion in electronic transactions annually for more than 155,000 merchants nationwide. For more information, visit www.nabancard.com.