As a Participating Organisation, Thales will work with the Council to evolve the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) and other payment card data protection standards.

The PCI DSS, endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., requires merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to information security controls and processes that ensure data integrity. More information on the council and the standard can be found at www.pcisecuritystandards.org

As a Participating Organisation, Thales will now have access to the latest payment card security standards from the Council, be able to provide feedback on the standards and become part of a growing community that now includes more than 500 organisations. In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, adhering to the PCI DSS represents an entity's best protection against data criminals. By joining as a Participating Organisation, Thales, is adding its voice to the process.

"The PCI Security Standards Council is committed to helping everyone involved in the payment chain protect consumer payment data," said Bob Russo, General Manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. "By participating in the standards setting process, Thales demonstrates it is playing an active part in this important end goal."

Paul Meadowcroft, Head of Transaction Security for the Information Systems Security activities of Thales, said: "As a leader in the provision of security solutions to the banking and finance sector, we endeavour to be at the centre of the continuous improvement of payment security standards and processes. We believe that the PCI DSS is a strong defence in the fight against data theft. By joining the PCI Security Standards Council, we are committed to advancing the understanding and adoption of PCI DSS and we look forward to collaborating with other Council membebers for the benefit of the wider industry in the future."