However, meeting PCI requirements has proven to be a challenge for many retailers. Global DataGuard, the premier provider of Security Risk Management (SRM) solutions for midsize-to-enterprise organizations, today announced it is offering an end-to-end PCI data security solution for companies that store or transmit data via the web, online shopping cart, email, point of sale (POS) systems or customer databases.

With features that include encrypted transmission of cardholder data; periodic network scans; logical and physical access controls; and activity monitoring and logging, Global DataGuard enables customers to achieve and maintain their PCI compliance, and to leverage their investments by protecting vital customer, partner and business information. Global DataGuard's PCI solution is inherent in the company's integrated, world-class SRM architecture. This holistic, integrated approach to security sets Global DataGuard apart from other vendors who offer point products and services that are overly complex and expensive to purchase and administer.

"We're veterans at providing comprehensive and fully integrated security technology, and we can now map our entire suite of actionable, pre-emptive and cost-effective security features against the PCI Data Security Standard to deliver complete PCI compliance," said Dean A. Trumbull, chief operating officer of Global DataGuard. "With our Security Risk Management solution, companies know their customer information is secure, and that they are protected from liability. In today's litigious and compliance-oriented environment, that's saying a lot - that's peace of mind."

Global DataGuard's unrivaled PCI security features ensure that the stored cardholder data is protected, while auditing minimum data storage requirements and encrypting the stored data. As a certified PCI scanning vendor, Global DataGuard offers quarterly external vulnerability scans and a full complement of professional services for PCI issues. In addition, Global DataGuard employs techniques to:

• restrict access to cardholder data on a business need-to-know basis,
• ensure a unique ID is assigned to each person with computer access,
• restrict physical access to cardholder data to protect hard copies of information as well as the systems themselves, and
• continuously monitor and test networks, tracking all access to network resources and cardholder data, so that the cause of any compromise can be determined through system activity logs.

"It's not just about software and hardware," Trumbull said. "We have the experience and expertise to help organizations achieve PCI compliance and integrated network security in a very easy-to-administer platform."