Earlier this year, the Society of Payment Security Professionals (SPSP) proctored the industry's first Certified Payment-Card Industry Security Manager (CPISM) training and examination for more than 40 employees of RBS WorldPay (formerly RBS Lynk). The event marks the adoption of a new standard of experience and education for those that are involved in protecting consumer data in the Payment Card Industry.
"The protection of consumer data is an issue that RBS WorldPay takes very seriously," said LeAnn Brown, Vice President of PCI Risk. "By certifying our colleagues on both the training and the exam we are able to better inform our clients on issues surrounding data protection. The certification demonstrates to our clients that we take the protection of cardholder data seriously. It enables us to create unique solutions for our customers that will help them mitigate the risk of data breach."
The exam covers those knowledge domains that have been identified by industry experts as being critical to managing the security or compliance function within the Payment-Card Industry. The domains have been validated by industry stakeholders including major card brands, banks, qualified security assessors, merchants, and service providers to ensure relevance and consistency. The exam was developed using accepted educational and exam development criteria and has been rigorously tested for validity.
"RBS WorldPay has been progressive in recognizing the unique security issues facing the payments industry," according to Dr. Heather Mark, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Society of Payment Security Professionals. "By having cross-functional teams trained and certified on the protection of consumer data, RBS WorldPay can not only inform their clients on the protection of data, but they can inform their internal colleagues as well."
In order to sit for the CPISM, individuals must be members in good standing of the Society of Payment Security Professionals, provide a resume containing current credentials in either the Payment Card Industry or Information Security, and two letters of reference.