Bluefin Payment Systems today announced a new partnership with EchoSat, Inc., a leading provider of payments security and redundancy for retail outlets in many vertical markets, and managed network and firewall services to protect point-of-sale systems from security breaches.
The partnership will further enhance data security for EchoSat clients through the implementation of Bluefin’s Decryptx™ PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) service, which will provide additional protection by encrypting payment data directly at the point of interface (POI).
EchoSat serves a wide variety of clients, including convenience stores, gas stations, truck stops, restaurants, grocery stores and large retailers. Current clients include many well-known brands whose franchisees blanket the U.S. retail market.
Bluefin became the first North American PCI-validated P2PE solution provider in March 2014. PCI-validated P2PE secures card transactions by encrypting all data within a PCI-approved point of entry swipe or keypad device, preventing clear-text cardholder data from being available in the device or the merchant’s system where it could be exposed to malware. Bluefin’s Decryptx™ Decryption as a Service (DaaS) product provides all of the security of Bluefin’s PCI-validated P2PE solution suite with no change to a merchant’s processing or acquiring relationship.
“As the FBI and other agencies warn that criminals are developing new strains of point-of-sale malware which can defeat standard security precautions, it is more important than ever that companies like EchoSat provide their clients the best data security available,” said John M. Perry, CEO of Bluefin. “There is an increasing awareness that consumer cardholder data will never be fully secure without PCI-validated P2PE. We congratulate EchoSat on being on the cutting edge of payment card security, and are delighted that they have chosen Bluefin and Decryptx™ as a means for their clients to secure cardholder data and reduce PCI scope.”
EchoSat and Bluefin both take pride in the fact that their security solutions are 100% PCI compliant. Bluefin is a Participating Organization (PO) of the PCI Council and a validated Level 1 PCI DSS Compliant Service Provider. Bluefin Chief Innovation Officer Ruston Miles assisted with the development of the recent updated P2PE standard, as part of an industry feedback group for PCI SSC.
“EchoSat has a responsibility to our many clients to provide the best possible protection for both their networks and their reputations,” said Mark Carl, EchoSat Chief Executive Officer. “Bluefin’s P2PE solution is the best there is. It is secure, reliable, cost effective and tried-and-tested. Decryptx™ will become an essential tool in ensuring that our clients' systems are secure. When reviewing P2PE providers, it was critical for us to find a P2PE solution that was validated by the PCI SSC. Other vendors in our space offer P2PE solutions that are not validated, and we believe the Decryptx™ solution will give us a competitive advantage on that front.”
Through the partnership, EchoSat clients will have access to PCI-validated P2PE on the EchoSat SPG and PaySafe SPG platforms, with Bluefin providing the devices, key injection, shipping and chain of custody for EchoSat clients.