VIMRO, LLC Now Certified PCI Qualified Security Assessor

1. VIMRO, LLC Now Certified PCI Qualified Security Assessor 1888PressRelease - VIMRO, LLC announces that the company received the designation of Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) from the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). VIMRO stands ready to help defend their clients' payment card systems from hackers, fraud, and heavy non-compliance fines. VIMRO. LLC is focused on advanced cyber security, and this achievement forcefully underscores that fact. In order to become a QSA, VIMRO continuously demonstrated clear industry leadership in the payment card security arena, including passing an in-depth evaluation by the SSC and upholding the highest level of professionalism in administering PCI assessments to the specifications of the Data Security Standard (DSS). VIMRO can now assist clients in building and maintaining secure payment card networks, and help identify and eliminate risks in pre-existing networks through access controls, regular system testing, and on-going system monitoring. "VIMRO's professionals not only hold the technical expertise that is necessary for PCI DSS compliance, but as audit and security professionals, we also have an instinctive knowledge of process and controls, which makes us a unique force in this area," said Michael Horsch Fizz, VIMRO's Principal Analyst and Chief Business Development Officer. "In addition, by leveraging VIMRO's Holistic Cyber Security Enabling Methodology, our clients arm themselves to prevent, detect, and respond to cybercriminal attacks that threaten their business, clients, employees, and sensitive data." The PCI SSC was created as a joint effort by the largest payment card companies: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB and Discover, with the goal of creating a central management authority which could, among other things, increase security for their cardholders and the companies accepting their cards, through the prevention of security breaches, fraud, insecure data handling techniques, and other security threats. Cardholder data is a tempting target for criminals, and serious breaches occur regularly. In order to combat this, the PCI DSS is complex and detailed, covering many areas of a business' day-to-day operations. Regardless, it is the responsibilitya of the vendor accepting payment cards to ensure the safety of the data passing through their system. Companies which accept credit card payments, whether huge, well-established institutions or growing startups, need this protection in order to defend themselves and their customers.

2. If a business is found to be in non-compliance with the PCI DSS they can expect heavy fines, and will bear the responsibility for all client losses from fraud, in addition to the loss of company reputation inherent with customer dissatisfaction. "The proliferation of 'people-to-people' payment options, such as Square, PayPal, Amazon, mobile phone devices and plug-in credit card readers, has revolutionized the payment industry, while also creating significantly greater risk for security breaches," said Larry Boettger, VIMRO Advanced Cyber Security Architect and PCI QSA Solution Leader. "With greater risk-exposure comes greater demand for QSA certified organizations. As a QSA company, we are proud to be able to enhance our cyber security offerings by ensuring that our clients meet the required PCI DSS compliance standards." For more information on how VIMRO's PCI DSS compliance services can help your business visit our website or call 800-272-0019. About VIMRO LLC VIMRO LLC is the trusted cyber security partner to clients nationwide by providing the most relevant, validated security and networking solutions in the industry. VIMRO's foundation is based on an exclusive community of vetted industry experts who are empowered by a culture of achieving measurable outcomes and results. In the U.S., visit VIMRO, LLC at www.vimro.com. About PCI Security Standard Council The PCI Security Standards Council is an open global forum, launched in 2006, that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Security Standards, including the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), and PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements. The Council's five founding global payment brands -- American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard, and Visa Inc. -- have agreed to incorporate the PCI DSS as the technical requirements of each of their data security compliance programs. Each founding member also recognizes the QSAs, PA-QSAs and ASVs certified by the PCI Security Standards Council.