Thursday, October 20, 2011

2011 PCI Community Meetings Break Record for Number of Attendees

Five years after Council inception, unprecedented meeting turnout sets stage for increased participation in standards development for 2012

October 20, 2011 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 


WAKEFIELD, Mass. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global, open industry standards body providing management of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), PIN Transaction Security Requirements (PTS) and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), today announced the successful completion of its 4th annual Community Meetings and the start of the next phase of development for the newest versions of the PCI DSS, PA-DSS and supplemental guidance on technologies and processes in payments security.
“The PCI Community Meetings are, very simply, all about the community”
Marking the PCI Council’s 5th year in existence, close to 1600 stakeholders representing 650 organizations globally attended the 2011 meetings, compared with 323 at the Council’s first gathering in 2007. More than 500 of these participated in the European Community Meeting, reflecting record interest and participation from this region specifically.
The Community Meetings signal the official feedback period for the three-year lifecycle of the PCI DSS and PA-DSS, which gives Participating Organizations the opportunity to provide suggestions and commentary on the development of the next PCI Standards. Beginning November 1, input can be submitted through a new online tool that makes feedback easier to supply. All feedback will be vetted and where appropriate incorporated into discussion for the next iteration of the PCI Standards. As part of next year’s Community Meetings, Council staff will report on feedback received.
In addition to feedback and discussion around the latest version of the PCI Standards, highlights at this year’s meetings included:
  • The Council’s ongoing examinations of technologies in payments, including the recently released PCI Point-to-Point Encryption Solution Requirements, as well as guidance on PA-DSS and mobile payments
  • Proposals for Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on new topics that evaluate additional payment processes and technology
  • PCI insights from leading merchants and PCI Board of Advisors members including British Airways, McDonald’s Corporation and Woolworths Limited
“In addition to an excellent turnout, it was great to see a number of new sessions and opportunities for networking built into the agenda,” said John Graham, VP Global Information Assurance & Risk, First Data Corporation. “As a Board of Advisor member, I was especially encouraged to see the level of engagement and collaboration fostered through this year’s meetings. I look forward to building on this in the year ahead as we enter into the standards feedback period and continue to look at evolving technologies and their impact on payment security.”
"The PCI Community Meetings are, very simply, all about the community,” said Bob Russo, general manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. “Bringing the most preeminent payment experts in the world together in one place to foster open discussion and collaboration benefits the entire payments security landscape. We are pleased with the huge turnout and the dedication of so many individuals to help evolve the PCI Standards to better protect payment card data over the past 5 years. Through the feedback and collective experience of our members we will ensure that the PCI Standards continue to serve as the most solid foundation for payment card security, globally.”
PCI Security Standards Council European Director Jeremy King added, “We outgrew our venue here in London for the European Community Meeting this year, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! The representation at this meeting is a strong testament to the great strides that together as a European community we’ve made in increasing awareness and growth of payment card security and the PCI Standards in the European region. I’m already looking forward to next year!”
About the PCI Security Standards Council
The PCI Security Standards Council is an open, global forum that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and related standards that increase payment data security. Founded in 2006 by the major payment card brands American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., the Council has more than 600 Participating Organizations representing merchants, banks, processors and vendors worldwide. To learn more about playing a part in securing payment card data globally, please visit: http://pcisecuritystandards.org.
Connect with the PCI Council on LinkedIn: http://www.linked-in.com/company/pci-security-standards-council.

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