Attenda Limited, the Always On Managed Services Company, is to participate in key standards setting body protecting payment cardholder data

London, January 19, 2010 — Attenda Limited, the Always On Managed Services company, announced today that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council as a new participating organisation.  As a Participating Organization, Attenda will work with the Council to evolve the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) and other payment card data protection standards. 

The PCI DSS, endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., requires merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to information security controls and processes that ensure data integrity. More information on the council and the standard can be found at www.pcisecuritystandards.org

As a Participating Organisation, Attenda will now have access to the latest payment card security standards from the Council, be able to provide feedback on the standards and become part of a growing community that now includes more than 500 organisations. In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, adhering to the PCI DSS represents an entity’s best protection against data criminals. By joining as a Participating Organisation, Attenda is adding its voice to the process.   “The PCI Security Standards Council is committed to helping everyone involved in the payment chain protect consumer payment data,” said Bob Russo, General Manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. “By participating in the standards setting process, Attenda demonstrates they are playing an active part in this important end goal.”

Commenting on its membership to the PCI Security Standards Council, Simon Hansford, VP Service Strategy & Marketing, says “We are delighted to have been appointed to work with the Council to evolve the PCI DSS security and card data protection standards.”

Hansford continues, “Implementing PCI DSS can help organisations to reduce long-term compliance costs, instill best practices across the enterprise, making it easier and less expensive to adhere to new requirements and to create a leaner, more efficient organisation.”