Sage North America, Trustwave Partner on PCI DSS

Sage North America, a provider of electronic payment systems, announced that it has partnered with on-demand and subscription-based information security and payment card industry compliance management solutions specialist Trustwave to implement a comprehensive Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance program for SMBs.

PCI DSS is a requirement for all entities that store, process or transmit cardholder data that has been endorsed by all the major card brands, including Visa, MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Network and American Express, among others.

All businesses accepting credit or debit card payments should be validated PCI DSS-compliant. To help SMBs facilitate their PCI DSS compliance efforts, Sage has partnered with Trustwave to provide their SMB merchants with preferred pricing for TrustKeeper 3.0, Trustwave's PCI DSS compliance Web portal. Using the PCI Wizard in conjunction with TrustKeeper Agent, SMB merchants work through a personalized, guided interview to ease compliance validation. Further, TrustKeeper Agent helps ensure SMB merchants aren't storing unencrypted cardholder data or track data. TrustKeeper also helps them complete the PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire, schedule required scans and receive their PCI DSS compliance certificate.

"As a focused leader in payments security, Sage is taking a proactive position on PCI compliance," said Greg Hammermaster, president of Sage Payment Solutions, Sage's payments division. "Trustwave's industry-leading compliance portal helps businesses further secure their payment environment with little investment in time or money. We're happy to use our buying power to bring down the cost and complexity for any SMB to be validated PCI DSS compliant."

Sage's payment processing and business services are currently being provided to more than 140,000 businesses and organizations, which accept multiple forms of payment, including credit and debit cards, electronic checks, Check21, gift and loyalty cards, and automatic recurring payment. With Sage Payment Solutions, businesses can also expand the way they accept payments, from card present and mail order/telephone order (MO/TO) to Internet and payments integrated with Sage software applications and third-party solutions.

"Many businesses lack the resources to ensure their environment is properly secured and PCI DSS-compliant," said Robert J. McCullen, chairman and CEO of Trustwave. "TrustKeeper 3.0 creates a path to help organizations validate their compliance, resulting in a more secure payment environment, as well as a trusted commerce experience."