Voltage Security, a provider of enterprise and payment card data protection inside and outside the cloud, and Merchant Link, a provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, announced a partnership to provide point-to-point encryption, cloud-based decryption and tokenization to businesses looking for a security solution to protect cardholder data and reduce PCI scope. The hosted solution enables merchants to have their Voltage SecureData Payments solution with the decryption and tokenization services hosted within the Merchant Link Payment Gateway.
The service provides a solution to secure data in-flight and data at rest: Voltage Security's point-to-point encryption technology, where cardholder data is encrypted immediately at point of capture and remains protected throughout the merchant's environment. The service also provides Merchant Link's TransactionVault tokenization technology, decryption and payment gateway connecting the POS to the merchant's processor of choice.
"With this new offering, we are moving the decryption point to the cloud, so the merchant no longer has to have decrypted data in their environment," said Dan Lane, chief technology officer for Merchant Link. "Data is protected within our secure, PCI-validated redundant data centers. And because the decryption and tokenization is cloud-based, it is both affordable and easy to implement."
Other features include simplified key management, with no need to inject keys into devices or manually rotate encryption keys; encryption support for a range of form factors in the industry, from payment peripherals to counter-top terminals to multilane terminals; and removal of cardholder data from merchant environments along with outsourced key management, allowing for a reduction of PCI scope.
"Voltage is taking a leadership role in providing data protection both inside and outside the cloud. Now, for the protection of sensitive cardholder data used in payment transactions, merchants can turn to Merchant Link and Voltage for a safe and powerful solution to protect both data in-flight and data at rest," said Mark Bower, vice president of product management for Voltage Security.
The release comes on the heels of a WatchGuard security forecast for 2011, which predicts VOIP (voice over IP) attacks, manufacturer-delivered malware and social media security breaches will be among the top security concerns for businesses this year.
"2011 stands to be a dynamic year for network security as criminals and hackers take threats to new levels," said Eric Aarrestad, vice president at WatchGuard Technologies. "Given how new threats are constantly evolving, WatchGuard remains ever vigilant in staying one step ahead of these threats, which gives our customers unparalleled protection for their networks, applications and data."
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