The Retail Equation designated PCI DSS compliant

Irvine, Calif. The Retail Equation, a leader in retail transaction optimization solutions, announced it is again validated compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Digital Resources Group (DRG), a qualified security assessor company (QSAC) and approved scan vendor (ASV) credentialed by the PCI Security Standards Council, conducted the compliance validation in a time when PCI DSS standards are becoming increasingly rigorous each year.

“By meeting the card industry’s most stringent set of data security requirements, PCI DSS v1.2, and validating its compliance against this standard, The Retail Equation has demonstrated that data security is of the utmost importance to the company and its clients,” explained Jim Cowing, CISSP, QSA and CEO for DRG. “Not only has the company adhered to cardholder security best practices, it is also diligent in the application of the same standards to the handling of sensitive consumer transaction information, like drivers license data -- positioning the company as an industry leader in security compliance.”

PCI DSS is the payment-card industry’s data security requirement for entities that store, process or transmit cardholder data, and has been endorsed by all the major card brands -- Visa, MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Network, American Express and JCB. Audits to assess PCI DSS compliance must be conducted on a regular basis by all service providers and major retailers. The Retail Equation, which works with retailers nationwide to offer return optimization solutions, engaged DRG to conduct a third-party security review to determine whether the company met PCI requirements related to the protection of data contained in retail transactions provided by its clients. The Retail Equation and all systems involved in utilizing cardholder data and personally identifiable information used for identification and analysis were evaluated by DRG during the compliance validation process.

“Given todays meticulous PCI DSS testing requirements, The Retail Equation is pleased to be re-validated as PCI DSS compliant. While the PCI assessment focuses on our credit-card security, we take those standards and apply them to the personally identifiable information that is even more critical to us and our retail clients,” said Raymond Kelly, IT director for The Retail Equation.