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19.11.2007
RandomStorm Attains PCI Approved Scanning Vendor Status

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RandomStorm, the emerging name in proactive security management technology, has been awarded Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) status by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, one of the first UK companies to have been successful under the more rigorous test procedures that came into effect in September 2007.

The PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) has been introduced by the major card issuers including Visa International, MasterCard, American Express and Discovery to provide a global security framework, helping to prevent card fraud and to protect stored card holder information from being compromised. All organisations that process card payment transactions are now required to have their IT networks regularly audited for potential security vulnerabilities, with non-compliance resulting in withdrawal of payment services or significant financial penalties if they are responsible for a leak of customer information.

RandomStorm has joined only a handful of specialist security companies based in the UK that have been approved to carry out the regular network scanning audits to the PCI standard, which merchants are required to undertake at least annually to validate their compliance. The company, which was formed earlier this year, has developed a unique vulnerability management platform, which not only provides detailed PCI vulnerability reports but also enables companies to regularly monitor their networks between audits.

Andrew Mason, RandomStorm's Chief Technology Officer commented "In a complex network environment it is very easy for new vulnerabilities to occur, both at the network and the application level, which could lead to personal financial information being compromised. Our self-managing scanning tools enable system administrators to proactively manage their security all year round and avoid the possible need for emergency remedial work, following the regular audit, to remain compliant."

The award of ASV status by the PCI Security Council coincides with launch of a major revision of RandomStorm's scanning software that forms the core of the company's xStorm and iStorm vulnerability management applications. Following user feedback network managers now have access to a range of new reporting features, providing more in-depth analysis of the network, both at a technical and managerial level, in terms of severity of the threat, long term trends and more detailed remediation advice.

Both these announcements represent the culmination of a highly successful first year for the company, which has also seen the establishment of a national reseller channel and technology partnerships including, The Grove Group, SICL, Nebulas Security and Pentura as well as the capture of some major account wins including West Bromwich Building Society, Cantor Fitzgerald, Carbon Markets and the legal firm Ford and Warren.

ENDS.

For more information contact Stephen Meredith on 07816 655709 or email stephen.meredith@randomstorm.com

About RandomStorm

www.randomstorm.com

RandomStorm is a privately owned company which was formed in 2007 and headquartered in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The CTO Andrew Mason is a leading security expert and Cisco networking specialist. The author of several definitive books on Cisco products Andrew includes the globally recognised CISSP qualification, awarded to only the top security professionals, amongst his many achievements and was previously a founding director of the UK based MSSP, Boxing Orange. Sales Director, Robin Hill has over 10 years experience in large enterprise sales and was VP of worldwide sales for the DDoS mitigation company Webscreen Technology prior to joining Andrew to form RandomStorm.

About PCI DSS

www.pcisecuritystandards.org

The PCI Security Standards Council is an open global forum for the ongoing development, enhancement, storage, dissemination and implementation of security standards for account data protection. The PCI Security Standards Council's mission is to enhance payment account data security by fostering broad adoption of the PCI Security Standards. The organization was founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa International.