New webinars target PCI education

MasterCard Worldwide added three new Web-based seminars to its Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) Merchant Education Program. Network Segmentation, Maximize Internal Preparations for PCI DSS and Data Encryption: Understanding Encryption and PCI DSS join the nine original segments designed to educate merchants on data security and encourage broader adoption of PCI DSS.

Joshua Peirez, Chief Payment System Integrity Officer, MasterCard Worldwide, said merchant education is critical to ensuring the integrity of payment data. "The new modules are highly informative and address areas of interest identified by past training participants," he said.

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Here is a brief explanation of the new training modules:

• Network Segmentation: How merchants can segment their internal networks and computer systems to minimize the scope of PCI DSS compliance audits or self-assessment questionnaires. By splitting networks into subnetworks, and isolating internal systems devoted to card transactions from other systems, merchants can make compliance easier and reduce costs associated with remedying data security problems.

• Maximize Internal Preparations for PCI DSS: How merchants can build internal PCI compliance management teams and what they should expect from qualified security assessors when merchants undergo audits. The segment also examines how merchants can maximize investments in security systems prior to audits.

• Data Encryption: Understanding Encryption and PCI DSS: How cardholder data is encrypted and the basic concepts of symmetric and asymmetric algorithms. This session also addresses how the PCI DSS encryption requirements can help merchants make other aspects of their businesses more secure.

Like preceding webinars, the new additions are interactive and customizable, offering training sessions tailored specifically for merchants. Sessions can be on-site, real-time, live Web meetings or prerecorded, on demand webinars.

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MasterCard created the PCI Merchant Education Program in collaboration with data security professionals. In addition to providing education, the program gives merchants the opportunity to access free network scans, enabling them to identify potential weaknesses in their network security systems that potentially compromise data security.

Since the program launched in October 2007, MasterCard reports that more than 1,625 registered users have viewed the modules, over 3,200 times in total. The 12 webinars are available at www.webcasts.com/mastercardpci .

MasterCard also offers the Academy of Risk Management, a suite of online seminars, global conferences, and other tools and materials designed to help make payment systems secure and prioritize cardholder data security for global commerce. For more information, visit www.mastercardsecurity.com .

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