Trustwave has created a new online community designed to foster discussions and a better understanding of information security and compliance best practices.
The Trustwave TrustKeeper Community is a moderated social network where small businesses can interact with peers, Trustwave security experts, financial institutions and other industry experts, as well as access hundreds of free informational resources from videos to articles. By creating and exchanging user-generated content, it is hoped that community members can learn more about dozens of information security and compliance topics including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance.
Doug Klotnia, general manager, Compliance and Risk Management at Trustwave, said: "For many small businesses, implementing an effective security plan and maintaining PCI compliance can be a complex and mystifying process.
"Our new social network helps demystify that process by opening communication among small businesses, financial institutions and security experts in an effort to help businesses both achieve PCI compliance and solve other data security issues as technology and payment processing evolves."
The PCI DSS is a security requirement for businesses that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, which has been endorsed by all the major credit card brands including Visa, MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Network, American Express and JCB.
Joe Gage, owner of West Lake Mail in Austin, Texas, said: "As a small business owner that accepts credit cards, it is crucial for me to ensure I have the proper security measures in place to protect my customers’ valuable information. Yet, navigating the PCI landscape can be challenging.
"The Trustwave TrustKeeper Community is an outstanding resource that gives me a better understanding of PCI compliance and data security by giving me access to valuable insight from security experts and my peers. Together we learn and share information about the evolving data security industry keeping up to speed on the latest threats, and staying one step ahead of the cybercriminals."
For acquiring banks and independent sales organisations, the community can serve as a co-branded platform that helps their merchants gain more understanding of compliance and increase compliancy among their merchant base.
Patrick Shanahan, COO at CardConnect, a payment processor that helps 50,000 U.S. businesses accept billions of dollars in electronic transactions each year, said: "Providing the most advanced payment solutions, best customer service and securing cardholder data are top priorities for our organisation.
"With Trustwave TrustKeeper Community, we are able to speak with many customers at once about PCI compliance and data security, making them aware of the latest security requirements and best practices on how they can protect their confidential data and payment card information."
The Trustwave TrustKeeper Community is currently in beta and being rolled out by select financial institutions to their merchants.
