ProPay Gathers Industry Experts to Address Payment Industry Trends at 2009 Data Security Summit

Bob Russo, Chris and Dr. Heather Mark, and Michael Dortch among featured speakers to discuss PCI compliance, risk mitigation and data security

Orem, Utah -February 9, 2009- ProPay is gathering the brightest minds in the digital transaction industry to educate attendees about the latest trends and best practices to protect sensitive customer data at the 2009 Data Security Summit on March 18-19, 2009, at the Snowbird Resort in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Headlining the Summit’s speakers are Bob Russo, General Manager, PCI Security Standards Council; Chris and Dr. Heather Mark, Founders, Society of Payment Security Professionals; and Michael Dortch, former Senior Research Analyst, Aberbeen Group. Speakers will address the latest in PCI compliance, risk mitigation, security, and other relevant topics pertaining to the payment industry.

Editor's Note: See if you can find the common denominator between what HomeATM is doing with their SwipePIN PED device and what ProPay is doing with it's MicroSecure® Magnetic Stripe Card Reader. If you said Hardware vs. Software in order to protect Cardholder data then you've been paying attention!

Below the graphic there's a quick Bio on the featured speakers:

Bob Russo, General Manager, PCI Security Standards Council

Mr. Russo brings more than 25 years of high-tech business management, operations and security experience to the PCI Security Standards Council. Most recently, he served as the vice president of Commercial Sales for Secure Info, a provider of security, risk and compliance services and software. He was also a founder of a number of software and security companies including Network-1 Software & Technology and ATC Security, a security compliance company created to assess compliance of payment industry stakeholders, later acquired by Ambiron LLC.

Chris Mark, Founder, Society of Payment Security Professionals

Chris is an experienced information security professional and recognized payment card industry security expert. Chris is a co-founder of The Aegenis Group and the Society of Payment Security Professionals. From 2007-2009, the Aegenis Group was the worldwide trainer for all Qualified Security Assessors (QSA) and trained over 2,800 QSA. Additionally, the company contracts with Visa Inc. to conduct PCI related training internationally to merchants and banks. Chris has conducted PCI and payment security training in over 10 countries on 5 different continents.

Dr. Heather Mark, Founder, Society of Payment Security Professionals

Dr. Mark is an experienced information security and privacy professional that is both well known and respected within the Payment Services industry. Prior to joining Halcyon Dr. Mark co-founded a Qualified Security Assessment Company and worked at various technology companies supporting PCI efforts. Dr. Mark helped to develop a variety of assessment methods and practices that assisted companies in achieving compliance in a cost-effective, timely manner.

Michael Dortch, Founder and Managing Editor, DortchOnIT.com

Michael Dortch is Founder and Managing Editor of DortchOnIT.com, and has been an IT industry analyst, consultant, evangelist, speaker, writer, and "information entrepreneur" for more than 30 years, focused on enabling and emerging technologies and their effects on business value. Before starting DortchOnIT.com, Michael was a Senior Research Analyst at Aberdeen Group, and Director of IT Infrastructure Management Strategies and Executive Editor for Robert Frances Group. Michael has worked with IT users and both established and start-up vendors to help them align their strategies with business goals. He has been widely quoted and is a frequent and popular speaker at industry events. He began his career in the 1970s at The Yankee Group after attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). He lives and works in Santa Rosa, CA, approximately an hour north of San Francisco.

John Verdeschi - VP of Sales and Standards - MasterCard Payment System Integrity Group

John Verdeschi is Vice President of Sales and Standards, in the MasterCard Payment System Integrity group. In this role, he is responsible for managing MasterCard's global risk product sales team, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard and MasterCard SecureCode. Mr. Verdeschi is a member of the PCI Security Standards Council executive committee which is comprised of MasterCard and other leading payment brands. Since joining MasterCard in 1999, Mr. Verdeschi has concentrated on programs which help secure transaction data and manage fraud within the electronic payments channel.

Representatives from the various card brands and payment industry companies, as well as experts from law enforcement agencies and the F.B.I will be on hand to network with attendees and talk about the latest from their businesses and organizations.

"The landscape of the payment industry is ever-changing and the need to educate the market on best practices and the latest technology to protect businesses is essential to the survival of every company,” said Greg Pesci, ProPay Executive Vice President of Business Strategy. “This Summit is a great opportunity to bring experts and non-experts together to educate each other on the trends in the market and the pains customers and businesses are experiencing in regards to digital transactions."

For more information about the 2009 Data Security Summit and how to register, please visit www.propay.com/summit or e-mail Jennifer McClintock at events@propay.com.

About ProPay

Since 1997, ProPay has led the market in providing simple, safe and affordable credit card processing and electronic payment services for businesses ranging from the small, home-based entrepreneur to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

ProPay understands the unique needs of these businesses and has created merchant services specifically for them. With ProPay, merchants can set up accounts online and begin accepting credit cards without buying special equipment or making long-term commitments or investments. ProPay leads out in educating merchants about how to reduce or eliminate the risk of touching or holding sensitive cardholder data. The company also leads the payments market in the development of secure end-to-end solutions for protecting sensitive data and of alternative payment options that significantly reduce business costs.

ProPay is a privately held company, headquartered in Orem, Utah. For information, visit www.propay.com/pressroom.