Globix first to achieve PCI DDS accreditation for online security

Managed hosting provider, Globix UK, today announced that it is the first, and currently only, UK data centre to have Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) accreditation.

This is a major endorsement of the Globix hosting facility by the world’s leading card issuers Visa and MasterCard who have developed the standard, and puts Globix in a unique position in the European data centre market.

To achieve PCI DSS accreditation for its unmanaged hosting services, Globix worked with Visa and MasterCard approved security assessor, One-SEC.  As a result, all customers storing credit card details, customer information and transactional data with Globix have the guarantee that their data hosting facility complies with the 12-step security standard outlined by the card issuers.

Additionally, all customers hosting with Globix are now exempt from requiring their own data centre accreditation, as a result, reducing their own end-to-end transactional PCI DSS accreditation.

“Online sales are growing rapidly and in certain sectors revenue levels are nearing those of traditional high street retailers.  As a result, banks and card issuers are taking online fraud very seriously - and they expect everyone in the value chain to do so equally.  PCI DSS has been developed as the security standard and increasingly companies that don’t comply are being refused a merchant license,” explained Philip Cheek, Managing Director, Globix UK.

“The only way to continue to partner with Visa and MasterCard is to achieve certification, but this can take up to a year, and millions of pounds in lost revenue opportunities.  By offering an accredited PCI DSS hosting facility, we’re slashing up to four months off this process for many businesses,” concluded Philip.

“PCI DSS accreditation takes Visa and MasterCard suppliers through very rigorous testing,” explained Andrew Henwood, Chief Technical Officer, One-SEC.  “The process can take between two months and a year to complete and must be repeated annually to ensure that security standards remain high.  Globix has demonstrated ‘best practice’ at every level of its physical security and this is testimony to the very high quality of its data centre and the staff that manage this.”