National IT infrastructure and cloud solutions provider Peak 10 announced that its data centers and cloud infrastructure have been validated for PCI DSS 2.0 Level 1 compliance. The company recently underwent a rigorous audit by an independent Quality Security Assessor (QSA) to ensure that it meets best practices and security controls needed to keep credit card data safe and secure during transit, processing and storage.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a proprietary information security standard for organizations that handle cardholder information for the major debit, credit, prepaid, e-purse, ATM and POS cards.

Validation of Peak 10’s compliance with PCI DSS ensures that customers using the Peak 10 PCI-compliant Cloud can leverage the company’s enterprise-class facilities and cloud infrastructure to ensure the security and availability of their applications and data, as well as help meet their own requirements for PCI compliance. Peak 10 is on the ‘Approved Service Providers’ list for major credit card brands and provides an extensive highly secure network coupled with 24/7 technical support to minimize risks that can compromise sensitive data security.

As part of its standard security measures, the Peak 10 PCI-compliant Cloud employs multi-layer protection and data access limitations. It also monitors, defends against and mitigates cyber assaults and threats. Features include antivirus management, vulnerability scanning, a secure audit trail and resource tracking along with round-the-clock technical support by comprehensively trained Peak 10 staff to maximize uptime and availability and enhance security.

In addition to the PCI DSS audit, Peak 10 successfully completed annual company-wide compliance audits for SSAE 16 (Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act for its data center and cloud infrastructure operations.. Industry research shows that organizations are exhibiting stronger assurance for maintaining regulatory compliance in the cloud. According to a recent Microsoft study, 34 percent of SMBs that use the cloud felt more confident in their company's regulatory compliance than in their pre-cloud days.

“While customers remain responsible for many aspects of the compliance of their technologies and applications, their use of Peak 10’s cloud infrastructure can help meet many of the requirements for compliance with PCI DSS and HIPAA/HITECH,” said David Kidd, Peak 10’s director of quality assurance. “The successful completion of this most recent series of audits is part of our continued commitment to maintaining a well-governed, high-quality IT service environment.”

Peak 10’s portfolio of cloud services also includes a HIPAA-compliant Cloud solution for businesses handling electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). For more information on Peak 10’s cloud solutions, visit www.peak10.com/cloud.

About Peak 10

Peak 10 provides reliable, tailored cloud computing, information technology (IT) infrastructure solutions and managed services, primarily for mid-market businesses. Customer-centric, responsive and cost-effective, Peak 10 solutions are designed to scale and adapt to customers’ changing business needs, enabling them to increase agility, lower costs, improve performance and focus internal resources on their core competencies. Peak 10 holds the Cisco® Cloud Provider Certification with a Cisco Powered Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) designation. Peak 10 is SSAE 16 audited and helps companies meet the requirements of various regulatory compliance acts such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), HIPAA/HITECH, PCI DSS and Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLBA). For more information, visit www.peak10.com.

Note to Editors: Interviews can be arranged with Peak 10 experts in the areas of Payment Card Industry (PCI) and HIPAA compliance. Supporting visuals are also available upon request.