The First Saudi Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 15th 2009 - IT Security Training & Solutions - I(TS)2, the Middle East's premier provider of integrated Security Education & Certification Curriculum, Security Solutions, Security Consultancy and Managed Security Services, today announced that it has been designated by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council as Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). I(TS)2 is the first Saudi company to achieve this designation which is critical to the financial sector and growing regulation in the region.

The QSA designation means that I(TS)2 is now qualified to assess an organization's compliance to the PCI Data Security Standards (DSS). Banks, merchants, credit card processors, hosting providers and any other organizations that store process or transmit cardholder data are mandated to be compliant with the PCI DSS.

"I(TS)2's achievement is one of many that demonstrate our commitment to continue to lead in the areas of information security, compliance and auditing," said Samer Omar, General Manager of I(TS)2 add "this achievement should bring national pride and hopefully more support from the Finance and Banking sector".

I(TS)2 PCI strategy also involves key partners which include Qualys who is a an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV), and is fully certified to assess PCI DSS compliance. Through QualysGuard PCI, the most accurate, easiest to use tool for turnkey PCI, which enables merchants and Member Service Providers to promptly complete the PCI self-assessment questionnaire and conduct network and web application security scans to efficiently identify and eliminate security vulnerabilities, I(TS)2 is the only company that provides this service locally through a unique partnership which securely stores all customers information locally in Saudi Arabia at its Raqeeb Security Operation Center (SOC).

I(TS)2 also provides a full suite of PCI solutions in partnership with leading vendors including ArcSight, Citrix, Cisco, Juniper, SafeNet & Tripwire to help organizations ensure data privacy, meet compliance requirements and protect critical data against both internal and external threats in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

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About I(TS)2
Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I(TS)2 is the Middle East's premier provider of integrated security solutions, security consulting services and security training & certification curriculum and is ISO 27001:2005 certified. I(TS)2 is focused on empowering all clients to combat evolving security threats. I(TS)2 's unique approach ensures delivery of the right mix of people, processes, and technology to meet unique business needs.

I(TS)2 boasts the most prestigious regional Security Academy providing professional and international certifications. I(TS)2 is the only Platinum Consultancy Partner for BSI in Saudi Arabia and has achieved Cisco Advanced Security and Microsoft Gold Partnerships. I(TS)2 has over 100+ employees in Riyadh, Eastern & Western Province as well as Jordan & Kuwait. For more information, visit the I(TS)2 web site at: http://www.its2.com

About the PCI Security Standards Council
The mission of the PCI Security Standards Council is to enhance payment account security by driving education and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard and other standards that increase payment data security.

The PCI Security Standards Council was formed by the major payment card brands American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc. to provide a transparent forum in which all stakeholders can provide input into the ongoing development, enhancement and dissemination of the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS), PIN Entry Device (PED) Security Requirements and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS). Merchants, banks, processors and point of sale vendors are encouraged to join as Participating Organizations. For more information, please visit https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org

For more information, please contact:
Mohammed I. Al-Jeraisy
Marketing & PR Manager
m.aljeraisy@its2.com

© Press Release 2009