TouchNet will participate as council's newest participating organization in setting standards to protect payment cardholder data.

TouchNet Information Systems, Inc., a leader in Commerce Management solutions for Higher Education, announced today that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council as a new participating organization. As a Participating Organization, TouchNet will work with the Council to evolve the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) and other payment card data protection standards.

The PCI DSS, endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., requires merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to information security controls and processes that ensure data integrity. More information on the council and the standard can be found at www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

As a Participating Organization, TouchNet will now have access to the latest payment card security standards from the Council, be able to provide feedback on the standards and become part of a growing community that now includes more than 345 organizations. In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, adhering to the PCI DSS represents a college's or university's best protection against data criminals. By joining as a Participating Organization, TouchNet is adding its voice to the process.

"The PCI Security Standards Council is committed to helping everyone involved in the payment chain protect consumer payment data," said Bob Russo, General Manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. "By participating in the standards setting process, TouchNet will play an active role in this important end goal."

"PCI DSS compliance is a major challenge for the Higher Education community and, in the coming years, will change the way colleges and universities conduct campus commerce," added Dan Toughey, TouchNet President. "We are very pleased to have been accepted as a participating member in the PCI Security Standards Council. We see this as another step in our goal to provide education, raise awareness, and offer strategies to Higher Education concerning payment information security."

About PCI Security Standards Council

The mission of the PCI Security Standards Council is to enhance payment account security by fostering broad adoption of PCI security standards. For more information, please visit www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

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