SECURITY SUMMIT RECAP
What would bring together three of the Card Associations, four of the leading security assessment firms, four processors, twenty POS and PMS application developers, and 100 merchants from all industries and of all sizes? In a word: security.

Over 150 people attended the inaugural S.A.F.E. Transaction Security Summit, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Hilton Hotels, Swarovski, Heartland Payment Systems, InfoGenesis and INNfinity Hospitality.

"The difference between this event and others I have attended was foremost the level of detail available to attendees. They weren't just given the high level picture; they were able to delve into the details of security, to ask questions that related directly to their individual organization and certification process. It was like hours of free consulting from some of the most experienced names in credit card security, including several of us who were directly involved in the creation of these processes and procedures," stated D.J. Vogel, Managing Partner, 403 Labs, LLC.

One of the most important things stressed at the conference by all of the card associations in attendance was that compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, or PCI-DSS, is required by all merchants .

Many merchants get hung up on what level they fall into according to the regulations, thinking that if they fall into Level Four, where certification isn't required, they are safe. What you may not realize is that your compliance with these requirements is still required. If your organization isn't in compliance and if there is any breach, you will be subject to the same fines and penalties as merchants in other levels. What the certification process provides these merchants then is proof of their compliance. And with annual network scans costing under $500, certification is well worth the cost, considering the safe harbor and peace of mind it can bring.

Shift4 does not provide auditing or scanning services. However, several of the auditing firms