Company remains world’s only network management vendor with Level One service provider certification
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 3 May 2011 – Mako Networks has been certified as compliant with the stringent Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards for a second year as a worldwide Level One service provider. The certification means Mako meets the most difficult criteria and highest levels of security clearance for handling credit card data. Mako Networks is presently the only Level One-certified network management company in the world – due mainly to its patented communication technology.
The Payment Card Industry has developed a set of Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) which must be met by any company that processes, transmits, or stores cardholder data – from large grocery chains to corner dairies. These standards help reduce the risk of card fraud and ensure a baseline of security is in place to protect consumers and businesses.
Each year all companies that process, store or transmit credit card data must be audited to ensure that the requisite security protocols and procedures are in place. The Level One certification achieved by Mako is the most rigorous and complex certification to achieve, and follows several weeks of auditing and analysis by Verizon Business Consulting.
“Last year we were pioneers, as the world’s first network management company to achieve PCI DSS certification,” says Bill Farmer, Mako Networks CEO. “Today we remain the only company in the world to hold this status, and our continued certification means customers can be assured that Mako Networks meets or exceeds all requirements set up by the PCI council. Security is our business.”
To meet the Level One certification, Mako Networks was reviewed across 212 technical and procedural requirements in 12 categories, accompanied by supporting evidence, documentation, employee interviews and technical system checks for data security and integrity. The findings of the audit were written up into a full 422-page report, which certified Mako Networks and the Mako Networks System as PCI DSS-compliant.
The renewed certification is critically important for Mako Networks to maintain its status as a leading provider of network security solutions for smaller-sized business sites (such as the branch offices and retail stores of larger enterprises). In order for merchants to meet the PCI DSS requirements, any external vendors, such as Mako, that manage or interact with their computer network must also be compliant.
Aside from the network management aspects of compliance, Mako also assists business with the processes associated with the PCI DSS by integrating with online providers of PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires and documentation for small businesses.
About Mako Networks
Mako Networks is a network management company based in Auckland, New Zealand, providing hardware that connects businesses to the Internet, implements network security to prevent tampering, and meets stringent new Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Mako exports to markets in the UK, Middle East, Asia and Australia. Mako Networks is a PCI DSS-certified vendor, and its products help customers large and small meet the stringent new compliance standards for merchants that process, transmit or store cardholder data.