Datacentrix still only SA managed services provider to achieve PCI DSS compliance

Rudie Raath, Head of Security at Datacentrix.

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Hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider Datacentrix has, for the second year, achieved Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) certification for its Managed Services division, which includes the organisation’s industry-leading security operations centre (SOC).

Datacentrix remains the only local managed services provider and SOC in South Africa to have attained compliance. This is according to Johan van Zyl, Chief Operating Officer at Risk X Data Assurance, a global provider of practical and effective governance, risk, training, audit, advisory and assurance services and solutions and the company that performed the PCI DSS audit.

“Current and future Datacentrix clients may rest assured that the business has met all relevant requirements from a PCI DSS perspective to ensure the services it offers enhance the position of its clients,” explains Van Zyl.

“This can give peace of mind to any institution, including merchant, financial and point-of-sale clients, that Datacentrix not only has the requisite controls in place for the safety of cardholder data and secure payments, but also that it can help play a role in helping these organisations to attain their own PCI DSS compliance,” he adds. 

Says Rudie Raath, Head of Security at Datacentrix: “As a company that is heavily involved with cyber incident responses, Datacentrix has seen first-hand that cyber crime aimed at South African individuals and organisations has scaled massively since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Through the Datacentrix SOC, we currently deal with around 50 000 defences per second and in just the past two weeks have been privy to no less than three different ransomware attacks on high-profile South African businesses.

“Financial cyber crime in particular is on the rise, with financial organisations being more frequently targeted with ransomware extortion attacks, crypto currency accounts being seized and financial-based malware used to steal financial information.

“Through the revalidation of its PCI DSS compliance, Datacentrix clients have the comfort of knowing that sensitive payment card data is protected and remains uncompromised, while Datacentrix upholds its link in the PCI DSS value chain.

“It is more important now than ever before that the business community worldwide works together as a collective to improve cyber awareness, and a critical part of this is the adoption of smart security policies and practices that operate within the framework of strong security standards, like the PCI DSS. This type of collaboration is critical to address ever-growing cyber threats and attacks, and Datacentrix is ready to help build these defences,” Raath concludes.