Qualys Supports New Self Assessment Questionnaire for PCI Compliance

QualysGuard PCI Compliance Solution Provides Full Support for All Types of New Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) Version 1.1 for Both Merchants and Service Providers

Slough, UK, 1 April 2008— Qualys, Inc. today announced an upgrade to its QualysGuard® PCI on demand compliance solution with the new Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) Version 1.1, issued by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) in February 2008. The QualysGuard PCI implementation of the new SAQ allows customers to complete all versions of the questionnaire online and e-file it securely with their acquiring banks.

The SAQ is a validation tool used primarily by Level 2, 3 and 4 merchants (and some smaller service providers), as defined by the major credit-card brands—Visa Inc., MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Financial Services, American Express and JCB International — to validate compliance with the PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). The PCI SSC updated SAQ version 1.0 to better align with PCI DSS version 1.1 and created four variants to ensure merchants only answer questions relevant to their environment. Each of the four variants, labeled A, B, C and D have qualifying questions used to determine which of the four questionnaires a merchant is required to complete.

“Issuing the latest self assessment questionnaire is another step the PCI Security Standards Council is taking to ensure that all merchants and service providers have options in determining their compliance strategy,” said Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council. “Having multiple SAQs available will streamline the process and make it easier for stakeholders to determine their compliance gaps and take action to ensure full compliance with the Standard.”

The SAQ, version 1.1 is now available at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/tech/saq.htm and consists of four unique forms to meet various business scenarios.