InteliPath Services Group
Speciality: Network Penetration Testing
IT services and consulting company specializing in audit, vulnerability management, PCI compliance, and penetration testing; based in Virginia, with 4 employees, founded in 2010, and a focus on client-focused IT environment improvements. Provides active penetration testing services including network assessments, social engineering, physical tests, and PCI scans.
PCI DSS Certification
Origin
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was created in 2004 by the major credit card companies: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB International. These companies formed the PCI Security Standards Council in 2006 to manage and evolve the standard. PCI DSS was developed in response to increasing credit card fraud and data breaches, establishing a unified set of security requirements for all organizations that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. The goal was to create consistent security measures across the payment card industry to protect sensitive payment information.
Industry Value and Importance
PCI DSS compliance is mandatory for any business that handles credit card transactions, making it one of the most critical security standards in commerce today. The certification demonstrates that an organization has implemented robust security controls, including network protection, access management, encryption, and regular security testing. Non-compliance can result in severe consequences, including substantial fines (up to $100,000 per month), increased transaction fees, loss of payment processing privileges, and reputational damage following a breach. For IT professionals, PCI DSS expertise is highly valued as organizations across all industries need qualified personnel to implement, maintain, and audit these security controls.
SOC 1 Certification
Origin
SOC 1 (Service Organization Control 1) was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in 2011 as a replacement for the SAS 70 audit standard. The AICPA created SOC 1 to provide a more comprehensive and standardized framework for assessing controls at service organizations that could impact their clients' financial reporting. This certification was specifically designed to address the growing need for third-party assurance as businesses increasingly outsourced critical functions like payroll processing, claims administration, and other services that directly affect financial statements.
Industry Value
SOC 1 reports are highly valued because they provide independent verification that a service organization has implemented effective controls over financial reporting processes. For companies that rely on external service providers, a SOC 1 report offers crucial assurance that their vendors maintain adequate safeguards, helping them meet their own audit and regulatory compliance requirements under standards like Sarbanes-Oxley. This certification has become an industry standard for demonstrating trustworthiness and transparency, often serving as a prerequisite for winning contracts with enterprise clients who need documented assurance that their service providers won't introduce risks to their financial statement accuracy.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)