Alpine Access Achieves Pci Service Level 1 Compliance

Virtual call center’s Level 1 certification gives clients peace-of-mind with rigorous data security measures

Denver, CO – Alpine Access, the premier provider of contact center solutions for brand-conscious companies, announced today that it has validated compliance with the Payment Credit Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as a Level 1 service provider. After significant financial investment and over a year of continuous work, the company now complies with the most rigorous level of security testing to reduce fraud as certified by a third party security assessor.

As a Level 1 compliant service provider, Alpine Access has controls and procedures in place to protect customer privacy and reduce the risk of security breaches in accordance with the 12 requirements put forth by the PCI DSS. The standard required Alpine Access to secure thousands of home-office locations along with its entire corporate network and data infrastructure.

“The trust our clients and their customers place in us is something we take very seriously. The significant investment we’ve made in achieving PCI Service Level 1 compliance is well worth it to further protect our clients’ databases and give them peace of mind knowing their information is safe with us,” said Christopher M. Carrington, CEO of Alpine Access. “Attaining this certification is a tremendous accomplishment for our entire organization. It is just one more way we continue to support our clients with the very best service available.”

The PCI DSS is a comprehensive set of security requirements intended to help companies protect personal customer data. The standard is the result of a collaborative effort from five major credit card brands including American Express, DiscoverCard, JCB, Mastercard and Visa. It includes objectives for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures. For more information about the standard or the PCI Security Standards Council, go to www.pcisecuritystandards.org

Coalfire Systems, Inc., a qualified security assessor company, conducted the testing of controls in accordance with Level 1 service provider audit procedures. After completing testing of the 12 requirements in January 2008, Coalfire validated that Alpine Access had validated full compliance with all PCI DSS requirements.

“PCI standards are by far the highest level of controls we certify,” says Rick Dakin, president and co-founder of Coalfire Systems. “With Level 1 compliance validation, Alpine Access’ clients get a better level of service without giving up any of the corporate controls found in an environment where customer service representatives work in cubicles. It’s the best of both worlds.”

About Alpine Access

Alpine Access is the premier provider of customer service solutions using home-based employees. Our clients are organizations that value their customers and are passionate about their brand. Alpine Access’ solutions mean access to quality employees, compelling operational efficiency and economic success for our clients.

Alpine Access’ publicly named partners include J.Crew, Office Depot, ExpressJet and the Internal Revenue Service. Alpine Access also provides solutions for Fortune 50 financial services organizations, as well as other travel, retail and public sector clients. Founded in 1998, Alpine Access employs 7,500 distributed home-based agents and has been included on fastest-growing company lists such as the Inc. 500, Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 and the Denver Business Journal in each of the past several years. For more information, visit www.alpineaccess.com.

About Coalfire Systems, Inc.

Coalfire Systems is a leader in the IT Governance and Compliance Management industry. Coalfire has been certified by the Payment Card Industry as a qualified assessor for both payment card transaction processing merchants and services providers as well as application developers for electronic payments. Coalfire has completed over 1,000 IT audits and is recognized as a leader in the computer forensic investigation market.