Cloud Computing: Windows Azure Tackles Credit Card Security

January 18, 2014 Off By David

Grazed from eWeek.  Author: Pedro Hernandez.

In oddly fitting timing, Microsoft announced on Jan. 16 that its Windows Azure cloud platform has been validated to conform to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS 2.0), credit card industry policies and requirements that govern how merchant IT systems handle sensitive payment information.

"The PCI DSS is the global standard that any organization of any size must adhere to in order to accept payment cards, and to store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data," wrote Windows Azure General Manager Steven Martin in a company blog post. He added that his company’s cloud "delivers a compliant framework" that enables customers to run their "own secure and compliant applications."…


Microsoft revealed that Azure had achieved the validation, performed by independent Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) Neohapsis, as the controversy surrounding Target’s massive credit card breach continues to rage. The retailer admitted on Dec. 19 that attackers had made off with information on roughly 40 million credit and debit card accounts, including names, debit/credit card numbers, expiration dates and the three-digit security code found on the backs of most cards…

Read more from the source @ http://www.eweek.com/security/windows-azure-tackles-credit-card-security.html/