Voltage Security, the world leader in data-centric encryption and key management, and Ingenico, a leading worldwide provider of payment solutions, today announced they have partnered to simplify end-to-end payment data protection at the point-of-sale.

This strategic move aligns the Voltage data protection technology with the new Ingenico Telium series devices to combat card fraud and reduce the PCI card data environment for retailers.

End-to-end encryption, otherwise referenced by PCI Security Standards Council guidelines as “point-to-point encryption,” enables retailers to significantly reduce PCI scope, vulnerabilities to data, and the risk of data breach or compromise by eliminating the security gaps that exist from the merchant checkout to the payment processor.

Voltage SecureData Payments is one of the most widely adopted end-to-end data protection solutions in the marketplace today, supported by six of the top payment processors and gateways in the United States. It is the only solution that offers end-to-end encryption for both card-present and card-not-present transactions for merchants of all sizes.

The solution leverages innovative breakthrough Format-Preserving Encryption (FPE) and Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) technologies that are critical for simplified key management and minimized impact to retailer infrastructure.

When used with the new Ingenico Telium series payment devices that include countertop, multi-lane, pin pad, and mobile, the combination represents one of the most secure solutions available for point of sale for merchants of all industries and sizes. In fact, Ingenico leads the way in POS device security with the Telium range, which includes iSC250, the first PCI PTS V3 certified and available signature capture device in the United States.

With an application update, Ingenico will also be able to offer Voltage SecureData Payments data protection solution to existing customers who have been using the Telium series devices in the field.

"Credit card data continues to be compromised in the United States," says Mark Bower, vice president of Product Management, Voltage Security.

"Merchants of all sizes are vulnerable and can be impacted severely by card-related data breaches. But now, for the protection of all sensitive cardholder data used in payment transactions, merchants can deploy Ingenico’s Telium devices through our partners’ market leading processing platforms to dramatically reduce PCI scope and support a very safe, simple, and cost-effective yet powerful solution for protecting card data."

The combined technologies will ensure that merchants remain safe from data breaches that occur while the data is transmitted by encrypting payment transactions immediately at the POS whether swiped or hand-keyed.

The result is often a big reduction of the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) that also reduces merchant’s PCI DSS obligations as well as their costs for PCI compliance. The solution offers merchants an unmatched set of data protection benefits, solving problems such as:

• Key management cost and complexities– using Voltage IBE eliminates the need to inject data encryption keys at deployment
• Disruption to existing IT and business systems– the need to change merchant systems is minimized as patented Voltage FPE technology maintains data format integrity
• Non standard technology processes– the solution leverages strong cryptography that conforms to the AES FFX standards, has been accepted for consideration by NIST, and is incorporated into ANSI X9 (X9.119 and X9.124)

“The Ingenico-Voltage partnership was an obvious choice,” says Greg Boardman, senior vice president of Products & Development, Ingenico North America.

“Voltage has gained significant adoption of its end-to-end data protection solution in the market, and remains a leading innovator. When you combine Voltage data protection technology with Ingenico’s secure Telium products, the result is the pinnacle of point-of-sale security.

“Rising costs of PCI compliance and the ever-present threat of data compromise create uncertainty for retailers who are faced with a dizzying array of choices. Ingenico and Voltage meet the challenge with innovative approaches to simplify implementation while strengthening the POS against attack.”

Both companies will showcase the new security solution at the Annual National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show in New York next week (Jan. 16-17, 2012).