The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) is now accepting nominations for election to its board of advisors, and ISOs are encouraged to participate. Bob Russo, General Manager of the PCI SSC, said it is critical that the board of advisors, which helps shape and direct the overarching Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) and its two complementary standards, reflect the diversity of the global payments system.
"We rely really heavily on this board of advisors to give us industry input," Russo said. "The more cross-industry and global involvement in the process, the wider the perspectives are to the input that's reflected in [the standard]."
The board consists of 21 advisors drawn from the council's pool of participating organizations (POs), which stands at over 600 businesses. Fourteen of the board members are elected for two-year terms, with the remaining seven members appointed directly by the council.
The nomination window for the 2011-2013 term began on Jan. 27 and runs to Feb. 25, 2011. The POs will vote from mid-March to early April. The new board will be announced and seated in May.
POs can access a replay of the PCI SSC's open mic webinar on the board of advisors election process by going to http://register.webcastgroup.com/l3/?wid=0650131115535.
According to Russo, the board has been instrumental in formulating PCI SSC's agenda and providing feedback on the PCI standards.
He said board members had direct influence on the expansion of the council's internal security assessor training program, the Prioritized Approach (a "road map" for merchants to follow to gain PCI DSS compliance) and the Wireless Guidelines Informational Supplement.
Russo would not go so far as to say that board members have greater power to influence the standard than POs without board memberships, but the board has closer involvement with the council through face-to-face board meetings and conference calls, he said.
Current board members include a range of individuals representing such U.S.-based companies as Chase Paymentech Solutions LLC, First Data Corp., PayPal Inc., Total Systems Services Inc. and VeriFone Inc., as well as representatives from the European Payment Council, Banrisul S.A., Barclays Bank PLC's prepaid card division Barclaycard and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Russo stressed that, while the elected board members come from large organizations, any PO can nominate an individual from its organization, including any participating ISO.
"Whether they're a big ISO or a small ISO, they all bring something to the table," he said. "Don't think that the big guys - that we need only their experience. There's a spot for the smaller guy as well."
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