Web Hosting Provider C I Host Certified All Dedicated, Shared Servers PCI Compliant

July 13, 2006; 08:27 AM

FORT WORTH - In a move that will greatly enhance the security of its customers' websites and credit card processing systems, web hosting provider C I Host has beefed up the software and security on all of its servers to certify them as compliant with PCI (Payment Card Industry) standards.

Hosting data on PCI-compliant servers is required for companies that want to safely accept credit card payments. Over the three years since the standard was implemented, the PCI regulations have become increasingly complex to guard against the growing and changing crime of identity theft.

"This is huge for eCommerce sites, which must be able to assure their customers that they can use credit cards safely and not fear that the information they provide might be put to fraudulent use," said Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C I Host. "If a business is hosting its data on a server that isn't PCI compliant, the firm's merchant account provider can shut the account down and refuse to allow the firm to take credit cards."

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard ("PCI Standard") is intended to protect cardholders' credit card account and transaction information. The major credit cards have all issued a requirement for merchants and service providers to comply with the PCI standard and to pass quarterly and annual audits to help ensure compliance. C I Host will perform quarterly security scans to ensure that all its servers remain PCI compliant. C I Host has partnered with Verisign Payment Services, which is certified by Visa and MasterCard under PCI standards, to provide this service.

To further enhance security for its more than 250,000 customers throughout the world, C I Host maintains a full-time Chief Security Officer on staff. Chief Security Officer Mohammed Bagha has more than 15 years experience in Internet-based security.

"C I Host also has a round-the-clock abuse department," Faulkner said. "A security engineering staff monitors the servers and networks for intrusions, hacking attempts and port scans to ensure all of our customers remain safe from hackers and other malicious issues."

C I Host has consistently led the way in Internet security and Faulkner is a sought after speaker on the topic.

About C I Host

C I Host (www.cihost.com), based in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, is a Web hosting and Internet solutions provider, domain name registrar (DNR) and application service provider (ASP) hosting 330,000 domains in 190 countries worldwide.

C I Host creates business-class Web hosting solutions for the small- and medium-enterprise (SME) market, with the broadest portfolio of managed hosting and value-added services in the industry. C I Host is accredited by ICANN to register domain names.

C I Host is HIPAA, GBLA, FISMA, SOX-compliant and has passed the SAS70 Type I and Type II audit.

C I Host has been ranked #1 in speed by the Adoloma Web Hosting Guide. C I Host has been consistently ranked among the Top 5 Web hosting companies out of 16,000 around the globe by c|net's Ultimate Web Host List, HostPulse, WebHostsOnline.com and HostChart.com. C I Host was named among the Top 25 Web hosting companies by HostIndex.com.

C I Host offers turn-key services ranging from initial domain name registration to custom dedicated servers for e-commerce on today's Web. The company offers innovative packages and services to the Internet community.

C I Host operates four diverse data centers across the United States, with its main facility and Network Operations Center in Bedford, Texas. C I Host also has data center and offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Newark.

All telco-grade, tier-1 data centers are wholly owned and operated by C I Host and consist of redundant diesel generator backups and a temperature-controlled secure environment with fully redundant UPS capability. All server hardware is fully tested and configured for optimal performance. Daily Web server backups and full fire protection guard against any data loss. To deliver speed and reliability, C I Host's servers are connected to multiple GigE fiber connections from five diverse Internet backbones for a total of more than 5 Gigabits of available bandwidth.