LEXINGTON, Ky. -- EchoSat, a provider of payment security, managed firewall and managed network solutions, is merging with ControlScan, a PCI compliance and security company. With ControlScan's managed compliance services product suite and EchoSat's suite of managed security and network services products, the combined company will serve both the compliance and security needs of its combined client base of more than 775,000 payment-card-accepting merchant locations across North America.
Lexington, Ky.-based EchoSat operates a high-speed, redundant secure payment gateway (SPG) that allows merchants and businesses of all types to transmit vital payments data securely on any broadband connection accessed via digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, wireless or satellite. EchoSat also offers PaySafe SPG, a managed firewall solution that provides network segmentation, security and redundancy for payments data while protecting internet protocol (IP)-based point-of-sale systems from external and internal breach. Critical payments traffic is isolated to EchoSat’s SPG network and backed up with high-speed cellular connections from each retail location.
ControlScan offers consulting and web-based services to validate compliance with the PCI DSS, as well as managed security services that directly address PCI requirements for small and midsize businesses. Through partnering with some of the world’s largest payment processors and merchant acquirers, ControlScan’s market presence touches hundreds of thousands of merchants.
“We’ve worked with ControlScan for a number of years as a referral partner, and have found them to be
highly respected by both merchants and acquirers in the marketplace," said Mark Carl, CEO of EchoSat, who will remain the CEO of the combined organization. "They are a company that we hold in high regard. We feel that the combined companies will provide a stronger set of products, backed by a deep team of security professionals, to our merchants and acquirers that need both managed security and managed compliance solutions.”
Combining the two companies introduces a combination of security and compliance products and services into the marketplace, allowing merchants to more easily access both the necessary risk and compliance assessment services and security solutions, the companies said. By offering a full suite of products to merchants across North America, the company will help mitigate payment and cybersecurity risk and offer a solution to satisfy merchant needs, the companies said.
The combined organization will operate under the ControlScan name and will maintain its headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga., at the current ControlScan facilities. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
"As the payment card industry moves inevitably toward mandated security solutions vs. mandated
PCI-DSS compliance, the combination of these two businesses positions ControlScan to be tremendously more valuable to both merchants and channel partners,” said Tom Wimsett, executive chairman of EchoSat and a 30-year veteran of the payments industry, who will remain the executive chairman of the combined organization.
“We’ve seen continued momentum in the market toward achieving authentic compliance by implementing quality managed security services. The combination of EchoSat and ControlScan brings together unparalleled skills, experience and technology in protecting businesses everywhere,” said Joan Herbig, CEO of ControlScan, who will maintain a board-level position in the new company.
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