The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) recently announced the nomination period for the next PCI SSC Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors represents PCI SSC Participating Organizations worldwide to ensure global industry involvement in the development of PCI Security Standards. As strategic partners, they bring industry, geographical and technical insight to PCI Council plans and projects. In this post, we talk with 2015-2017 PCI SSC Board of Advisor Member Jeff Monts, Operational Risk Manager, Senior Vice President, at Wells Fargo about the role of the PCI SSC Board of Advisors in shaping payment security globally.
What do you see as the greatest challenge in payment security in 2017?
Jeff Monts: For a number of years the payment industry has been going through an evolution in terms of how payments are received and processed. This evolution has driven significant change across the payment industry, and the adoption of new technologies has also created new challenges from a payment security perspective.
I believe the greatest challenge in payment security in 2017 is keeping up with the evolving industry, and identifying and providing security solutions that enable the evolving payment solutions while also protecting sensitive payment information.
How does the PCI SSC Board of Advisors impact payment security?
Jeff Monts: The PCI SSC Board of Advisors is comprised of representatives that have a wide range of expertise and experience across the payment industry. Through open, direct dialog and collaboration, the Board provides the PCI SSC feedback on payment security topics and raises critical payment security topics for consideration and action.
Why did you run for the PCI SSC Board of Advisors?
Jeff Monts: I ran for the PCI SSC Board of Advisors because I am very interested in the future direction of payment security, and I want to exchange ideas with experts in the industry, have an opportunity to influence the direction of the industry and expand my network of payment security professionals.
How has serving on the PCI SSC board benefited your company and your customers?
Jeff Monts: Serving on the PCI SSC Board of Advisors has provided us with the opportunity to influence the direction of certain PCI SSC initiatives. Also, it has resulted in the establishment of strong industry relationships that enable us to have a well-rounded view of what is taking place in payment security across the industry.
What accomplishments of the 2015-2017 Board of Advisors are you most proud of?
Jeff Monts: I believe the 2015 – 2017 Board of Advisors was very successful. The Board completed a large majority of the goals that we discussed in our initial board meeting in 2015. This progress can be directly contributed to the strong leadership of the PCI SSC and the overall strength of this board.
For me personally, I am most proud of “The Guide to Safe Payments” that was published by the Small Merchant Task Force on which I was a participant. The feedback on the guide has been very positive and I believe it is some of the best work produced by the PCI-SSC.
