The National Restaurant Association, EarthLink Business and ANX eBusiness align to make maintaining PCI compliance easier and more affordable for the industry

Solutions will provide restaurateurs with comprehensive services and expertise for safeguarding customer data

(Chicago) The National Restaurant Association has formed a relationship with EarthLink Business, (NASDAQ: ELNK),  a leading IT services and communications provider, and ANXeBusiness Corp. (ANX), a PCI Certified Qualified Security Assessor and leading provider of compliance solutions, to offer solutions to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements.  The partnership gives restaurateurs a single trusted source for the IT and communication services they need to effectively run their restaurant and point-of-sale systems while safeguarding customer data.

"Achieving and managing PCI compliance is a challenge for many of our members who are focused on running their restaurant operations," said David Matthews, Executive Vice President at the National Restaurant Association.  "We’ve formed a relationship with EarthLink and ANX because they offer complete, affordable networking and security solutions as well as PCI Certified Qualified Security Assessors as experts, giving our members one place to go to protect their customers, their business, and their brand from the impact of a data breach."

Restaurants continue to be a primary target for hackers, with the vast majority of data breaches occurring at small restaurants.  Restaurants are targeted for a number of reasons, including outdated Point of Sale systems, operating systems, and security, and because they lack the time and resources to effectively manage security and achieve PCI compliance.

EarthLink and ANX reduce the burden of achieving and maintaining compliance for restaurateurs, franchisees and store staff with expertise, tools, and managed services for validating PCI compliance and securing credit card information from Point of Sale systems.  Services include:

• Data breach protection for Level 2-4 merchants
• Online tools for validating compliance
• Managed IT, security, and network solutions for addressing gaps
• Expertise from a PCI Certified Qualified Security Assessor
• Creation of data breach crisis management plans

"We are excited about our relationship with the National Restaurant Association, because for the first time their members will have access to simple, affordable, and comprehensive PCI compliance solutions from a trusted source," said Greg Griffiths, Vice President of Retail Solutions at EarthLink Business.  "Together we can strengthen data security, for NRA members, their customers, and for the restaurant industry as a whole."

"We are delighted to join forces with EarthLink to educate and protect the members of the NRA against the growing threat of credit card fraud,” said Mark Wayne, Executive Vice President of ANX.  “The combined power of the NRA, EarthLink and ANX delivers a powerful message to the restaurant industry about the value of brand equity and the negative impact a single credit card breach can have on a brand, its employees and customers."