During my travels –domestic and international – on behalf of the SPVA, I’ve spoken with hundreds of payment industry stakeholders about what our organization is bringing to the table in terms of security compliance and best practices.

Many of you brought up compelling questions about the SPVA and the industry at-large that I thought were worth addressing in a more public, widespread forum, so here we go. You asked, we answered. Below are some of the issues you wanted to know about. And  please keep the questions coming. We’re here to collaborate with the industry’s best and brightest to reduce fraud and lowering risk for all.

Q. Will the SPVA host an annual conference or other face-to-face networking and educational opportunities?

A. The SPVA currently has no plans to host a stand alone annual conference, however we do host bi-annual meetings of the members at other industry conferences around the world.  In addition, the SPVA is partnering with other industry associations to host Webinars and integrate half day to full dayworkshop sessions at their conferences.

Q. Will the SPVA issue additional white papers similar to the SPVA End-to-End Encryption Security Requirements paper?

A.  Yes, the SPVA is committed to providing educational white papers and presentations to the payments industry.  The SPVA is comprised of four technical working groups and these working groups are the backbone of the SPVA’s knowledge sharing with the industry stakeholders.  The SPVA will issue additional White Papers during the coming year, and I encourage you to join the SPVA and participate in the formulation of the forthcoming SPVA implementation guidelines.

Q. How do you see mobile apps for devices such as the iPhone and iPad impacting payment security and compliance?

A. Mobile apps definitely are an interesting emerging technology in the payments industry and an area that has potential for attacks and security breaches.  This is certainly an area that needs attention in assuring environments are secure.

Q. What are the benefits to the labs that join the SPVA’s Lab Network ?

A: The benefits of joining the SPVA Lab Network is to assure customers that your Lab is an active participant in the development and implementation of the SPVA’s recommended implementation guidelines.  Labs which participate with the SPVA are interacting with the various stakeholders throughout the entire payments process and are instrumental in defining and developing the best practices around secure environments.