Wesleyan Assurance Society turns to Outpost24 to bolster security and meet PCI DSS compliance requirements

London, 20 October, 2011 – Outpost24, a leader in vulnerability management solutions, today announced that Wesleyan Assurance Society, the mutual society founded in 1841, has selected its OUTSCAN® and OUTSCAN PCI® solutions to meet a rising number of compliance requirements, as well as to ensure best practice security measures within the organisation.

Wesleyan Assurance Society provides tailored financial advice and products to select professional groups, including GPs, hospital doctors, dentists, teachers and lawyers.  As a leading financial services organisation, Wesleyan is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), and is subject to a variety of stringent compliance regulations.  It is therefore vital that it has robust security measures in place to protect the sensitive information held on its systems.

Whilst Wesleyan had always carried out annual penetration testing to check for vulnerabilities, it had recognised a need to revise its security procedures, particularly in light of recent compliance initiatives, such as PCI DSS which governs the safeguarding of credit cardholder information.  After considering various vulnerability management solutions, Wesleyan selected Outpost24’s cloud-based OUTSCAN®and OUTSCAN PCI® solutions to assess and manage its perimeter risk exposure.

“After an initial trial, the benefits of the solution were immediately visible to all at Wesleyan,” said Eddie Humphries, Risk Manager at Wesleyan Assurance Society. “The products were easy to use and intuitive, enabling us to run on-demand scans regularly and cost-effectively, whilst ultimately providing us with a level of assurance that we didn’t have before.”

Further benefits of the products include the comprehensive reports generated, which detail any vulnerabilities identified, along with the appropriate remedy required, as well as the 24/7 customer service support offered.

“The detailed reports allow us to pinpoint and patch any identified vulnerabilities simply and easily,” continued Humphries. “They also act as a valuable tool for our board that can see that we are continuing to maintain the integrity of cardholder data and other sensitive information held on our systems.”

Both OUTSCAN® and OUTSCAN PCI® are now live at Wesleyan Assurance Society.  Plans are already in place for the deployment of Outpost24’s HIAB solution, a plug and play appliance that will enable Wesleyan to assess and manage internal vulnerability, in 2012.

“Given the rising number of organisations hitting the headlines for poor security practices, it is refreshing to see an organisation take a proactive approach to this growing problem,” Aziz Maakaroun, Managing Partner at Outpost24. “Wesleyan Assurance Society is an example of a forward looking organisation that has placed utmost importance on maintaining the security of its clients’ sensitive information. We look forward to continuing to work with them.”

About Wesleyan Assurance Society

Wesleyan Assurance Society has had the interests of its members at its core since it was founded in Birmingham in 1841.  In recent years, Wesleyan has developed a highly successful business model providing tailored financial advice and products to select professional groups, notably GPs, hospital doctors, dentists, teachers and lawyers.

Each segment is served by dedicated Financial Consultants who work only within that segment and thus build-up specialist knowledge of their professional customers.Wesleyan has an enviable record for financial strength and is the only life office to have achieved ten-out-of-ten for six consecutive years in the respected Cazalet Consulting With Profits Ratings Survey (December 2010).

As a mutual organisation, Wesleyan has no shareholders to serve and can therefore focus on taking the right long-term decisions on behalf of our Members and policyholders. The Society is a founding member of Association of Financial Mutuals.

For more information on mutuality please visit:  www.ownedbyyou.org.

About Outpost24

Vulnerability Management Made Easy. Outpost24's on-demand vulnerability assessment and management solutions are used by over 2,500 corporate and government customers, including Travelex, Delta Lloyd Group, ING Life Limited, University of Helsinki, and Banco Multiva. Outpost24 is headquartered in Sweden with a global network of local sales offices.

Outpost24 delivers security solutions in a Software-as-a-Service (OUTSCAN® & OUTSCAN PCI®) or Appliance (HIAB®) form factor. Outpost24’s solutions provide fully automated network vulnerability scanning, easily interpreted reports, and vulnerability management tools. OUTSCAN PCI® is the ideal tool for businesses of all sizes to achieve and demonstrate PCI DSS compliance.
Outpost24’s solutions can be deployed in a matter of hours, anywhere in the world, providing customers an immediate view of their security and compliance posture.

PRESS CONTACTS – OUTPOST24
Jacqueline Booker / Matthew Tubbs
Johnson King
Outpost24@johnsonking.co.uk
+44 (0)20 7401 7968