02.25.2009 – Waltham, MA – Bit9, Inc., the pioneer and leader in Enterprise Application Whitelisting, announced today that it has joined the National Retail Federation (NRF) to become part of the world’s largest retail trade association. Bit9 will bring to the NRF its application whitelisting expertise in helping retailers comply with PCI DSS regulations and secure sensitive information contained in retail systems.
“The retail industry is faced with multiple security challenges, namely achieving compliance with industry regulations and securing point of sale systems, devices and kiosks that present a significant security liability,” said Tom Murphy, Chief Strategist for Bit9. “At Bit9, we’ve helped numerous retailers overcome those challenges with our enterprise application whitelisting solution, and we are eager to bring that experience to even more retail organizations through our membership in NRF.”
Retail systems often are targeted by malicious hackers for their role in handling sensitive and valuable customer credit card data. Yet most companies are unable to easily control what applications and devices can and cannot run on these machines. In addition, many retail systems are unable to easily receive antivirus updates and patches, or control portable storage devices, leaving systems open for the installation of unauthorized software or the copying of confidential information.
Bit9 Parity gives retailers the ability to identify and decide which applications and devices are approved and appropriate to run in their environment, while blocking all unauthorized software or storage devices. This approach eliminates the risks associated with all forms of unwanted software, including targeted and zero-day attacks for which no signatures exist.
Bit9 Parity application whitelisting is being embraced by an increasing number of retailers that are looking for a more secure, cost-effective, and easy-to-manage alternative to antivirus that will help them achieve PCI DSS compliance. Retailers using application whitelisting to control applications on its retail systems include: Marks & Spencer, 7-Eleven, Ritz Camera, Bertucci’s Restaurants, and many more.
About Bit9
Bit9 is the pioneer and leader in enterprise application whitelisting. The company’s patented solutions ensure only trusted and authorized applications are allowed to run, eliminating the risk caused by malicious, illegal and unauthorized software. Unlike traditional, reactive controls that try to scan and prevent the never-ending list of unauthorized software, Bit9 leverages the Bit9 Global Software Registry™ — the world’s largest database of software intelligence – to ensure only authorized applications can run, delivering the highest levels of desktop security, compliance, and manageability. Bit9 customers include companies in a wide variety of industries, such as retail, financial services, healthcare, e-commerce, telecommunications, as well as government agencies. Founded in 2002, Bit9 is privately held and based in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit http://www.bit9.com or call 617.393.7400.
About NRF
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry’s key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24 million employees – about one in five American workers – and 2008 sales of $4.6 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com.
Greg Sabey
Text 100 for Bit9, Inc.
617.399.4909
gregs@text100.com