Avior Computing Announces Support for Moody's VIR Vendor Risk Rating Service.

Avior Extends BenchMark Functionality to Facilitate Pre-Rating Readiness

NASHUA, N.H. -- Avior Computing, Inc., announced today a new BenchMark VIR knowledge module that helps service providers to be more effective in their information security and privacy assessment practices.

The new VIR assessment knowledge module, developed collaboratively by Avior and Moody's, helps service providers prepare for reviews as a part of the Moody's Vendor Information Risk (VIR) Rating service, and assists in streamlining efforts to maintain and improve ratings during the monitoring process. The VIR knowledge module delivers pre-built assessment questions, analysis, and reporting for the Moody's VIR Rating service.

The Moody's VIR Rating service provides service providers with an independent third-party assessment of their information security and privacy practices. The VIR program provides an overall rating of the services security program quality, in addition to a measure of the inherent risk. The program also analyzes controls effectiveness in eleven security fundamental areas and scores approximately 100 controls within these areas.

The new BenchMark VIR knowledge module is designed to allow service providers to assess their environment using detailed assessment questions that exactly match the Moody's VIR assessment methodology. Service providers using the BenchMark VIR knowledge module can proactively manage their security and privacy programs to be more effective, and to achieve the best possible ratings results.

Ed Leppert, Moody's Vice President of Information Risk Services, welcomed industry support for the VIR Rating service, noting that "when service providers utilize assessment tools that are optimized for the VIR internal controls management and reporting tools, they are better prepared for assessments, more able to effectively guide remediation efforts, and better manage their efforts responding to regulatory and compliance requirements."

The Avior BenchMark and ClearView compliance management solutions also allow service providers to complete both the BITS SIG and the Moody's VIR questionnaires, both of which can be used as input to obtain a VIR Rating. The solution suite can also map compliance requirements from a wide variety of regulations and standards. Within the financial services industry, those customers utilizing the Moody's VIR service can also subscribe to Avior's ClearView compliance mapping solution, to easily determine their compliance status relative to numerous other regulations affecting their organization.

"Service providers need better solutions to more effectively manage their compliance and security programs, and to assure their clients that their control environment is robust." said Steve McCalmont, Avior Computing CEO. "This new VIR knowledge module for the BenchMark platform will allow service providers to optimize their environment before the Moody's rating review, helping to ensure the best possible outcome."

The Avior BenchMark VIR knowledge module is available immediately, and is delivered as a Software-as-a-Service application.

About Avior Computing

Founded in 2003 by software and networking industry veterans, Avior Computing is a leading innovator in compliance management solutions. Avior ClearView is a dynamic SaaS mapping application that automates the mapping of regulations, standards, controls, and assessment questions. Avior BenchMark automates the process of assessing and managing compliance for applications such as vendor risk and information privacy. Avior BenchMark replaces costly and cumbersome manual assessments involving spreadsheets and word documents with a streamlined and automated process, enabling better risk decision-making, and significantly reducing the pain and cost of manual assessment activities. For more information, www.aviorcomputing.com.

About Moody's Risk Services

Established in 2007, Moody's Risk Services VIR Ratings were developed in conjunction with several major financial services organizations, to assist in managing their vendor management programs and provide consistency across the industry regarding information security and privacy practices of the many business partners the enterprises utilize to assist them in important business operations. Although focused initially on the financial services industry, the VIR rating service is applicable for any large enterprises utilizing business partners to conduct business for them. For more information regarding the service see www.moodysriskservices.com or contact Moody's Risk Services at [e-mail].