New Edge Networks Gets Credit Card Security OK from Visa; CISP compliance assures merchants VPN traffic is secure.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- New Edge Networks today said Visa USA has validated that its broadband networks are compliant with payment card industry standards for securing cardholder information. The company is one of the first communications carriers to fully comply with new card security measures.

Full compliance with Visa's Cardholder Information Security Program, or CISP, assures retail merchants that virtual private networks, or VPNs, from New Edge Networks are private and secure. New Edge Networks previously received compliance statements from American Express, Discover Card, and MasterCard.

"Even though VPN networks we build for retail merchants do not traverse the public Internet, New Edge Networks has added a new layer of security to ensure our customers' card payment transactions remain private and secure as information moves over our private backbone network," said Dan Moffat, president and CEO of New Edge Networks.

"Credit card security compliance is an important requirement for merchants. Hence, it becomes an important obligation for New Edge Networks," Moffat said.

According to card association mandates, merchants that do not comply face stiff fines or may lose privilege of accepting credit cards from their customers. A list of CISP-compliant service providers is available at www.visa.com/cisp.

CISP establishes a set of 12 industry-wide requirements designed to protect sensitive information from being compromised. These requirements, which also include numerous sub-requirements, are directed at all businesses that store, process, or transmit cardholder information.

To meet stringent security requirements of credit card associations, New Edge Networks submitted to a rigorous audit of its information security policies, procedures, and systems including transport facilities and IT environment. The audit also included an on-site assessment of the company's network management center in Vancouver, Wash.

AmbironTrustWave, a Chicago-based firm that specializes in data security and compliance services and an authorized security assessor for all the card associations, conducted a comprehensive security assessment for New Edge Networks.

"The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards require that companies that process, store, and transport card holder data take extensive precautions to ensure the security and integrity of their customer's credit card transaction data," said John Shaughnessy, senior vice president of fraud control and operations for Visa USA. "We are looking for mass adoption of security measures."

"We are pleased that communications providers are coming forth in support of this security initiative that benefits all," Shaughnessy said. "Fighting fraud is an ongoing battle, and the whole industry continues to rally around coming up with effective data security solutions."

New Edge Networks will undergo regular system audits to maintain its compliance on a forward-going basis. The company plans to take continual steps to protect the confidentiality of personal credit card information that moves over wide area networks it provides.

Merchants are abandoning dial-up telephone connections and moving to IP-based networks to triple speed and reduce communications costs for card transactions. IP-based VPNs that move data over the public Internet expose cardholder data to hackers and fraudsters. Private VPNs do not use the public Internet yet monthly costs are about the same.

About New Edge Networks

New Edge Networks is a national provider of private multi-location broadband networks for business and carrier customers. Through its network facilities, New Edge Networks uses a variety of last-mile broadband access technologies (DSL, frame relay, ATM, cable, and satellite) for building wide area networks (WANs) or virtual private networks (VPNs) that reach 100 percent of U.S. business locations. New Edge Networks' product suite of managed WAN and VPN services received Frost & Sullivan's Telecommunications Services 2005 Product of the Year Award. New Edge Networks is listed No. 28 on the 2004 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in America. The company's Web site is www.newedgenetworks.com. Telephone: [phone].