ControlScan and EchoSat Announce Merger

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - May 25, 2017) - ControlScan, Inc., one of the nation's foremost PCI compliance and security companies, and EchoSat, Inc., a leading provider of payments security, managed firewall and managed network solutions, announced today that the two companies will merge. With the combination of EchoSat's suite of managed security and network services products and ControlScan's industry leading managed compliance services product suite, the company will more effectively serve both the compliance and security needs of its combined client base of more than 775,000 payment card accepting merchant locations across North America.

ControlScan offers a range of consulting and web-based services to validate compliance with the PCI DSS, as well as Managed Security Services that directly address PCI requirements for small and mid-size businesses. Through partnering with some of the world's largest payment processors and merchant acquirers, ControlScan's expansive market presence touches hundreds of thousands of merchants.

EchoSat operates a high-speed, redundant Secure Payment Gateway (SPG) that allows merchants and businesses of all types to transmit vital payments data securely on any broadband connection accessed via digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, wireless or satellite. EchoSat also offers PaySafe SPG, a managed firewall solution that provides network segmentation, security and redundancy for payments data while protecting Internet Protocol (IP)-based point-of-sale systems from external and internal breach. Critical payments traffic is isolated to EchoSat's SPG network and backed up with high-speed cellular connections from each retail location.

"We've worked with ControlScan for a number of years as a referral partner, and have found them to be highly respected by both merchants and acquirers in the marketplace. They are a company that we hold in high regard. We feel that the combined companies will provide a stronger set of products, backed by a deep team of security professionals, to our merchants and acquirers that need both managed security and managed compliance solutions," said Mark Carl, CEO of EchoSat, who will remain the CEO of the combined organization.

Combining the two companies introduces a unique combination of security and compliance products and services into the marketplace, allowing merchants to more easily access both the necessary risk and compliance assessment services and security solutions. By offering a full suite of products to merchants across North America, the Company will help mitigate payment and cybersecurity risk and offer an easy solution to satisfy merchant needs. The combined organization will operate under the ControlScan name, and will maintain its headquarters in Alpharetta, GA, at the current ControlScan facilities. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

"As the payment card industry moves inevitably toward mandated security solutions versus mandated PCI-DSS compliance, the combination of these two businesses positions ControlScan to be tremendously more valuable to both merchants and channel partners," added Tom Wimsett, Executive Chairman of EchoSat and a 30-year veteran of the payments industry, who will remain the Executive Chairman of the combined organization.

"We've seen continued momentum in the market toward achieving authentic compliance by implementing quality Managed Security Services. The combination of EchoSat and ControlScan brings together unparalleled skills, experience, and technology in protecting businesses everywhere," said Joan Herbig, CEO of ControlScan, who will maintain a board-level position in the new company.

About ControlScan, Inc.
Founded in 2005, ControlScan, Inc. provides PCI compliance services, managed security, and consulting services for payment card industry players including processors and merchants. ControlScan has over 25 industry certifications, including being a certified Level 1 compliant PCI-DSS Service Provider. Through their long experience in the payment card industry, ControlScan has worked with over 750,000 merchants to help them secure their networks, achieve authentic compliance and enact best practices.

About EchoSat, Inc.
Founded in 1973, EchoSat, Inc. provides payments security, managed firewall and network solutions for retail outlets in many vertical markets, as well as managed network and firewall services to protect point-of-sale systems from security breaches. EchoSat is a Level 1 compliant PCI-DSS Service Provider and has developed a powerful set of PCI-DSS compliant data security and network control systems designed to ensure critical data is protected and reliably delivered. These products are geographically redundant to maximize availability. EchoSat currently facilitates more than 1.5 billion electronic payment transactions per year at retail sites across North America.