GA Merchant Services Announces Strategic Partnership With PCI Compliance Provider ControlScan

BOYNTON BEACH, FL and ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - April 2, 2009) - GA Merchant Services (www.gamerchantservices.com), a Specialty International Payment Processing and Financial Consulting firm and a wholly own subsidiary of Guardino and Associates, LLC, has joined forces with ControlScan (www.controlscan.com), leading provider of PCI compliance and security solutions exclusively focused on small- to medium-sized merchants, to help its merchants meet mandatory requirements set forth by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC).

"To demonstrate our commitment to cardholder data security, GA Merchant Services has partnered with ControlScan to help our merchants validate compliance with the PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)," said Dominic Guardino, director, GA Merchant Services. "In partnering with ControlScan, we know that our merchants will receive an easy-to-use and affordable solution to help them achieve PCI compliance and protect their customers' important information."

GA Merchant Services merchants will now have access to ControlScan's leading PCI compliance solution, PCI 1-2-3, which includes the PCI 1-2-3 Self-Assessment Questionnaire and on-demand security scanning, backed by expert technical support with a personal touch. ControlScan works with merchants every step of the way so that it's easy for them to get the help they need to protect their business.

"We are excited to be working with GA Merchant Services in this partnership," said Jethro Felton, executive vice president, sales and business development, ControlScan. "Our collective goal is to help GA Merchant Services customers become secure, thereby assuring that they meet all private and public regulatory requirements."

For more information about this partnership, please call 1-800-825-3301.

About Guardino and Associates

GA Merchant Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardino & Associates, LLC, is a global provider of payment options to businesses around the world. GA Merchant Services specializes in providing various payment options for those hard to place merchants as well as the traditional brick and motor (domestic) businesses. With over 50 years of combined payment processing experience, GA Merchant Services is able to provide custom solutions to meet all of your processing and business needs. We have taken the approach that every business is unique and deserves a custom solution that actually is tailored to your way of doing business. We also go that "extra mile" by adding the personal approach to educate, empower and inspire each of our clients. For more information about GA Merchant Services call 561-337-9145 or visit www.gamerchantservices.com.

About PCI Compliance Provider, ControlScan

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, ControlScan is the leading provider of Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance and security solutions designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized e-commerce and retail merchants, which make up 98% of all merchants. ControlScan provides easy-to-use Web-based security solutions and a personal level of service that make it easy and cost-effective for these businesses to analyze, remediate and validate compliance. The company's core offerings are complemented by a number of value-added products that help merchants maintain a high security posture and market their achievements to shoppers, most notably Breach Protection insurance and Verified Secure security seals. ControlScan is the solution of choice for small merchants and acquirers because it offers security solutions that are built specifically with the small merchant in mind, a personal level of service and the best results. Acquirers and other merchant service providers rely on ControlScan to manage PCI compliance programs for their entire merchant portfolios to ensure maximum compliance rates. For more information about ControlScan call 1-800-825-3301 or visit www.controlscan.com.

Contact Information: Contacts: ControlScan, Inc. Heather Varian Foster 678-279-2644 Guardino & Associates, LLC Dominic Guardino 561-337-9145