AT&T Extends Security Consulting Service With New Certification Program

DALLAS, July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T*, a leader in managed cloud based security, today announced the availability of the AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program, designed to assess an enterprise's information security program or critical business components and certify that they meet industry standards.

Completion of the AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program requires compliance with open and published standards taken directly from regulatory requirements and industry standards. These standards are generally accepted in the industry, and AT&T openly shares the standards and assessment techniques with customers.

"Successful business leaders know a critical step in growing strong and long-lasting customer relationships is building trust," said Todd Waskelis, Vice President, Security Consulting Services, AT&T Consulting Solutions. "With the AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program, an enterprise can now communicate through a credible and impartial third party like AT&T the many important steps they've taken to protect their critical infrastructure and their customers' private data."

The AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program process includes two key phases:

• The assessment phase consists of a detailed analysis of a business' networks and data flow. Typically, this phase is performed through documentation reviews, interviews and technical analysis.
• Once a business or organization has successfully achieved compliance with the selected standards, it is certified for a period of one year, renewable annually. Once certified, businesses can generate reports for auditors, regulators and other parties and also secure access to the full Certification Assessment Report, which details all regulations and standards that are evaluated, along with all findings.

Failure to meet compliance requirements can result in increased audits, penalties, transaction costs and lower revenues for an enterprise. The AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program offers a single-service approach to assess the security posture of a business. The certification program also provides impartial third-party credibility for organizations that want to communicate that their information security program follows best practices.

"We were pleased with the thorough review of our processes and procedures by the very knowledgeable consultants at AT&T," said Valerie Riley, spokesperson Info Tech, Inc., an AT&T customer. "The meticulous work of the AT&T Security Consulting and risk management team is the real value behind the certification."

AT&T delivers a suite of security, business continuity and Consulting services to help assess vulnerabilities, protect infrastructure, detect attacks and respond to suspicious activities and events on customer premises and in the network cloud. AT&T SureSeal(SM) Security Certified Program is part of an exciting and growing portfolio of security consulting and risk management services from AT&T. More information on AT&T's security consulting offerings can be found at http://www.corp.att.com/consulting/security/.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine. 

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.