The protection of consumers’ financial information is a hot topic on the Hill these days.  Earlier this month, Congress held a hearing on, “Data Security: Examining Efforts to Protect Americans’ Financial Information.”   The hearing was held in response to “significant data breaches” experienced by American companies and universities over the last six months, and that “Americans have a right and an expectation to know how [their personal financial data] is protected.”

During the hearing, panelists, including Troy Leach, the Chief Technology Officer of the PCI Security Standards Council, explained how and why data breaches occur, what security measures are in place to prevent data breaches, the consequences of data breaches, and what types of payment system technologies are pending that will help reduce the risk of future breaches.

In the wake of a recent barrage of data breaches, Congress will likely focus more and more of its time on data breaches and will continue to call on, question and hold accountable those companies who fail to adequately protect their customers’ financial information.   Hotels can help protect themselves from the risk of data breach and, thus, Congressional scrutiny and costly litigation, by properly training their employees to comply with robust data-security practices and policies by utilizing Venza’s PCI training modules or other custom learning solutions.

The Venza Group has partnered with the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG) to create a series of interactive eLearning modules to address PCI compliance in the hotel industry. Management, employees and IT are taught about the requirements they must support as part of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.  The Venza Group also has partnered with AGG to create an interactive eLearning modules to train hoteliers on general privacy and security awareness issues as well as on sexual harassment prevention.