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Carol Ferrara-Zarb

Compliance Solutions Manager

Security Technology Business Unit

Carol Ferrara-Zarb is a Compliance Solutions Manager in the Security Technology Business Unit at Cisco. Carol develops and markets technology solutions that enable enterprises to meet compliance mandates, including Cisco’s PCI Solution 2.0. With more than 15 years of experience in the Information Technology field, Carol held prior roles as a Research Director at Gartner and Solutions Manager at IBM. Carol holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Stony Brook, and a master’s degree with honors in computing from Iona College. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa. She lives in Redding, CT with her husband and two children.

Articles

July 22, 2014

SECURITY

Retailer Data Breach Trend Not Likely To Subside

1 min read

While we consumers certainly worry about security, the concerns of retailers are magnified because they are among the highest-profile targets right now for professional hacker attacks. At the same time, change is continuing on the security front, particularly in the area of PCI compliance. With the release of PCI DSS 3.0, retailers are more challenged […]

Retailers Lying Awake at Night – Who’s Next?

1 min read

In the past few weeks, I’ve received two replacement credit cards. And, no, this does not indicate I’ve done too much shopping! It means that hackers are continuing to target retailers and the bank decided I needed to be protected by new credit card numbers. I’m Carol Ferrara-Zarb, and as the leader of Cisco’s Security Solutions […]

August 7, 2013

SECURITY

Attend the 2013 PCI Community Meeting for the Latest Core PCI Standards

1 min read

The focus of this post is on the upcoming PCI SSC North American Community Meeting which is being held September 24–26, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting spans two full days of knowledge sharing, networking, and learning, which includes Keynote presentations from industry experts, PCI case studies, and Technical sessions.

March 26, 2013

SECURITY

Join the PCI Experts to Help You Bridge the Gap Between Compliance and Security

1 min read

As part of Cisco’s Compliance team, I’ve monitored organizational breaches and attacks. If you’re like me and follow media reports and industry news, then you know that data breaches have increased in severity and frequency. Unfortunately, many organizations do not have the tools, personnel, and funding to prevent, quickly detect, and contain data breaches. The Payment Card Industry […]

March 19, 2013

SECURITY

Addressing Ongoing Security and Compliance Requirements

2 min read

Organizations continue to face threats to their brands, reputations, and profits from attacks on their information systems. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is designed to protect credit card information. During my five-year tenure at Cisco, I’ve been focused on PCI. The challenge that we have faced when deploying a solution to help customers become compliant and maintain a secure enterprise is the complexity. At the various trade shows that I have attended to discuss PCI, I have encountered a lot of head-shaking and looks of disgust as I bring up the topic of PCI. To help simplify PCI compliance, Cisco has released the latest Cisco Compliance Solution for PCI DSS 2.0 to make it easier for organizations to maintain a secure, compliant network.