Bluefin Payment Systems has announced a partnership with Industry Retail Group (IRG) to provide Bluefin's PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) Solutions to IRG Clients, according to a press release.

In March 2014, Bluefin was validated by the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) for their PayConex P2PE payment platform, according to the announcement. The company now offers three PCI-validated P2PE products, including PayConex P2PE Enhanced Gateway; Decryptx, which enables P2PE for Enterprises and Tier 1 Merchants with no change to the businesses' current acquiring relationship; and the QuickSwipe mobile payments P2PE solution.

IRG, a Vector Security Company, is a provider of broadband and broadband-centric services to retailers and other multi-site companies. IRG provides their merchants with a foundation for business visibility, offering data analytics, intelligence gathering and connectivity solutions to support all business objectives, according to the announcement.

"IRG's mission is to provide retailers and other multi-site organizations with a premier suite of broadband-enabled network services," said Mike Luzio, President of IRG. "As part of Vector Security, it is in our DNA to provide secure solutions to our merchants, and partnering with Bluefin is a natural step in offering protection to our clients from a potential data breach. As the first PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption solution provider in North America, Bluefin offers the most secure, innovative P2PE technology currently available on the market. We are thrilled to be able to offer our clients the best available option for securing their cardholder data."

Bluefin's PCI-validated P2PE solutions secure card transactions by encrypting all data within a PCI-approved point of entry swipe or keypad device, preventing clear-text cardholder data from being available in the device or the merchant's system where it could be exposed to malware.

Under the agreement, IRG will provide Bluefin's P2PE product suite through IRG's current sales channels. Bluefin will fulfill, manage and support all P2PE orders, including device shipping, chain of custody and device monitoring.

"IRG is a Gartner-recognized, VISA PCI DDS-validated provider that offers a superior and comprehensive portfolio of broadband services to their merchants," stated John M. Perry, Bluefin CEO. "They serve thousands of Fortune 1000 retailer sites, and they understand the importance of protecting their clients from the expense and damage to the brand that result from a data breach. Our PCI-validated P2PE solutions will secure and protect cardholder data for the merchant and consumer, and we are very excited to partner with IRG and provide their merchants a secure solution to protect cardholder data."