Affinion Group Awarded Prestigious Information Security Certification

Global Marketer One of Only 50 U.S. Companies to Attain World-Class Credential

NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Affinion Group, a leading global
affinity marketer, has been awarded the prestigious ISO 27001 certification,
the highest international standard for information security management
globally. There are only approximately 50 companies in the United States
carrying this leading-edge credential, and 4,100 companies worldwide.
Affinion is the only affinity marketer with this designation in the
industry, and shares the certification with such leading U.S. companies and
organizations as Bechtel Corp., Citigroup Technology, EDS, the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York and San Francisco, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Reuters America,
Ricoh Electronics, Sun Microsystems, The World Bank Group, UNISYS and Xerox
Corp.
"This certification reaffirms Affinion's longstanding commitment to
establishing ourselves as leaders in information protection as we continuously
seek to raise the bar for the practices in our industry," said Robert G.
Rooney, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Affinion
Group. "We place the utmost priority on the protection of our customers and
our clients, and taking this step demonstrates how important this is to us."
ISO certification signifies that a company has implemented an information
security management system that exceeds the most stringent security standards
globally.
"Receiving this certification signals to the world that we proactively
make information security a top business and management priority," said Scott
vonFischer, chief information security officer for Affinion. "By adopting the
highest security standards in the industry we are leading the way as a
world-class data security company for our clients, customers and partners."
Affinion received the certification on Dec. 12. Certification lasts three
years, but can only be retained through completion of comprehensive
surveillance audits performed by BSI Americas, the certifying body, every six
months.
Key attributes of Affinion's information security management system
include: -- Adoption of best practice across all information security
domains
-- Effective and efficient risk management
-- Establishment of a robust security framework including operation,
monitoring, review, maintenance and development
-- Management's commitment to continuously comply with security
requirements
-- Proactive security management, rather than reactive -- continuous
evaluation through the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model
-- Systematic management of incidents with clear and timely escalation
paths
-- Independent evaluation of the Information Security Management System by
external certification auditors
-- Ease of understanding -- a published international standard.

As the company continues to position itself on the leading-edge of
information security in the direct marketing industry, it has established a
solid foundation to build best practices in data protection in 2008 and
beyond. A key priority in maintaining the highest standards of privacy is to
work closely with current and future partners to insure that all information
-- either supplied or created through product development -- is treated with
the utmost confidentiality, integrity and protection. As part of this
commitment, Affinion will leverage its stringent risk management strategies in
the design, implementation and maintenance of an advanced information security
management system.
Affinion is also dedicated to complying with all regulatory, voluntary and
corporate standards, while establishing consistent policies that support its
industry-leading information security position around the globe.
About Affinion Group
As a global leader with nearly 35 years of experience, Affinion Group
(www.affinion.com) enhances the value of its partners' customer relationships
by developing and marketing valuable loyalty, membership, checking account,
insurance and other compelling products and services. Leveraging its expertise
in product development and targeted marketing, Affinion helps generate
significant incremental revenue for more than 5,200 affinity partners
worldwide, including many of the largest and most respected companies in
financial services, retail, travel, and Internet commerce. Based in Norwalk,
Conn., the company has approximately 3,000 employees throughout the United
States and in 14 countries across Europe. Affinion holds the prestigious ISO
27001 certification for the highest information security practices, is PCI
compliant and Cybertrust certified.
SOURCE Affinion Group

Todd Smith, Office, +1-615-764-2598, Mobile, +1-615-202-7944; or Andrea
Lindsley, Office, +1-615-780-3315, Mobile, +1-615-415-8886, both for Affinion
Group