Cloudera, the leader in enterprise analytic data management powered by Apache Hadoop™,  has announced that its Cloudera Enterprise platform is fully certified as compliant with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards, with its first instance of this newly certified platform being used with MasterCard.

MasterCard requires that any technology handling its applications or payment card data files must have full PCI certification. Receiving this important certification allows MasterCard the opportunity to integrate Hadoop datasets with other environments that are already PCI-certified.

"With enterprises looking to place more critical workloads in Hadoop, the requirements for stronger security and compliance for Big Data projects has climbed rapidly. We’ve met that challenge head on by raising the bar for security and compliance within regulated organizations that need to ensure high levels of protection for data," said Eddie Garcia, chief security architect, Center for Security Excellence, Cloudera. "Our platform for Hadoop is the first to undergo the full PCI certification process and receive certification – it’s a significant milestone for the Big Data industry."

"Data privacy and protection is a top priority for MasterCard," said Gary VonderHaar, Chief Technology Officer, Architecture at MasterCard. "As we maximize the most advanced technologies from partners and vendors, they must meet the rigorous security standards we’ve set. With Cloudera’s commitment to the same standards, we now have additional options in how we manage our data center."

Cloudera is the only enterprise data management provider that protects all data and metadata in motion and at rest across the entire Hadoop cluster and within the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Cloudera’s deep involvement in Project Rhino with Apache Sentry™, its acquisition of Gazzang, and the launch of the Cloudera Center for Security Excellence makes the company the leader in data protection–providing comprehensive security, governance and compliance for Big Data.

The newest version of Cloudera Enterprise 5.2 launched at Strata+Hadoop World this month, includes new features that improve and simplify security for Hadoop, ensuring a powerful compliance-ready solution.