Pivot Solutions announced today that Stephen R. Katz, an industry veteran, has joined its advisory board to help the firm reinforce its commitment to preserve the security and privacy to the financial services industry it serves. Pivot Solutions is the company behind IMTRADER, the first real-time AOL-certified instant messaging, communications and research network.

For over twenty-five years, Steve (CISSP-certified information systems security professional) has been directly involved in establishing, building and directing Information Security and Privacy functions. He is the founder and President of Security Risk Solutions, an information security company providing consulting and advisory services to major, mid-size, startup and venture capital companies. Steve is an Executive Advisor to Deloitte, is on the Technology Advisory Board of Phoenix Technologies and is on the Advisory Board of CSO Magazine. Steve is also a member of the (ISC)* Americas Advisory Board for Information Systems Security.

Steve organized and managed the Information Security Program at JP Morgan for ten years. In 1995, he joined Citicorp/Citigroup after the Russian hacking incident. At Citi, Steve was the industry's first Chief Information Security Officer. He spent the next six years directing Citigroup's global Corporate Information Security Office. Steve then joined Merrill Lynch as their Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer, where he organized and instituted the company-wide privacy and security program.

Steve has testified before Congress on numerous information security issues and in 1998 was appointed Financial Services Sector Coordinator for Critical Infrastructure Protection by the Secretary of the Treasury. He was also the first Chairman of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS/ISAC) and is an Advisor to the FS/ISAC Board of Directors.

I enjoy working with innovative technologies in financial services. Because the speed of technology and communications is moving in real-time to meet the demands of traders, now more than ever, we need to help keep that critical information secure, " explains Stephen Katz. "My experience and understanding of the security standards and issues that impact global financial firms, allow me to best advise Pivot as they rapidly expand their business.

"The board is delighted that someone of Steve's caliber has elected to provide our firm with his expertise," explains Furqan Nazeeri, CEO of Pivot Solutions. "We want our customers to know that they are using technology that meets the highest information security standards."