HMS Holdings Chief Security Officer Wins Once-in-a-Lifetime Award

HMS Holdings Chief Security Officer Wins Once-in-a-Lifetime Award

HMS Holdings Corp.Francesca Marraro, 212-857-5442

HMS Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:HMSY) announced today that Chief Security Officer Scott Pettigrew is one of five to win the CSO Compass Awards. Each year, the editors of magazine honor individuals who demonstrate excellence, achievement, and leadership in security, as well as drive business value. Recipients can win the award only once.

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Pettigrew has developed the security function for national and international companies in several industries. During his four years at HMS, Pettigrew has recruited a team of security experts, designed a security infrastructure, and created a department that works well with all the other business units in the company.

Pettigrew chartered the company’s first corporate security program in 2010. The program re-engineered the information protection practice to ensure the delivery of security services through a risk-based system. This cost-effective approach encompassed business processes as well as technology to safeguard business information. Pettigrew has also adopted emerging “best of breed” security technologies.

“Given the importance of security to our business, it’s easy to take a rigid approach and much more difficult to achieve a balance between protection and risk reduction,” HMS Chief Information Officer Cynthia Nustad said. “Scott has created a culture of security at HMS by taking a measured approach and continuously evaluating risks as they relate to protecting our clients’ data.”

Pettigrew looks forward to addressing additional security issues: “The security field has gone from being focused on the simplistic—user administration—to the extremely complex, with new threats being introduced almost daily. Security experts must have a solid understanding of the business we protect and work with our clients to create a successful security approach.”

Read the full CSO story on Pettigrew .

, through its subsidiaries, is the nation's leader in and services for . HMS's clients include in more than 40 states; , including , , more than 148 plans, and ; the (CMS); and facilities. As a result of the company's services, clients recovered $3.2 billion in 2012, and saved billions more through the prevention of erroneous payments.

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