The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard applies to every organisation that stores, processes or transmits card payment data. Version 4 is now the only version in force.
Every client we have taken through an accreditation has achieved it - and kept it at every renewal.
We submit ourselves to independent third-party testing. Certification is always issued by an independent body, never by us.
We prove each control works on your real devices and services. Questionnaire answers can be inaccurate or optimistic; tests cannot.
We will look at your current position for free and tell you exactly which controls you need - with no obligation.
PCI DSS is set by the PCI Security Standards Council (founded by the card brands). Compliance is enforced through your bank or payment provider, who will tell you whether you complete a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) or need an on-site assessment by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), based on your transaction volumes.
PCI DSS v4.0.1 is the current version and its "future-dated" requirements have been mandatory since 31 March 2025 - including stronger authentication, targeted risk analyses and protection of payment pages against script attacks.
Network security controls and secure configurations around the card data environment.
Stored card data minimised and protected; strong encryption in transit.
Anti-malware, patching and secure development of payment systems.
Need-to-know access, unique IDs, MFA and physical security of card data.
Logging, regular vulnerability scans (ASV) and penetration tests.
A maintained information security policy and security awareness programme.
We review your devices, cloud services and processes against PCI DSS and show you where you stand.
We fix or guide you through every control that would fail, in priority order.
We prove each control works - scans, patch checks, malware tests, restores and MFA checks - before anyone else looks.
An independent assessor, auditor or certification body confirms it. We never certify our own work.
We monitor your controls in real time and fix drift as it happens, so renewal is a normal day, not a cliff edge.
Our own intellectual property is how we run compliance: we monitor the major PCI DSS controls in real time using the leading enterprise SaaS tools. That lets us map gaps and bridge controls quickly and accurately while you work towards accreditation - and then keep standards up, and risk down, every day after it.
We watch the major controls continuously using leading enterprise SaaS security and compliance tools - not once a year with a questionnaire.
Live data shows exactly which controls are missing or drifting, so we can map the gaps and bridge them quickly and accurately.
Every change to your systems follows a compliant change process, so an upgrade or a new starter never quietly breaks a control.
Issues are picked up and fixed as they happen. Your risk goes down over the year instead of creeping up until the next audit.
Annual review is not viable in the current threat landscape. Attackers do not wait twelve months - so neither do we.
Certification is a snapshot. Our compliance plans keep the controls tested, the evidence current and renewals handled - Level 1 demonstrates, Level 2 practises and Level 3 proves compliance continuously.
CE and Digital GDPR Controls - Our consultants will complete the CE submission with input from your staff.
CE, CE+ and Digital GDPR Controls -Monitoring & Submission as a Service (Submission following Quarter)
CE, CE+, GDPR Governance, Supply Chain Audits, Pen Testing, Vulnerability Scanning, (Real-time Maintained) Compliance As A Service
It depends on how you take payments - fully outsourced e-commerce, payment terminals, or your own systems. We work that out in the free assessment and look for ways to shrink your scope.
We prepare you, implement and test the controls, and complete the SAQ with you. Where a QSA is required, an independent QSA carries out the assessment - consistent with our rule of never marking our own homework.
Moving card handling to a validated payment provider so less of your environment is in scope. It is usually the fastest way to reduce both risk and effort.
Annually, plus quarterly external vulnerability scans for many merchants.
We monitor the major controls in real time using leading enterprise SaaS tools, with compliant change management behind every change. Gaps are found and bridged quickly, standards are maintained every day, and accreditation stops being a fraught cliff edge - you can say you were compliant yesterday, not a year ago.
Controls drift: devices miss patches, accounts change, new services appear. With an annual review that drift goes unnoticed for months while risk rises. Real-time monitoring catches it as it happens, so issues are fixed quickly and your compliance improves rather than decays.
Book a free, no-obligation PCI DSS assessment. We will show you which controls you already meet, which you need, and the quickest route to getting certified.
