Achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance is a business necessity that secures your reputation and your ability to process payments. Secure your annual Attestation of Compliance (AOC) with a trusted QSAC partner. Contact us now to schedule your free compliance consultation.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of technical and operational requirements developed by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). It applies to all entities that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, including primary account numbers (PAN), service providers, and device manufacturers. Its primary function is to protect the confidentiality and integrity of cardholder data and sensitive authentication data.
Demonstrating PCI DSS compliance ensures your ability to process credit card transactions. Non-compliant organizations can lose their relationships with acquiring banks. PCI DSS compliance shows that you can safeguard the sensitive financial data of your customers against breaches and demonstrates a commitment to security.
Yes, PCI DSS compliance is mandatory for any organization that accepts processes, stores, or transmits cardholder data. It is a contractual obligation imposed by acquiring banks and major credit card brands. While it is not a government regulation, the fines and business impact of non-compliance are severe and strictly enforced.
For PCI DSS Level 1 compliance is demonstrated through a formal, annual, assessment resulting in a Report on Compliance (ROC) performed by a certified QSAC like Auditwerx. For Levels 2, 3, and 4, Compliance is demonstrated by completing the appropriate Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and providing supporting documentation.
As a Qualified Security Assessor Company (QSAC), Auditwerx possesses the experience and knowledge required to validate your PCI DSS v4.0 compliance.
We don’t just provide consulting—we approach every readiness and remediation project with the mindset of the final assessor. This ensures your scope, documentation, and controls are implemented efficiently, accurately, and aimed squarely at achieving your Attestation of Compliance (AOC) on the first attempt. Our proven methodology minimizes risk, maximizes strategic scope reduction, and delivers a smooth validation experience
Auditwerx has extensive experience with service providers and Service Organization Control (SOC) assessments, so conducting PCI DSS evaluations is a natural extension of our services.
Service providers are unique in that while they may not directly deal with cardholder data, because of or how they deliver their services they could influence the security of their customers’ processing, storing or transmitting of cardholder data and therefore the service provider is required to be PCI compliant.
Don’t make the mistake of waiting! Many service providers do not realize the need to be PCI compliant until customers clamor for it because it is required for their own PCI compliance efforts.
Merchants are still considered the core of the PCI DSS. With the advent of point-to-point encryption (P2PE), end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenization, merchants are drastically reducing their PCI scope thus simplifying their PCI assessments. We work with merchants to get through their assessments as quickly and easily as possible.
Auditwerx QSAs understand the Cloud and what makes up the Cloud. Whether it is VPCs, Docker, Kubernetes or micro-segmentation, we understand Cloud technologies and how they need to be assessed and made PCI compliant. We also understand today’s application development methodologies and the toolsets of DevSecOps.
PCI DSS Readiness is the systematic, proactive process of aligning your organization’s security policies, procedures, and technical controls with the specific requirements of the PCI DSS.
It is a crucial pre-assessment phase where we validate that your CDE is correctly scoped, all mandated security controls are fully implemented, and supporting documentation is complete and accurate before the official annual assessment or Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) submission to minimize business disruption, avoid costly scope expansion, and guarantee a successful annual validation.
Correctly identifying
all in-scope systems, networks, and people.
Implementing technical and administrative controls to close compliance gaps.
Creating or updating mandatory artifacts like policies, procedures, and the System Security Plan (SSP) equivalent.
Performing mock assessments to ensure readiness for the formal assessment (ROC) or SAQ submission.
Without PCI DSS Readiness | With QSA-Led Readiness |
Risking fines and potential loss of processing ability due to overlooked controls or poor documentation. | Achieving a seamless Attestation of Compliance (AOC) on the first attempt. |
Without PCI DSS Readiness | With QSA-Led Readiness |
Over-scoping your CDE, leading to unnecessary effort, complexity, and massive compliance costs. | Implementing strategic de-scoping to reduce complexity, time, and budget. |
Without PCI DSS Readiness | With QSA-Led Readiness |
Emergency remediation efforts that disrupt IT operations and employee productivity during the assessment window. | Following a phased, structured roadmap that embeds security without disrupting core business functions. |
Without PCI DSS Readiness | With QSA-Led Readiness |
Exposing your organization to monthly fines and card brand enforcement actions due to delayed or failed compliance. | Proactively securing your CDE, eliminating exposure to non-compliance penalties. |
We don’t just assess, we partner with you to build a resilient, efficient, and compliant payment security program. Demonstrate your PCI DSS compliance with an assessment from a trusted partner.
Our team is comprised of experienced QSAs who specialize in finding the most efficient path to compliance.
We focus only on controls and evidence that will score points in the final assessment.
Partner with a single firm throughout your entire compliance lifecycle. Our findings are objective and have no conflicts of interest.
Our U.S. based team of assessment professionals are never outsourced.
200+ years of collective experience translates to the most efficient path to certification, saving you time and money.
We offer flexible integration with leading GRC tools, so you don't have to duplicate evidence.
Compliance is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. That’s why Auditwerx placed a priority on being a true partner for your business. We offer year-round support to ensure your controls remain effective between annual assessments.
Work with the same specialized QSA from initial scoping through final attestation, ensuring consistency and deep knowledge of your environment.
We leverage decades of experience to make the assessment process as efficient as possible, minimizing disruption to your team.
Our priority is to reduce your CDE scope, simplifying your compliance burden and lowering long-term security costs.
A Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) is a security professional certified by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) to perform formal PCI DSS assessments. Only QSAs can issue the official Report on Compliance (ROC) for Level 1 Merchants and Service Providers. Working with a QSA firm ensures that your compliance effort is aligned with the highest standards and official methodologies.
The Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) is the segment of your network and systems that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data (CHD). The CDE includes all people, processes, and technology that interact with CHD or sensitive authentication data. Scope reduction is the strategic process of using segmentation and secure technologies (like P2PE or tokenization) to shrink the size of the CDE, thereby reducing the number of systems and controls that must comply with the PCI DSS requirements.
PCI DSS compliance is an annual requirement. All organizations handling card data must validate their compliance status every 12 months.
Phase 1 – Readiness & Remediation: This includes scoping, gap analysis, policy creation, and implementing necessary security controls and technology fixes. This is the longest phase.
Phase 2 – Assessment & Reporting: This is the formal assessment period where the QSA collects evidence (for a ROC) or reviews documentation (for an SAQ), writes the final report, and issues the Attestation of Compliance (AOC).
A SAQ (Self-Assessment Questionnaire) is a report that the eligible merchants complete themselves.
A ROC (Report on Compliance) is a formal report generated by a certified Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) after an independent, on-site assessment.
Cost Savings: Fewer systems in scope means fewer controls to implement, monitor, and assess, significantly reducing both compliance time and cost.
Security: By isolating card data to a smaller, dedicated segment, you inherently lower your overall organizational risk exposure to breaches.
Simplicity: It simplifies the reporting process, as the QSA’s focus is limited to the smaller, de-scoped environment.
…Both operations and assessment teams executed the engagement flawlessly, on-time and on-budget. The Auditwerx team provided us with the necessary guidance, tools and knowledge...We would highly recommend Auditwerx services to organizations of all sizes and requirement complexities.
...Their team has brought a level of knowledge and professionalism that has been unmatched. Our company is required to undergo a number of assessments annually with various firms and Auditwerx has truly been a pleasure to work with...
...The assessment itself was thorough, but non-disruptive. The team was highly professional and very knowledgeable. We recommend Auditwerx...without reservation.
Our certified Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) specialize in simplifying the complex requirements of PCI DSS v4.0, ensuring a smooth path to your Attestation of Compliance (AOC).
We perform a control-by-control analysis against the 12 requirements of PCI DSS v4.0, identifying deficiencies and providing prioritized, actionable guidance to close those gaps.
We perform a full-scope practice examination, review controls, and assess key personnel under assessment conditions to eliminate costly surprises and validate assessment readiness.
We help determine the correct SAQ type, guide your team through the self-assessment process, and provide highly skilled QSA review for accuracy and evidence validation.
A dedicated assessment to analyze risks associated with cardholder data processing, helping you prioritize controls and align with the new customized approach options in v4.0.
Required for Level 1 Merchants, our QSA team conducts the formal assessment, collects evidence, and drafts the comprehensive final report detailing compliance status.
The official certification document issued upon successful completion of the ROC or review of an eligible SAQ, validating your compliance to partners and banks.
Do you have questions about the newest version of the PCI DSS? Our free download outlines the basic information you need to know.
When you’re ready to start your PCI compliance journey, our experienced team will be here to walk you through the entire process, from assessment readiness to your final report.
Fill out this form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced team member.
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