Say Hi to PCI DSS compliance without the quarterly scramble

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a global security standard designed to protect credit and debit card transactions. Established by major payment card brands (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB), it applies to any organisation that accepts, processes, stores, or transmits payment card information. PCI DSS outlines 12 core requirements covering everything from firewalls and encryption to access controls and security testing.

If your business handles payment cards in any capacity—online payments, in-person transactions, storing card data, or processing through third parties—PCI DSS applies. This includes:

• E-commerce merchants
• Brick-and-mortar retailers
• Payment service providers
• Payment gateways
• Fintech platforms
• Any business storing cardholder data

The validation level (1-4) depends on annual transaction volume, with different requirements for each tier.

PCI DSS organises its controls into 12 requirements across 6 objectives:

Build and Maintain a Secure Network

• Install and maintain firewall configuration
• Don't use vendor-supplied defaults

Protect Cardholder Data 

• Protect stored cardholder data 
• Encrypt transmission over public networks

Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program 

• Use and update anti-virus software 
• Develop secure systems and applications

Implement Strong Access Control Measures 

• Restrict access by business need-to-know 
• Assign unique ID to each person with access 9. Restrict physical access to cardholder data

Regularly Monitor and Test Networks 

• Track and monitor all access 
• Regularly test security systems

Maintain an Information Security Policy 

• Maintain a policy addressing information security

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PCI DSS v4.0 (active since April 2024, fully mandatory April 2025) introduces significant updates:

• Customized implementation approach: Greater flexibility to meet security objectives with alternative controls
• Enhanced authentication: Stricter multi-factor authentication requirements for all CDE access
• Continuous compliance: Shift from annual validation to ongoing monitoring
• Risk-based approach: More frequent risk assessments required
• Updated encryption: Stronger cryptographic standards and protocols
• 50+ new requirements: Including e-commerce security, web script monitoring, and cloud considerations

The transition period ended in March 2025—full compliance with all v4.0 requirements is now mandatory.

Proper scoping is critical to PCI DSS compliance. Your CDE includes:

• Systems that store, process, or transmit cardholder data
• Systems connected to the CDE that could impact its security
• Network segments housing these systems

Best practices:

• Document all data flows (where card data enters, moves, and exits)
• Use network segmentation to isolate the CDE
• Regularly review and update scope as systems change
• Validate scope with your QSA or internal auditor
• Maintain a network diagram showing all CDE components

Proper segmentation can dramatically reduce scope and compliance burden.

Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ): For smaller merchants (typically Levels 2-4). You complete a questionnaire attesting to your compliance and may need quarterly vulnerability scans.

Full QSA Audit: Required for Level 1 merchants (6+ million transactions annually). A Qualified Security Assessor conducts an onsite audit, tests controls, and issues a Report on Compliance (ROC).

Both require:

• Quarterly Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) scans
• Annual reassessment
• Immediate response to security incidents

Annual validation is mandatory:

• Complete SAQ or undergo QSA audit
• Submit Attestation of Compliance (AOC)

Quarterly requirements:

• ASV vulnerability scans of external-facing systems
• Internal vulnerability scans

Continuous requirements (v4.0):

• Daily log reviews
• Regular access reviews
• Ongoing monitoring of security controls
• Immediate response to security alerts

PCI DSS v4.0 emphasizes that compliance is a continuous process, not an annual event

Non-compliance consequences include:

• Monthly fines from acquiring banks ($5,000-$100,000+)
• Increased transaction fees
• Merchant account termination (loss of ability to accept cards)
• Forensic investigation costs after a breach
• Card reissuance costs if breached
• Reputational damage and customer loss
• Legal liability and potential lawsuits

A single breach can cost millions in remediation, legal fees, and lost business—far exceeding the investment in compliance.

Traditional PCI DSS validation is a quarterly fire-drill—manual evidence gathering, log reviews, scan coordination, and documentation assembly. With Hicomply, 90% of this work is automated:

• Continuous monitoring replaces quarterly scrambles
• Automated evidence collection from integrated systems
• Real-time control testing catches issues before audits
• Centralised documentation eliminates evidence archaeology
• Built-in reminders for scans, reviews, and renewals

Our PCI DSS automation software keeps you audit-ready year-round with minimal team effort.

Book a free demo to see it in action.

Hicomply provides:

• Built-in PCI DSS v4.0 framework with all 12 requirements mapped
• Automated control monitoring with pass/fail status
• Integration with ASV scanners, SIEM, firewalls, and cloud platforms
• CDE scoping tools and network diagram maintenance
• Evidence collection from 300+ connected systems
• Audit workspace for QSA collaboration
• Task management with automated reminders for quarterly scans and reviews
• Real-time dashboards showing compliance posture‍
• Multi-framework mapping (map PCI controls to ISO 27001, SOC 2)

Absolutely. While larger merchants face stricter validation requirements, smaller businesses (Levels 2-4) typically complete Self-Assessment Questionnaires rather than full audits. Many cloud payment platforms and payment gateways are already PCI-compliant, which can reduce your scope significantly.

Using a platform like Hicomply makes compliance accessible by:

• Automating expensive manual processes
• Providing templates and guidance
• Reducing consultant dependency
• Scaling with your transaction volume

The cost of non-compliance (fines, lost merchant status, breach liability) far exceeds the investment in proper compliance.

PCI DSS aligns closely with other security standards:

• ISO 27001 (information security management)
• SOC 2 (security and availability trust criteria)
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (risk management)
• GDPR (where cardholder data includes personal information)

Many controls overlap—firewalls, encryption, access controls, logging, incident response. Hicomply lets you manage multiple frameworks together, mapping one control to satisfy several standards and avoiding duplicate effort.

Hicomply integration includes:

• Ticketing systems (Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Freshdesk, GitHub) for incident management and change control
• Identity management (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace) for access control evidence and MFA enforcement
• HR systems (BambooHR, Workday, Gusto, Rippling) for personnel access tracking and offboarding
• File storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, SharePoint) for policy documentation and evidence
• Project management (Asana, ClickUp, Jira, Linear) for control implementation tracking
• SSO platforms (SAML, OpenID Connect, PingFederate) for authentication logging

Visit our Integrations page for the complete list.