PCI DSS Consultancy and Assessments
Comply with the PCI DSS standard with our expert consultancy and assessments
LRQA is a registered Qualified Security Assessor for PCI DSS compliance
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is crucial for any organisation that handles cardholder data. Compliance with PCI DSS is not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it is about protecting your business from breaches that can have severe financial and reputational consequences.
We offer comprehensive PCI DSS consultancy and assessment services designed to help your organisation achieve and maintain compliance. Our experts guide you through the complexities of PCI DSS, providing tailored advice to safeguard sensitive payment card information and ensure your business meets industry standards.
PCI Qualified Security Assessors
QSA companies assist businesses in reviewing security of their cardholder data environment (CDE) and can assess and validate compliance with the PCI DSS.
Preparation support
Our Qualified Security Assessors work with you to define your compliance scope, identify gaps, and provide tailored advice to ensure your business is fully prepared for PCI DSS compliance.
Approved Scanning Vendor
We are a PCI DSS Approved Scanning Vendor that has been certified by the council to conduct external vulnerability assessment services.
Maintaining compliance
Customise the programme to address your specific security challenges effectively.
Our PCI DSS Consultancy Services
Our PCI DSS consultancy services are designed to help you navigate the complexities of compliance. We work with your team to identify gaps, assess your current security posture, and implement the necessary controls to meet PCI DSS requirements. Find out more about our services below.
PCI QSA Services
LRQA is a globally recognised Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) company, authorised by the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) to assess and validate an organisation’s compliance with the PCI DSS. Our QSA services are designed to guide businesses through every phase of their PCI DSS compliance journey, from initial gap analysis to final certification. We work closely with your team to map out cardholder data flows, identify vulnerabilities, and develop strategic roadmaps for achieving and maintaining compliance. We are ideally positioned to support organisations with global operations, providing consistent, high-quality service tailored to businesses of all sizes.
In addition to our core QSA services, we offer specialised support such as card discovery services to locate and secure all instances of card data within your systems. Our pre-audit services are particularly valuable, allowing organisations to identify and address potential compliance issues before the final audit, reducing the risk of non-conformance. Each client is assigned both a primary and secondary QSA to ensure continuity and depth of understanding throughout the engagement, ensuring a smooth and successful compliance process.
Our ongoing support services provide clients with continuous access to our expert team, keeping you informed about the latest PCI DSS developments and offering timely advice as new challenges arise.
PCI ASV Services
LRQA is a certified PCI Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV), authorised to conduct external vulnerability scans under the PCI DSS. These quarterly scans are essential for organisations that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, helping to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities such as malware attacks. Our ASV services ensure your organisation meets PCI DSS requirements, providing the necessary assurance to protect your payment systems.
Entities requiring PCI ASV scans include certain merchants and service providers, particularly those with internet-facing payment systems or those specified by their acquirer. LRQA's ASV scanning services cater to a wide range of needs, offering both managed service options, where our experts handle the scanning and remediation process, and self-service options through a user-friendly portal.
By partnering with LRQA for your PCI ASV scanning, you ensure continuous monitoring of your network, maintain PCI DSS compliance, and receive actionable insights that can enhance other aspects of your security program, such as change management and patch management.
PCI Audit and Certification Services
As a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) company, LRQA is authorised by the PCI SSC to conduct PCI DSS audits and certification services for organisations worldwide.
Our PCI Audit services assess both service providers and merchants, ensuring that they meet all PCI DSS requirements and maintain compliance year after year. Through detailed on-site assessments, our QSAs gather evidence, review documentation, and observe systems and processes to produce a Report on Compliance (ROC) and an Attestation of Compliance (AOC), which are essential for demonstrating compliance to acquiring banks and customers.
PCI DSS assessments, commonly referred to as audits, are crucial for organisations that process, store, or transmit cardholder data. Depending on the volume of transactions, different levels of assessment are required, ranging from annual self-assessment questionnaires to full on-site audits by a QSA. LRQA’s QSAs work closely with your team to navigate these requirements, providing expert guidance tailored to your specific compliance needs.
PCI Policies and Procedures Services
A critical component of PCI DSS compliance is the development and implementation of robust policies and procedures. While many organisations may already have working practices that align with PCI DSS, these processes are often informal and not consistently documented or communicated across the organisation. To achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance, it is essential to thoroughly document working processes, security technologies, and card data flows, and to ensure these are effectively communicated to all relevant staff members.
We offer a bespoke approach, working closely with your team to create tailored policies and procedures that not only meet PCI DSS requirements but also strengthen your overall cyber security maturity.
Whether you need to document existing practices or create new policies from scratch, we provide the expertise needed to ensure your PCI DSS policies and procedures are both effective and efficient.
PCI DSS Gap Assessment
LRQA simplifies this process of becoming PCI DSS compliant with our Gap Assessment, offering a clear, tailored roadmap to help your business achieve and maintain compliance.
Our service enhances your understanding of PCI DSS requirements, aligns the compliance process with your business strategy, and supports cost-effective decision-making.
Our experts mentor your team, conducting a thorough review of your payment card operations, from front-end processes to back-end systems. We identify key elements such as card data flows, assets, and applicable controls, providing a comprehensive analysis of your current state.
The outcome is a detailed roadmap to compliance, complete with actionable objectives tailored to your business.
PCI DSS Compliance Health Check
Our PCI DSS compliance health check service ensures your organisation maintains continuous compliance, preventing costly issues during your annual assessment. Treating PCI DSS as a once-a-year project can lead to lapses in required processes, resulting in non-compliance, financial penalties, and increased risk of data breaches.
Our proactive health checks help you identify and address vulnerabilities throughout the year, reducing the risk of non-compliance and costly remediation. By maintaining ongoing compliance, you avoid fines, protect your brand, and ensure your security measures are effective. Regular health checks with LRQA help keep your organisation PCI DSS compliant and secure all year round.
Why work with us?
Specialist expertise
Our cyber security experts hold multiple vendor certifications and accreditations as well as highly respected industry accreditations from CREST, the PCI SSC, ISC2, BCI, Chartered Institute of IT, and NCSC CHECK.
Industry leadership
We lead and shape industry on advisory boards and councils including the PCI SSC Global Executive Assessor Roundtable and CREST councils in the Americas, Asia, EMEA and the UK. We are certified by a range of governing bodies including the payment card industry and are approved as a Qualified Security Assessor.
Everywhere you are
Operating in over 55 countries, with more than 250 dedicated cyber security specialists and over 300 highly qualified information security auditors across the world, we can provide a local service with a globally consistent dedication to excellence.
Award winners
We have been recognised for the breadth and depth of our services – including the TEISS Award for Best Penetration Testing Service in 2024, Enterprise Threat Detection and Cloud Security awards at the Security Excellence Awards 2024 and the Stratus Award for Best Managed Cloud Security Service.
Already compliant with PCI DSS?
If your organisation is, or has previously been, compliant with PCI DSS we can still help you. As well as helping our clients achieve their initial compliance, we offer ongoing business-as-usual support. Organisations invest significant time, effort, and money into achieving compliance – and maintaining a close relationship with a QSA partner helps to protect that investment. If you are considering partnering with a new QSA company for your next assessment contact LRQA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PCI DSS?
PCI DSS is an internationally recognised information security standard designed specifically to apply to organisations that handle credit card data.
The PCI DSS was created to ensure that businesses can process credit and debit card payments securely, protecting businesses and consumers and reducing the likelihood of card fraud.
What is a PCI QSA?
A PCI QSA is a Qualified Security Assessor, they are individuals who are certified to assess merchants and service providers against the standard and provide a formal report on compliance.
Who needs to comply with PCI DSS?
Any organisation that processes card data must comply with PCI DSS. Merchants are usually businesses taking payment for a service they sell, such as a retailer or call centre.
Depending on how a merchant processes card payments, and how many transactions they process per year, requirements for demonstrating compliance with PCI DSS will vary. PCI DSS can also apply to organisations that provide services to businesses that handle credit card data, such as data centres and managed service providers.
This is true even if the service provider does not process card payments or access credit card information. As well as supporting their own customer’s PCI DSS compliance, service providers can differentiate themselves from their competition by becoming compliant with PCI DSS.
Why is PCI Compliance important?
Complying with the PCI DSS allows your organisation to demonstrate your commitment to maintaining a secure environment for your customers. Your organisation can also reduce the risk of a breach of credit card data by:
• Implementing PCI DSS controls appropriate to how you store, process, and transmit cardholder data.
• Engaging a QSA to independently validate your compliance.
• Maintaining PCI DSS requirements as business as usual.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with the PCI DSS?
Any organisation that handles credit card data but fails to comply with PCI DSS is at risk of several financial and reputational consequences.
• Non-compliance fees – a regular fine from your bank for failing to be compliant.
• Reputational damage in the event of a breach.
• Inability to process payments.
• GDPR and DPA-related fines in the event of a breach.
• Fines from your bank in the event of a breach.
To help reduce risk and avoid penalties as a result of a breach or non-compliance, organisations must understand how they store, process, and transmit credit card data, and ensure that all applicable requirements of PCI DSS are in place.