PCI DSS consultancy and assessment

Cut through the complexity of PCI DSS

Whether you’re doing PCI DSS for the first time, preparing for your next assessment, or planning changes that could reduce scope, we’re here to make the process clearer and more manageable.

We help organisations understand what’s really in scope, what actually needs to change, and how to get compliant in a way that’s practical and sustainable — without creating unnecessary work.

Talk to Claranet’s PCI DSS experts

How we can help

Claranet’s PCI Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) help organisations at every stage of their PCI DSS journey – whether you’re validating compliance for the first time, re-certifying annually, or making architectural changes to modernise your payment environment.

Why Claranet

Practical, pragmatic experts who never take a tick-box approach.

PCI DSS shouldn’t be about blindly following a list. Our QSAs understand the intent behind the requirements, which means we can help you meet the standard in ways that work in real environments.

Technical expertise

Our team is very technical, which makes a big difference when dealing with:

Multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure
Hosted platforms and third-party payment service providers
Tokenisation, P2PE, and secure card capture flows
EPOS platforms and large distributed retail estates

Where deeper technical input is required, we can also pull in Cloud, Networking, and Security specialists from across Claranet to help solve the problem — not just point at it.

Built to support your wider security strategy

PCI DSS doesn’t sit on its own. Our QSAs also work with ISO 27001, NIST, NIS2 and other frameworks, so the advice you get will make sense in the context of your broader security and compliance efforts — not create duplicate work.

How we work

From this, we’ll produce a clear, realistic roadmap.

Before you start implementing controls or preparing for an assessment, it’s essential to understand exactly what is in scope. We begin with a Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) mapping exercise to:

Identify payment channels and data flows
Confirm whether you qualify for SAQ self-assessment or require a Level 1 ROC
Determine which PCI requirements apply to your systems and third parties
Highlight where scope can be reduced through redesign, segmentation, or process changes

When you are ready to certify compliance, we perform the necessary assessment. Our team has extensive experience working with multiple acquirers and processor relationships, and can manage these conversations on your behalf.

Level 1 merchants and service providers:
We produce the formal Report on Compliance (ROC) and Attestation of Compliance (AOC), liaising directly with acquirers and card brands where required.
SAQ-eligible organisations:
We offer Assisted-SAQ support, guiding you through the evidence requirements, helping interpret the controls, and ensuring the SAQ is completed correctly.

We understand that different acquiring banks, payment schemes, and Qualified Security Assessors have different expectations around evidence, scoping positions, and sampling.

Some organisations need more than just advice — they need ongoing, hands-on leadership of the PCI programme.

Our PCI as a Resource service places an experienced consultant into your organisation as part of your team. They can:

Lead the PCI DSS project and governance activities
Help prioritise remediation work and assign ownership
Conduct internal training and awareness
Assist in control implementation and documentation
Coordinate the effort across technology, operations, and security teams