Govern & Assure
PCI DSS Ongoing Support
Ongoing PCI DSS support to help you maintain compliance between formal assessments, manage change, and keep evidence, responsibilities, and recurring activities on track.
- Access to QSA advice through the year
- Change considered before it becomes a problem
- Better evidence continuity
- Support with recurring requirements
- Earlier identification of drift
PCI DSS compliance is not something you complete once a year and then leave alone. Systems change, suppliers change, responsibilities move, evidence becomes stale, and recurring activities can be missed. That is usually where compliance starts to drift.
Our ongoing support gives you access to experienced QSAs throughout the year, so questions and changes can be dealt with when they arise rather than being stored up for the next assessment. That can include advice on changes to payment architecture, interpretation of requirements, review of remediation, periodic evidence checks, and support with recurring PCI DSS activities.
The aim is to make compliance easier to maintain, not harder. Ongoing QSA involvement does not create a higher assessment standard or turn the year into one continuous formal assessment. It gives you earlier visibility of issues, clearer decisions, and more time to deal with problems before the next validation cycle.
Where you need a more structured operating model, the same activity can be supported through the Clarity Managed Platform, giving you a central place to manage controls, evidence, actions, ownership, and recurring compliance tasks.
Get a quote for PCI DSS Ongoing Support
Tell us your scope and objectives, and we’ll come back with a clear, fixed proposal, usually the same working day.
Get a Quoteor call +44 (0) 203 393 7795- CREST-accredited
- UK-based specialists
- Crown Commercial Service supplier
How it works
- 01
Agree the support you need
We start with your PCI DSS environment, current compliance position, and the areas where ongoing QSA input will add the most value.
- 02
Establish the compliance cycle
We identify the recurring activities, evidence, decisions, and review points that need attention between formal assessments.
- 03
Support change
When payment channels, systems, suppliers, or business processes change, we assess the PCI DSS implications and advise on the right approach.
- 04
Review controls and evidence
At agreed points, we can review selected controls, evidence, and outstanding actions to identify issues while there is still time to address them.
- 05
Resolve questions and gaps
Where something is unclear or has drifted, we help interpret the requirement, agree the necessary action, and review remediation where appropriate.
- 06
Prepare for the next assessment
As the next validation cycle approaches, we help make sure the scope, evidence, and key stakeholders are ready so the formal assessment does not begin with avoidable surprises.
What you get
Access to QSA advice through the year
Get timely input when a requirement is unclear or the environment changes, rather than waiting for the next formal assessment.
Change considered before it becomes a problem
We review proposed changes to payment flows, systems, suppliers, or architecture and explain the PCI DSS impact before decisions are locked in.
Better evidence continuity
We help you keep assessment evidence current, so you are not reconstructing a year of compliance activity at the end of the cycle.
Support with recurring requirements
We help your team stay on top of periodic activities and keep ownership clear.
Earlier identification of drift
Periodic review can highlight where controls, evidence, or responsibilities have changed before they become significant assessment issues.
A more predictable next assessment
By dealing with questions and weaknesses throughout the year, the next formal assessment starts from a better-understood and better-prepared position.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what prospective clients ask us most.
Does ongoing QSA support mean we are being assessed all year?
No. Ongoing support is advisory, and the assessment standard does not change because a QSA is involved during the year. The benefit is that questions, changes, and potential gaps can be addressed earlier, rather than first appearing during the formal assessment.
Can ongoing support be managed through the Clarity Managed Platform?
Yes. The Clarity Managed Platform can provide the management layer around ongoing PCI DSS activity, including controls, evidence, actions, owners, and recurring tasks.
You can use QSA support on its own, use the Clarity Managed Platform with your own team, or combine the two where you want a more structured managed compliance approach.
What kinds of changes should we involve you in?
Anything that could affect PCI DSS scope, responsibilities, or control operation. That might include a new payment provider, changes to payment flows, new systems, outsourcing, acquisitions, or changes to how card data is handled.
Getting QSA input early can prevent a small design decision becoming a much larger compliance problem later.
Can you review evidence before the formal assessment?
Yes. We review evidence to check that it looks suitable and that required activities appear to be happening, for example whether an ASV scan has passed or a recurring activity has been completed. This is an advisory review, not formal validation: the formal assessment still requires the QSA to assess the evidence in context at that point in time. The benefit is that missing, weak, or misunderstood evidence is usually found while there is still time to fix it.
Is ongoing support only for organisations that have already completed a PCI DSS assessment?
No. It can also be useful when you are working towards compliance over a longer period, in a changing environment, or when you need regular QSA input while remediation and improvement work is underway.
Related services
Ready to talk about pci dss ongoing support?
Get a fixed-scope quote, usually the same working day.