PCI-DSS Compliance
If your Houston business accepts credit cards — online, in-store, or over the phone — you are contractually required to comply with PCI-DSS, and the fines for getting it wrong start at $5,000 per month.
What this covers
LayerLogix delivers practical PCI-DSS v4.0 compliance for small and mid-sized merchants: merchant level determination, SAQ selection, cardholder data discovery, network segmentation, tokenization design, quarterly ASV vulnerability scans, and full SAQ and Attestation of Compliance support.
We shrink your PCI scope aggressively so compliance becomes maintainable — not a year-round fire drill.
PCI DSS v4.0 · Cardholder data security
Follow one card payment through your shop
Card data travels further than you'd think. Here's how we trace it, shrink what PCI covers and keep the evidence for your SAQ coming all year. Tap a lens to dive in, or let it play.
Where it starts · The card's path
One tap at the counter. How many systems saw it?
A card number doesn't stay at the register. It rides through the POS, across the office network, into a spreadsheet from a phone order and out to the processor. Every system that stores, processes or sends it is in PCI scope, and so is anything connected to those.
What LayerLogix does
- Map how you take cards: in store, online and over the phone
- Trace every system that stores, processes or sends card data
- Confirm your merchant level with your acquiring bank
Step 1 · Cardholder data discovery
Find the card numbers nobody meant to keep
Stored card data turns up in odd places: a sticky note from a phone order, a spreadsheet column, an emailed deposit, a debug log on the POS server. We sweep for it, then shred, purge or tokenize. Card data you don't keep is card data you don't have to protect.
What LayerLogix does
- Scan file shares, inboxes and logs for stored card numbers
- Purge or tokenize what turns up, and fix the habit behind it
- Write down where card data may live, and where it may not
Step 2 · Scoping and segmentation
Shrink the part of your business PCI cares about
On a flat network, the guest Wi-Fi and the office printer share a wire with the card reader, so they're in scope too. Put the payment systems on their own segment and the spotlight narrows. Add P2PE or tokenization and most systems stop seeing real card numbers.
What LayerLogix does
- Design a small cardholder data environment and document it
- Move payment systems onto their own VLAN behind firewall rules
- Route payments through tokenization, P2PE or a hosted page
Step 3 · Segmentation testing
A wall only counts once someone tries to climb it
PCI DSS v4.0 expects segmentation to be proven, not assumed. A penetration test probes from the office side toward the payment segment. In this run it finds a remote-access rule left behind for an old vendor. The rule comes out, the retest finds no way in, and the report is filed.
What LayerLogix does
- Harden the firewall rules between the office and the CDE
- Run penetration tests that validate the segmentation
- Remove stale rules and retest until the findings close
Step 4 · Controls inside the CDE
Lock down the few systems that still touch cards
What's left in scope gets the full treatment: card data encrypted at rest and in transit, a named login with MFA for each person, access only for the people who need it, logs kept and reviewed, file integrity monitoring on the POS, and patches on a schedule instead of a scramble.
What LayerLogix does
- Encrypt with TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest
- Set up named accounts with MFA and trim who reaches the CDE
- Collect logs, watch file integrity and patch on a set cadence
Step 5 · Scans, SAQ and AOC
Evidence that builds all year, not the week before
Proof piles up on a schedule: quarterly ASV scans with findings fixed and rescanned, false positives disputed, internal scans, the segmentation test and policy reviews. At year end it backs your SAQ and the Attestation of Compliance your bank asks for. Pick how you take cards.
What LayerLogix does
- Coordinate quarterly ASV scans, fixes and dispute letters
- Pick the right SAQ for how you actually accept cards
- Collect the evidence and prepare your SAQ and AOC with you
Showing Where it starts · The card's path: One tap at the counter. How many systems saw it?
What We Offer
Comprehensive solutions tailored for Houston-area businesses
Merchant Level and SAQ Selection
Determine your PCI merchant level based on transaction volume and identify the correct Self-Assessment Questionnaire — SAQ A, A-EP, B, B-IP, C, C-VT, D, or P2PE. The wrong SAQ can mean answering hundreds of unnecessary questions or missing controls you are contractually required to implement.
Cardholder Data Environment Design
Design and document the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) — every system that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data, plus connected systems. We use tokenization, P2PE, and network segmentation to keep the CDE as small as possible and dramatically shrink your PCI scope.
Network Segmentation and Firewall Hardening
Isolate the CDE from your corporate network with firewalls, VLANs, and strict inbound/outbound rules. Proper segmentation is the single biggest lever for reducing PCI scope and audit burden. We validate segmentation with penetration testing as required under PCI-DSS v4.0.
Encryption and Key Management
Implement strong cryptography for cardholder data at rest and in transit — TLS 1.2+, AES-256, and documented key management procedures. We help you eliminate stored cardholder data wherever possible through tokenization and hosted payment pages, removing encryption requirements from most of your environment.
Quarterly ASV Vulnerability Scans
Coordinate quarterly external vulnerability scans with an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) against all internet-facing CDE systems. We remediate findings, handle false positive dispute letters, and ensure you maintain passing scans across the entire compliance year.
SAQ Completion and Attestation of Compliance
Walk through every requirement in your SAQ, collect evidence, document compensating controls where needed, and complete the Attestation of Compliance (AOC) that your acquiring bank and card brands require. We keep you audit-defensible, not just questionnaire-answered.
Why Choose LayerLogix?
Serving businesses throughout the Greater Houston area including Houston, The Woodlands, Spring, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, Pearland, Dallas, Austin.
Avoid Fines and Contract Termination
Non-compliance with PCI-DSS can trigger fines from $5,000 to $100,000 per month from your acquiring bank, higher transaction fees, and loss of card processing privileges entirely. For retailers and e-commerce sites, losing the ability to accept cards is an extinction-level event.
Reduce Breach Liability
A payment card breach triggers mandatory forensic investigation, card reissuance costs, brand fines, and class-action lawsuits that routinely run into the millions. Implementing PCI-DSS controls properly is the best breach prevention strategy and the strongest legal defense if an incident does occur.
Minimize PCI Scope with Tokenization
Every system touching raw cardholder data is in scope for all 12 PCI-DSS requirements. By routing payments through a tokenization provider or P2PE solution, we eliminate most systems from scope entirely — reducing audit cost, ongoing maintenance, and breach blast radius.
Pass Quarterly Scans Without Fire Drills
Our patching and hardening programs keep CDE systems clean between quarterly ASV scans so you are not scrambling at the last minute. We track vulnerability trends, apply patches on predictable cadences, and resolve findings before they become compliance failures.
Prepare for PCI-DSS v4.0 Requirements
PCI-DSS v4.0 introduced new requirements around targeted risk analysis, customized approaches, and stronger authentication that take effect in 2025. We upgrade your program ahead of the deadlines so you are not caught off-guard at your next assessment.
Our Process
Frequently Asked Questions
What PCI merchant level are we?▼
Which SAQ applies to us?▼
Do we need quarterly vulnerability scans?▼
Can we just outsource all card processing and avoid PCI entirely?▼
What is different about PCI-DSS v4.0?▼
How much does PCI compliance cost?▼
Do you provide PCI in Houston and nearby areas?▼
What does PCI cost for a Houston business?▼
Ready to Get Started?
Contact LayerLogix today for a free consultation. We serve businesses throughout Houston, The Woodlands, Spring, and the surrounding Greater Houston area.