Fast-Track · Weeks, Not Months

PCI DSS Compliance USA

Name: Praxis-Q — Mohali, India
Address: SB Tower, E-190, Phase 8B, Sector 74, Mohali, Punjab, 160055, IN
Telephone: +91 9023444183
Price range: $$

PCI DSS v4.0.1 QSA Audit Services for US Merchants & Payment Processors

Praxis-Q delivers PCI DSS v4.0.1 readiness and remediation for US-based merchants, payment processors, fintech companies, and SaaS platforms - in partnership with our PCI SSC-registered QSA, CyberSigma, who performs the formal assessment and issues the ROC and AOC. Fast-track delivery in a few weeks.

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At a Glance

Standard

PCI DSS v4.0.1

Delivery

Weeks

Market

USA

SAQ Types

A/B/C/D/ROC

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PCI DSS v4.0.1, published by the PCI Security Standards Council in June 2024 as a clarifying update to v4.0, is now the version in force for every US merchant and service provider: v3.2.1 was fully retired in March 2024, and the requirements v4.0 had marked as 'future-dated' - stronger authentication, expanded logging, targeted risk analyses for certain controls - became mandatory for all assessments from 31 March 2025 onward. Organisations that completed a v4.0 assessment before that date and haven't revisited scope since are very often non-compliant against requirements that are no longer optional. Praxis-Q runs v4.0.1 readiness and remediation for US merchants, payment processors and SaaS platforms, in partnership with our PCI SSC-registered QSA, CyberSigma, who performs the formal assessment and issues the Report on Compliance or validates the Self-Assessment Questionnaire.

Who you are working with: Praxis-Q is the compliance and cybersecurity practice of Techtweek Infotech LLC, a Wyoming-registered company, and of PraxisQ Consulting LLP (India). SOC engagements are contracted through the LLC; other services through the LLP (see Terms). Delivery is remote-first from our India practice; email is answered within 24 hours and calls are by appointment. Book a US-hours call or reach the team on +1 917-508-5334.

Serving USA:Penetration Testing & VAPT in USA

PCI DSS USA

PCI DSS Compliance USA

PCI DSS v4.0.1 QSA Audit Services for US Merchants & Payment Processors

The Problem

If you touch card data, a single breach means fines, forced forensics, and losing the right to process payments. Most merchants fail their first assessment on scoping alone.

What We Do

CDE Scoping
Gap Assessment
Remediation
SAQ / ROC
AOC Issuance

What You Get

PCI DSS v4.0.1 assessment via QSA partner (CyberSigma)
All SAQ types and merchant levels
ROC and AOC via QSA partner; SAQ completion
Scoping for US e-commerce and retail
Visa/Mastercard/Amex compliance
Payment processor and acquirer requirements
Remote-first delivery for US clients
fast-track in weeks

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Why weeks, not months

AI-assisted evidence review, one client portal

Every PCI DSS USA engagement runs on the Praxis-Q compliance platform. You upload evidence per control, AI scores it against the requirement, and your auditor reviews in the same workflow — from scoping through to the issued, publicly verifiable certificate.

AI evidence scoring

Every upload is scored against the control before an auditor sees it — gaps surface in minutes, not at the review meeting.

One client portal

Scoping, evidence, auditor queries and status live in one place. No email chains, no spreadsheet trackers.

Auditor sign-off

Praxis-Q auditors review inside the same workflow, so review rounds shrink and the certificate issues sooner.

How the platform works →Open the portal

PCI DSS v4.0.1 and the March 2025 Future-Dated Requirements

v4.0.1 is a clarifying revision of v4.0, not a new set of controls - PCI SSC published it in June 2024 to correct ambiguities and align guidance, and it's the version QSAs assess against today. The substantive change organisations need to act on is the future-dated requirements: items v4.0 listed as best practice until 31 March 2025 - including multi-factor authentication for all access into the cardholder data environment, expanded logging and monitoring, targeted risk analyses justifying the frequency of certain controls, and authenticated internal vulnerability scanning - are now mandatory for every assessment. Praxis-Q's scoping work specifically checks a client's last assessment date against this deadline, because it's the single most common gap we find in organisations that assume a prior v4.0 pass still covers them.

Merchant Levels, SAQ Types and When a QSA Is Required

Which validation path a US merchant follows depends on transaction volume set by the card brands: Level 1 merchants (over 6 million Visa transactions annually, or any merchant a brand designates) require an annual on-site assessment by a QSA and a Report on Compliance; Levels 2-4 typically self-assess using the SAQ type matching their processing method (SAQ A for fully outsourced e-commerce, SAQ A-EP for partially outsourced, SAQ D for merchants storing cardholder data directly), though acquiring banks can require a QSA regardless of level. Praxis-Q determines the correct SAQ type or ROC path from the actual cardholder data flow - a frequent finding is merchants using SAQ A when their payment page architecture actually requires SAQ A-EP, which under-scopes the assessment and leaves real gaps unaddressed.

Scoping the Cardholder Data Environment for US Card Networks

Scope reduction is where most first-time PCI assessments succeed or fail: every system that stores, processes or transmits cardholder data, and every system connected to one without adequate segmentation, falls inside the CDE. For US merchants, that commonly means point-of-sale integrations, e-commerce payment pages, call-center card capture, and third-party payment gateways all need to be mapped and, where possible, isolated with network segmentation validated by penetration testing - unsegmented flat networks routinely balloon scope to cover systems that have nothing to do with payments. Praxis-Q's scoping phase produces a data flow diagram and segmentation test plan before any control work starts, since remediating the wrong scope wastes the engagement.

Working With a QSA Partner: ROC, AOC and SAQ Validation

PCI DSS requires that the formal Report on Compliance be issued by a PCI SSC-registered Qualified Security Assessor company - it cannot be self-certified for Level 1 merchants. Praxis-Q performs the readiness work (gap assessment, remediation, evidence collection, control testing) and partners with CyberSigma, our registered QSA, for the assessment itself and the resulting ROC and Attestation of Compliance. For merchants self-assessing via SAQ, Praxis-Q validates the SAQ responses against actual evidence before submission, which is where most rejected SAQs fail - answers that don't match what a subsequent QSA or forensic investigator would actually find.

Engagement Timeline

Scoping and gap assessment against v4.0.1 typically runs 1-2 weeks; remediation timelines depend on what the gap assessment finds, with segmentation and MFA gaps being the most common drivers of longer timelines. Praxis-Q delivers remote-first for US clients, coordinates directly with the QSA partner on assessment scheduling, and supports the annual reassessment cycle so compliance status doesn't lapse between attestations.

Related Services

SOC 2 Audit (USA)HIPAA Compliance (USA)CMMC Compliance (USA)Penetration Testing (USA)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you deliver PCI DSS for US companies remotely?

Yes. PCI DSS is a global standard. Praxis-Q delivers readiness and remediation remotely, and our PCI SSC-registered QSA partner (CyberSigma) performs the formal assessment and issues the ROC and AOC - with no impact on quality or acceptance.

How long does PCI DSS v4.0.1 compliance take for a US company?

Praxis-Q delivers in weeks vs. the US industry average of 3-6 months. Our structured process eliminates scheduling delays common with large US-based QSA firms.

Do US payment processors accept the AOC?

Yes. The Attestation of Compliance issued by our QSA partner is accepted by major US acquiring banks and payment processors.

What does a PCI DSS consultant do that a QSA does not?

A PCI DSS consultant gets you ready; a QSA assesses you. Praxis-Q is a PCI SSC-listed QSA, so the same team can scope your cardholder data environment, run the gap assessment and remediation, and then perform the formal assessment - a Report on Compliance for Level 1 or a reviewed SAQ for lower levels - and issue the Attestation of Compliance your acquirer asks for. Where independence rules apply we separate the readiness and assessment teams.

Does PCI DSS require penetration testing, and how often?

Yes. PCI DSS v4.0.1 Requirement 11.4 requires internal and external penetration testing at least once every twelve months and after any significant change, covering network and application layers, with segmentation testing to confirm the CDE is isolated (every six months for service providers). Requirement 11.3 adds quarterly internal vulnerability scans and ASV external scans. Praxis-Q delivers the PCI DSS penetration test with CVSS-rated findings and the retest evidence your assessor needs.

What is PCI DSS v4.0.1 and how is it different from v4.0?

v4.0.1 is a clarifying update PCI SSC published in June 2024 to fix ambiguities in v4.0's wording and testing procedures - it does not add new controls. What matters operationally is the timeline attached to v4.0: requirements it listed as future-dated best practices became mandatory for every assessment from 31 March 2025. A merchant that passed a v4.0 assessment before that date needs to reassess against the now-mandatory items, not assume the earlier pass still covers them.

Do we need a QSA, or can we self-assess?

It depends on merchant level and what your acquiring bank requires. Level 1 merchants (roughly 6 million+ Visa transactions annually, or any merchant a card brand designates) require an on-site QSA assessment and Report on Compliance. Levels 2-4 typically self-assess via SAQ, but acquiring banks can and do require a QSA regardless of level - check with your acquirer before assuming self-assessment is sufficient.

Which SAQ type applies to our e-commerce setup?

It depends on exactly how card data flows through your payment page. Fully outsourced e-commerce (the customer is redirected entirely to a third-party payment page) typically qualifies for SAQ A; partially outsourced setups where your own page embeds a payment iframe or hosts elements of the checkout require SAQ A-EP, a materially larger assessment. Merchants who capture or store card data directly need SAQ D. Praxis-Q maps the actual data flow before assigning a SAQ type - guessing wrong under-scopes the assessment.

What are the MFA requirements under PCI DSS v4.0.1?

Multi-factor authentication is now required for all access into the cardholder data environment, not only remote or administrative access as under earlier versions - this was one of the future-dated requirements that became mandatory 31 March 2025. Organisations still relying on password-only access for any CDE-connected system, including some internal admin consoles, are non-compliant against this requirement even if they passed a v4.0 assessment previously.

How is our cardholder data environment scoped?

Every system that stores, processes or transmits cardholder data is in scope, plus any system connected to one without validated network segmentation. Praxis-Q builds a data flow diagram covering POS, e-commerce, call-center capture and any third-party payment integrations, then tests proposed segmentation with penetration testing before treating anything as out of scope - unvalidated segmentation claims are a common reason ROCs get rejected.

What does Praxis-Q deliver versus the QSA partner?

Praxis-Q performs the readiness work - scoping, gap assessment, remediation guidance, evidence collection and control testing - so the client goes into the formal assessment prepared. CyberSigma, our PCI SSC-registered QSA partner, performs the independent assessment itself and issues the Report on Compliance and Attestation of Compliance, which by PCI SSC rules cannot be issued by the same firm doing the remediation work for Level 1 merchants.