PCI DSS
We accept card payments
How PCI DSS scope works, how readiness prepares you, and where a formal assessment fits.
Cybersecurity and compliance
Security decisions backed by evidence.
Security Inspect is an independent U.S. cybersecurity and compliance firm helping growing and regulated organizations turn complex requirements into practical, verifiable controls. Our senior-led work spans PCI DSS, security assessments, penetration testing, compliance readiness, cloud and application security, vCISO guidance, and incident preparedness.
Every engagement begins with a defined scope, clear independence boundaries, and an experienced practitioner accountable for the result. Clients receive prioritized actions, defensible evidence, and a roadmap their teams can execute—not generic reports or unsupported promises.
Service boundaries
Security Inspect is not a law firm or a CPA firm and does not provide legal opinions or issue SOC 2 reports. ISO/IEC 27001 certification is performed independently by an accredited certification body. CMMC organization-level assessment authority depends on an active C3PAO listing. Specific PCI services depend on the company’s active PCI SSC program listing and scope.
An illustration of a sample environment, not client data. For the framework selected, it shows readiness work moving through four stages: scope, where systems are mapped and a boundary is drawn around what is in scope; evidence, where sample records are collected; remediation, where sample gaps are found and fixed; and validation, where the evidence is ready to hand on to whoever performs that step for the framework.
- Scope (done)
- Evidence (done)
- Remediation (done)
- Validation (next, performed independently)
Validation: Performed by an independent, authorized assessorValidation: Performed by an independent, authorized assessorValidation: Performed by an independent, authorized assessorValidation: No official certification; periodic evaluation per §164.308(a)(8)
Compliance readiness
Core practice
PCI DSS readiness
If your business accepts payment cards, PCI DSS sets the bar for how card data is protected. Readiness work puts your scope, controls, and evidence in order before your self-assessment or formal QSA assessment.
What readiness covers
PCI DSS readiness, scoping, and remediation advisory
PCI DSS readiness — scoping support, gap assessment, and remediation planning before a QSA assessment or self-assessment.
Start here
Where are you starting?
Pick the situation that sounds most like yours.
SOC 2
A customer asked for our SOC 2 report
What a SOC 2 report is, who issues it, and how to prepare for the examination.
Penetration testing
We need to test an app or API before launch
How authorized testing is scoped, and what happens before, during, and after it.
HIPAA Security Rule
We handle patient health information
What the Security Rule expects and where a risk analysis fits in.
CMMC
A defense contract requires CMMC
Which CMMC level may apply, what the current program status means, and how to prepare.
vCISO advisory
We need security leadership, not a full-time hire
How a virtual CISO arrangement works and when it makes sense.
Risk assessment
We don’t know where we stand
What a baseline assessment looks at and how it turns into priorities.
ISO/IEC 27001
A customer expects ISO/IEC 27001 certification
How certification works, who grants it, and what readiness covers.
Service finder
We’re not sure yet
Work through a few questions about your situation to find a sensible place to start.
Services
What we can help with
Choose a service to see what it covers, what it excludes, and how it’s scoped.
Core services
Core practice
PCI DSS readiness
PCI DSS readiness, scoping, and remediation advisory
Penetration testing
Authorized penetration testing for web applications, APIs, and external or internal networks.
Compliance readiness
Compliance readiness for SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, the HIPAA Security Rule, PCI DSS, and CMMC.
Cloud & application security
Cloud and application security reviews covering architecture, configuration, identity, logging, and secure design.
vCISO advisory
Virtual CISO advisory: roadmap, governance, policy, metrics, and executive reporting.
Incident readiness
Incident-readiness services: response-plan development and tabletop exercises.
More services
- Risk assessments
Security posture and risk assessments mapped to NIST CSF 2.0 and CIS Controls.
- Policies, controls & evidence
Policy, control, and evidence design to help clients build repeatable security programs.
- Vendor risk
Third-party and vendor-risk reviews with prioritized remediation guidance.
How it fits together
From scope to validation
Most security and compliance work follows the same four steps, whatever the framework. Scope sets the boundaries, evidence shows what’s really in place, remediation closes the gaps, and validation confirms the result.
Scope
Agree what the work covers: the systems, data, locations, people, and requirements in play, and what’s deliberately left out.
Evidence
Gather the records that show how each control actually operates today, such as configurations, logs, tickets, policies, and interviews.
Remediation
Close the gaps that matter most first, and keep the evidence that shows each fix is in place and working.
Validation
Confirm the controls work as intended. Programs that require a formal outcome, such as a PCI DSS assessment or a SOC 2 examination, set rules on who may perform it.
The cycle repeats: what validation finds shapes the next scope.
Proof you can check
Check the claim for yourself
We separate advisory work from independent assessment where program rules require it. Credentials and organizational authorizations appear on this website only with their issuer, scope, status, and verification source, so buyers can validate them for themselves.
Credentials and authorizations
How firm authorizations differ from individual credentials, what each one covers, and how to check either one with the body that issued it.
Individual credentials belong to the practitioner who holds them. An individual credential doesn't give Security Inspect any organization-level authorization.
A published methodology
Read how we scope work, gather evidence, and report findings before you decide to talk to us.
Independence rules, explained
Who can issue which formal outcome, and why the person who helped build a control can’t be the one who assesses it.
Starting prices in the open
Starting prices and typical ranges are published, along with the factors that move them.
Outside our services
Security Inspect isn't a managed SOC, an MDR provider, or a round-the-clock emergency-response provider. We don't offer ASV scanning, PCI forensic investigations, or P2PE, SSF, PIN, or 3DS assessments, and we don't perform CMMC certification assessments or HITRUST assessments.
How we work
How an engagement works
Every engagement begins with a written scope and proposal. Remote-first, senior-led delivery. Every engagement is led by an experienced practitioner.
Scoping conversation
We talk through what prompted the work, such as a customer request, a contract clause, or an upcoming launch, and what a useful result would look like for you.
Written scope and proposal
The proposal sets out objectives, boundaries, assumptions, and pricing, so the work is defined before it starts.
Delivery
We carry out the work set out in the proposal with your team, and raise anything that could change the scope before it does.
Evidence-backed findings and a prioritized roadmap
Each finding is tied to what was observed, and recommendations are ordered so your team knows what to address first.
Optional retest or ongoing advisory
Where it fits, you can add a retest to confirm fixes, or continue with ongoing advisory support.
SaaS and technology
Customer security reviews, SOC 2 reports, and evidence from penetration testing.
Healthcare
HIPAA Security Rule risk analysis, safeguards, and oversight of the vendors that handle ePHI.
Payments and e-commerce
PCI DSS scope, validation, and the security of online payment pages.
Defense supply chain
CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and the DFARS and FAR clauses in your contracts.
Professional services
Client security reviews, insurance questionnaires, and confidential client files.
Insights
Plain-language guidance
Short explanations of the frameworks, terms, and trade-offs that come up in security and compliance work.
Insights and guides
Articles that explain frameworks, testing, and security leadership decisions in plain language.
Security and compliance glossary
Definitions for the acronyms and terms that come up in security reviews and compliance work.
Search the site
Find a service, framework, or term by keyword.
Talk through your situation with a practitioner
Tell us what prompted the question: a customer request, a contract requirement, a launch date, or simply not knowing where you stand.
Best-effort triage. No emergency service level.
What happens next
- Send a short note about what you need through the contact form.
- We respond to new inquiries Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central Time, excluding U.S. federal holidays.
- If it looks like a fit, we set up a scoping conversation.
- Every engagement begins with a written scope and proposal.