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RetailCompliance

E-commerce Platform Achieves PCI-DSS Compliance

Online Retail Marketplace
Austin, TX
65 employees
4 months
60%
scope reduction
Started:Sep 2023
Duration:4 months
Completed:Jan 2024

The Challenge

ShopDirect, an online marketplace connecting 500+ sellers with consumers, processed $50M in annual transactions. Their payment processor had given them a 6-month ultimatum: achieve PCI-DSS compliance or face relationship termination.

The platform had grown quickly without security architecture in mind. Card data touched 40+ systems, and their homegrown payment flow had no tokenization. An initial scoping exercise suggested 80% of their infrastructure was in PCI scope-a compliance nightmare.

With 65 employees and no dedicated security team, they needed an approach that would achieve compliance quickly while minimizing ongoing burden.

Our Approach

1

Scope Analysis & Reduction Strategy

Week 1-3

Mapped all card data flows and identified scope reduction opportunities. Created architecture for tokenization-based scope reduction.

2

Payment Architecture Redesign

Week 3-8

Implemented Stripe Elements to eliminate card data from environment entirely. Migrated from homegrown payment flow to tokenized architecture.

3

Control Implementation

Week 8-14

Implemented remaining PCI controls including network segmentation, access controls, logging, and vulnerability management for reduced scope.

4

Assessment & Certification

Week 14-18

Prepared SAQ documentation, completed external vulnerability scans, and achieved PCI-DSS Level 2 certification.

Solution Overview

PCI-DSS scope reduction, secure payment architecture, tokenization implementation, vulnerability scanning, and quarterly compliance reviews.

The Results

Achieved PCI-DSS Level 2 compliance
Reduced PCI scope by 60%
Zero payment-related security incidents
Saved $200K on compliance costs

Business Impact

Cost Savings
$200K saved on compliance costs through scope reduction
Deals Enabled
Enabled expansion to 3 new payment processors
Risk Reduction
Card data removed from 95% of systems

"PlatOps made PCI compliance manageable. We're now confident handling millions in transactions."

A
Amanda Liu, Head of Engineering
Online Retail Marketplace

"We went from 40 systems in scope to 3. The ongoing compliance effort dropped proportionally."

D
Derek Thompson, CTO
Online Retail Marketplace

Key Takeaways

  • Scope reduction is the single most effective PCI strategy
  • Modern payment providers can eliminate 90%+ of PCI burden
  • Tokenization transforms PCI from nightmare to manageable
  • Early payment architecture decisions compound over years

Key Outcome

60%
scope reduction

Technologies Used

StripeAWSCloudflareQualysSplunk

Compliance Frameworks

PCI-DSS 4.0SOC 2 Type II

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