About This Service
PCI DSS Compliance Support for UAE E-commerce and Card-Accepting Businesses
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) applies, in general, to any business that stores, processes or transmits cardholder data — which in the UAE means online stores, booking platforms, restaurants and retailers taking card payments through gateways like Tap Payments, Telr, Network International, Stripe or PayTabs. Acquirers and gateways routinely ask UAE merchants to confirm their PCI DSS status, and an unanswered questionnaire can hold up settlement or onboarding. This gig gets you scoped, remediated and ready to attest with confidence.
Scoping is where most merchants lose money, so it comes first: I map exactly where cardholder data touches your environment and, wherever possible, shrink that footprint — hosted payment pages, tokenization and redirect integrations can take entire systems out of scope. From there I help you identify the self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) type that fits your integration model, design network segmentation so your cardholder data environment is isolated from the rest of your network, and drive a gap-remediation plan across the standard's requirement areas: secure configurations, access control, logging, vulnerability management and security testing.
For merchants whose transaction volumes or acquirer requirements call for a formal assessment, I prepare your environment and documentation and coordinate with a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) — QSAs perform the formal validation; my job is to make sure they find a clean environment. Engagements start at AED 6,000 with a 21-day baseline, sized for Dubai and Sharjah e-commerce SMEs, mainland retailers and free-zone platforms alike.
What's included
- Cardholder data environment scoping — Data-flow mapping of every place card data is stored, processed or transmitted — plus scope-reduction recommendations.
- SAQ type identification — Analysis of your payment integration model to identify which self-assessment questionnaire path fits, before you answer a single question.
- Network segmentation guidance — Practical segmentation design so the cardholder data environment is isolated and the rest of your network stays out of scope.
- Gap assessment and remediation plan — Requirement-by-requirement gap review with a prioritized remediation tracker your team can execute.
- Gateway and acquirer coordination — Help responding to PCI requests from Tap, Telr, Network International and other UAE gateways and acquiring banks.
- QSA preparation where required — Documentation and environment prep, plus coordination with a Qualified Security Assessor when a formal assessment is needed.
How it works
- 1Payment flow discovery
We walk through every channel you take cards on — website, app, POS, phone orders — and I map the cardholder data flows.
- 2Scope reduction and SAQ path
I recommend integration changes that shrink scope, then identify the SAQ type that matches your final architecture.
- 3Gap remediation
You get a requirement-by-requirement gap tracker and I support your developers and IT on closing each item.
- 4Attestation readiness
We complete the questionnaire evidence together, and if your acquirer requires a QSA, I prepare and coordinate that assessment.
Why work with me
| With me | Typical agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope reduction before remediation spend | Remediates everything as-is | |
| Knows UAE gateways (Tap, Telr, Network International) | Generic global playbook | |
| Developer-level support on fixes | PDF findings, no follow-through | |
| Pay only for the SAQ path you actually need | One-size-fits-all package |