Industry: Mining, Oil & Energy
Service: Professional Services
Location: Americas
Organization Type: Private
Employees: 10,001+
Dedicated IT Staff: 125
Needs And Requirements:
As a leading electricity distributor serving millions of customers across the Americas, the client operates within a highly regulated and high-availability environment. With growing reliance on digital payment channels for customer billing and transactions, the organization recognized the need to secure its data environment and align its operations with globally recognized security standards.
By addressing these needs, the client aimed to not only achieve PCI DSS certification but also embed a culture of security and compliance within its broader digital transformation and customer service initiatives.
Main Challenges:
Compliance with Regulatory Requirements: In addition to PCI DSS, the client was subject to multiple regional and sector-specific regulations, requiring careful alignment of security controls to avoid redundancy and ensure full legal compliance.
Complex and Interconnected Technology Infrastructure: The client’s operational and IT systems were deeply integrated across customer billing, service management, and grid operations, making it challenging to isolate and secure cardholder data environments without impacting critical services.
Third-Party and Supply Chain Security Risks: The involvement of multiple external vendors in billing, payment processing, and customer service introduced risks that required enhanced due diligence and contractual controls to ensure end-to-end PCI DSS compliance.
Solution:
Governance, Risk & Compliance:
PCI DSS: To help the client achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance, Hitachi Cyber deployed a structured, five-phase approach designed to provide clarity, efficiency, and full alignment with industry standards. This methodology ensured a streamlined path to certification while minimizing disruption to the client’s critical operations.
Phase 1: The engagement began with a detailed assessment to define and document the scope of PCI DSS applicability, including identification of all systems, processes, and third parties involved.
Phase 2: A comprehensive gap analysis was then conducted to evaluate the client’s current posture against each applicable PCI DSS requirement. This phase included an objective review of technical controls, policies, and operational procedures, with all findings clearly documented. Each non-compliance area was annotated with justifications to support prioritization and remediation planning.
Phase 3: Based on the findings, Hitachi Cyber developed a customized remediation roadmap, outlining the corrective actions needed to close identified compliance gaps. Throughout this phase, our team provided hands-on support to ensure all requirements were addressed in a manner aligned with the client’s operational realities.
Phase 4: Before initiating the formal audit, a pre-audit validation was conducted to verify that all remediations were completed effectively. This phase served as a final internal checkpoint, ensuring that all controls were not only implemented but also operating as intended, significantly reducing the risk of findings during the formal assessment.
Phase 5: The final phase involved a formal PCI DSS audit, during which compliance across all applicable requirements was reviewed and validated.
Outcomes:
Through the successful completion of all five phases, the client achieved full PCI DSS compliance, significantly strengthening the security of its payment infrastructure. This milestone not only reduced regulatory risk but also enhanced customer trust and operational resilience across its digital payment systems.
Next Steps:
Following this success, the client has expressed interest in continuing its collaboration with Hitachi Cyber to support ongoing compliance maintenance and address evolving cybersecurity needs. Future initiatives may include continuous monitoring, employee training, and additional professional services such as penetration testing or policy development.
