Compliance Without the Chaos: How ScyllaDB & GRSee Made PCI DSS Simple
To meet rising customer expectations in regulated and security-sensitive markets, ScyllaDB pursued PCI DSS Level 1, the highest level of payment security assurance for service providers. ScyllaDB selected GRSee Consulting as its strategic partner based on our accredited QSA capability and end-to-end delivery model that combines readiness, ROC auditing, and ongoing maintenance, executed with white-glove project management and a clear, de-risked process. Our differentiators, executive access, proven methodology, and “Simplifier” approach, ensure clients get an outcomes-first, high-touch experience.
Updated October 16, 2025
Introduction
ScyllaDB is a distributed database built for data-intensive applications that demand extreme performance and ultra-low latency. The company’s technology is widely adopted by global engineering teams that need to scale reads and writes without compromising availability or cost efficiency.
By combining deep technical knowledge, proven PCI expertise, and a pragmatic project approach, GRSee turned a complex compliance process into a smooth, well-structured journey. ScyllaDB not only achieved PCI DSS Level 1 certification efficiently but also built internal knowledge, a scalable control framework, and lasting operational confidence.
The Need
Customer demand was the primary driver. Large prospects required PCI as a condition to move forward.
In parallel, the team viewed PCI DSS as a way to validate and strengthen ScyllaDB’s security posture with tooling and practices they “needed whether we do PCI DSS or not.”
Achieving Level 1 would accelerate enterprise sales cycles, demonstrate commitment to security, and build durable trust, benefits that align with why organizations invest in PCI DSS: risk reduction, brand trust, and competitive advantage.
The Partnership & Solution
From day one, GRSee Consulting acted as an extension of ScyllaDB’s security and operations teams, combining deep PCI DSS expertise with practical, business-focused execution. Leveraging our experience from hundreds of successful PCI Level 1 engagements, GRSee designed a tailored process that made the project clear, efficient, and predictable, avoiding common pitfalls such as scope creep, redundant work, and late-stage surprises.
Our team guided ScyllaDB through every stage with our proven white-glove methodology built to simplify complex compliance journeys while maintaining rigor and control.
Discovery & Scope Definition – GRSee’s seasoned QSAs led structured working sessions to clarify potential data exposure, define use cases, and right-size the PCI environment. Our scoping expertise helped avoid unnecessary inclusion of systems, ensuring a lean, accurate scope that minimized future audit overhead and operational impact.
Gap Assessment & Roadmap – We conducted a detailed gap analysis against all 12 PCI DSS requirements, providing a clear, prioritized remediation roadmap. This roadmap gave ScyllaDB a structured year-long plan with milestones and accountability, saving significant time compared to unstructured self-assessments and preventing rework later in the process.
Workshops & Advisory – GRSee facilitated hands-on workshops with ScyllaDB’s Product, Cloud, and Security leaders to translate PCI language into actionable technical tasks. We helped the team understand not only what to implement but why, building long-term internal knowledge and reducing reliance on external consultants in future cycles.
Evidence Collection – Our managed evidence intake process streamlined documentation and validation, reducing the internal coordination effort. Using predefined templates and examples, we helped ScyllaDB’s team stay audit-ready at every step rather than rushing at the end.
Testing & Validation – GRSee’s penetration testers and vulnerability management specialists performed targeted testing aligned with PCI DSS requirements, verifying that each control worked as intended while protecting system performance.
QSA Audit (ROC + AOC) – The final PCI DSS Level 1 audit was performed by GRSee’s experienced QSA team. Because of the groundwork done in earlier phases, the audit was smooth, efficient, and completed without any findings or scope revisions.
The result: a formal Report on Compliance (ROC) and Attestation of Compliance (AOC) that positioned ScyllaDB as a trusted partner for security-conscious customers.
Simplify Your RoC Audit
GRSee guides you through every stage of the RoC process, ensuring compliance without unnecessary stress.
Throughout the engagement, GRSee’s long-term perspective ensured every recommendation served both the current audit and future scalability. We helped ScyllaDB establish an annual operating rhythm, regular scans, committee meetings, and control reviews, turning compliance from a one-time project into an integrated, ongoing practice.
Challenges & How They Were Addressed
Even for a highly technical organization like ScyllaDB, PCI DSS introduced challenges that required specialized compliance expertise. The company’s engineers were experts in distributed systems, but PCI DSS demanded a very different skill set, one that blends security, audit, and regulatory understanding with deep technical insight.
Limited Internal PCI Knowledge
While ScyllaDB’s teams fully understood their infrastructure, they were navigating PCI DSS for the first time. The framework’s detailed control requirements, from encryption management to vulnerability scanning and access controls, demanded a level of PCI-specific interpretation that went beyond general security knowledge.
GRSee’s Role
GRSee’s PCI-qualified experts translated complex PCI language into clear, technical, and actionable tasks. Our advisors helped the team understand not just what was required, but why, ensuring each control was implemented efficiently and correctly the first time. This prevented wasted effort, misalignment, and rework later in the process.
Avoiding Scope Creep & Audit Pitfalls
Defining the PCI environment for a database platform that doesn’t directly process payment data can be tricky. Without the right experience, many organizations either over-include systems, increasing cost and effort, or miss critical elements that later jeopardize certification.
GRSee’s Role
Our assessors worked closely with ScyllaDB’s product and engineering leads to right-size the PCI scope, capturing only what was truly in scope while maintaining full compliance confidence. GRSee’s precision scoping and proactive QSA engagement helped ScyllaDB avoid costly scope creep and achieve a lean, maintainable compliance boundary that will simplify renewals for years to come.
Resource Constraints & Project Focus
As a fast-growing technology company, ScyllaDB’s internal teams were already operating at capacity, with priorities centered on product development and customer operations. The PCI project demanded dedicated attention and coordination that simply wasn’t available in-house.
GRSee’s Role
We acted as an embedded compliance partner, managing the project end-to-end with clear milestones, accountability, and executive visibility. Our structured methodology reduced internal workload, streamlined documentation, and ensured every step was executed efficiently. ScyllaDB could stay focused on innovation while GRSee handled compliance complexity behind the scenes.
Complex Technical Controls & Compensating Controls
One of the most significant technical challenges involved implementing certain PCI-mandated controls in cloud environments where they could impact performance, for example, antivirus requirements within highly optimized distributed systems.
GRSee’s Role
Leveraging our hands-on technical experience with cloud-native PCI environments, GRSee guided ScyllaDB through the design and documentation of compensating controls, alternative security measures that achieve the same intent without degrading performance or violating the standard. We facilitated joint workshops with ScyllaDB’s Cloud and Security teams, validating the approach directly with our QSA. This not only ensured compliance but also preserved ScyllaDB’s hallmark performance and customer experience.
Outcomes & Impact
Tangible Outcomes
Met all PCI DSS Level 1 requirements and completed the ROC/AOC with a smooth audit run-through.
Small, clear scope that protects performance and reduces future audit fatigue.
Reduced internal workload via structured evidence collection and white-glove support, freeing engineers to focus on product.
Faster customer authorization to serve accounts that require PCI, removing a key blocker in enterprise pipelines (competitive advantage, trust).
Business Value
Stronger security posture (validated by testing and continuous reviews), not just a certificate.
Expanded market access & improved trust for security-sensitive customers and partners.
Sustained compliance with a clear, annualized operating rhythm (scans, reviews, recert prep) through GRSee’s CaaS.
Conclusion
ScyllaDB’s PCI journey reflects a customer-centric, security-first mindset: remove friction for enterprise buyers, uphold rigorous technical controls, and do it without impacting the product's signature high performance. Partnering with GRSee gave ScyllaDB a practical roadmap, senior-level guidance, and an audit-ready process that kept performance at the forefront. With Level 1 in place and an operating cadence for continuous compliance, ScyllaDB is well-positioned to win and retain customers in regulated markets while strengthening trust over time.
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