Page 29 - gs260902

Cover Story continued

both the ISO in need of a solution and the company wrote. "So I built the tool I wish I'd had all along."
tasked with building it helped him control the entire
process from design to execution. Convergence to commercialization
As the three experts have noted, our jobs become more
"We owned both sides of the equation," he said. "When difficult when technologies don't talk to each other. Recent
nobody was going to build the tool we needed, we advancements in application programming interfaces
knew exactly who was going to have to build it: us." (APIs) help solve that issue by allowing different
technologies to communicate without requiring one to
Reflecting on 25 years of running an ISO, Karawadra become part of another.
said the challenge was not a lack of technology but
having an abundance of technologies that didn't talk Shepherd wanted to connect gaps in the sales cycle. "I think
to each other. my biggest takeaway is that building good software is
hard," he said. "It takes a lot of thought to make flexible and
"The impact wasn't just inconvenience, It was time," easy software that everybody can use. It's hard but totally
Karawadra said. "Our people were spending too much worth it to make simple but fully functional systems and
time looking for information, reconciling information I think that's the ultimate challenge in software design."
and moving information from one system to another
instead of servicing merchants, supporting agents and Karawadra wanted to connect gaps in operational
growing the business." technologies. "Once we decided ISOhub was going to be a
commercial product, we had to start thinking about how
Karawadra recalled that ISOhub went through three other ISOs operate," he said. "Every company has its own
major iterations between concept and production. The processor relationships, agent structures, commission
solution exists because Impact was trying to run its arrangements, workflows, permissions and ways of
business efficiently, he said, with greater control and managing merchants. ISOhub had to become more flexible
visibility while reducing the time required to do it. and configurable."
And when Impact Techlab built direct boarding API
connections with its own resellers it improved Impact Povreslo wanted to connect gaps in PCI DSS compliance
PaySystem's operations. management. "Every business is its own universe and
customers have taught us the importance of adaptability,"
• Bye-bye GRC bloatware: Povreslo described his he said. "If I had continued using the PCI DSS Dashboard
compliance tool and what it does in an Aug. 20, 2026, only within my own company, I wouldn't have needed the
LinkedIn post, "Escaping Spreadsheet Hell: Why same level of flexibility. Working with outside customers
We Built a Dedicated PCI DSS v4.0.1 Dashboard," has broadened my understanding of what the product
writing, "Most PCI compliance tools are either empty needs to support."
spreadsheets or $60k GRC bloatware." He cited key
features and benefits: Homegrown innovation

• ISOs can use the dashboard's multi-tenant view Salespeople know there's no better product endorsement
to onboard clients, track SAQ completion and than being able to say, "This is what I use and here's how
monitor portfolio-wide compliance. They can it helped me." Looking back at my thirty-odd years of
see which merchants are compliant, which are selling in this industry, I don't recall too many times when
stalled and which are at risk of non-compliance. I could have made that claim. Maybe that's why I had to
practice and practice my equipment demos to make each
• Service providers can use the compliance hub to new model look easy and natural to operate.
track status across all 12 requirements, maintain
an up-to-date Cardholder Data Environment Imagine how different the experience would have been if I
(CDE) system inventory, attach evidence to myself had drawn the blueprint for a new technology that
specific sub-requirements and keep teams and would solve a problem and make my job easier. I'd want
QSAs aligned year-round. to shout from the rooftops and tell the whole world about
my game changer. For now, however, I am honored to
• Merchants can use the wizard tool to determine celebrate these champions who are moving our industry
their PCI scope, whether SAQ-A, SAQ-B-IP, forward.
or SAQ A-EP. The tool can help them answer
relevant requirements in plain language and
generate an audit-ready SAQ document to Dale S. Laszig, content strategy director at The Green Sheet and founder
submit to their processor. and CEO at DSL Direct, is a payments industry journalist, creator and
consultant. Connect via email at dale@greensheet.com and LinkedIn
"After 10+ years managing compliance for different at www.linkedin.com/in/dalelaszig.
companies and building PCI infrastructure for my
own business, I think I found a better way," Povreslo