Independently tested by accredited NCSC assessors every year
Firewalls
Secure Configuration
User Access Control
Malware Protection
Patch Management
Cyber Essentials Plus is the highest tier of the UK government's Cyber Essentials scheme, backed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It requires independent, hands-on technical testing of an organisation's cybersecurity controls by an accredited external assessor.
Where basic Cyber Essentials relies on self-assessment, the Plus level demands practical verification. Auditors actively test firewalls, probe for vulnerabilities, attempt to exploit misconfigurations, and verify that security controls are functioning in practice — not just on paper. This makes it the gold standard for demonstrating cybersecurity readiness in the UK.
As a provider of secure telephone payment solutions, Paytia occupies a critical position in our clients' payment infrastructure. Our cloud-based DTMF masking platform handles sensitive payment data on behalf of businesses across the UK, which means our cybersecurity posture directly affects the security of every organisation that uses our service.
We hold Cyber Essentials Plus certification because our clients deserve independently verified evidence that our systems are secure — not just our word for it. The certification confirms that the infrastructure underpinning our payment platform has been tested and validated by qualified, independent assessors every year.
Cyber Essentials Plus validates that Paytia has implemented and is actively maintaining the five key security controls that defend against the most common cyber attacks.
Paytia's cloud infrastructure is protected by business-grade firewalls that monitor and control all network traffic. Every connection to our DTMF masking platform passes through multiple layers of network security, ensuring that only legitimate payment traffic reaches our systems.
All servers, endpoints, and cloud services in our payment platform are hardened to a strict baseline. Default credentials are removed, unnecessary services are disabled, and every component is configured according to industry best practice before entering production.
Access to Paytia's payment infrastructure is tightly controlled through role-based permissions, multi-factor authentication, and the principle of least privilege. Only authorised personnel can access sensitive systems, and all access is logged and audited.
Advanced endpoint detection and response solutions protect every device and server in our environment. Real-time scanning, behavioural analysis, and automatic quarantine ensure that malware threats are identified and neutralised before they can affect payment operations.
Security patches are applied to all systems within defined timeframes, with critical vulnerabilities addressed within 14 days. Our cloud platform benefits from automated patching pipelines that minimise exposure to known vulnerabilities without disrupting service availability.
Paytia's Cyber Essentials Plus certification delivers practical, measurable advantages for your business — from faster procurement to lower risk.
Many organisations require suppliers to hold Cyber Essentials Plus before they can be onboarded. Paytia's certification means your procurement and infosec teams can approve us as a payment provider without additional security questionnaires or extended due diligence.
By choosing a CE+ certified payment provider, you demonstrably reduce your supply chain risk. This is independently verified evidence that Paytia's cybersecurity controls are working, not just documented.
Insurers increasingly look at the security posture of key suppliers. Working with a Cyber Essentials Plus certified provider can support your cyber insurance applications and may contribute to more favourable premium and coverage terms.
UK government contracts involving the handling of sensitive information require suppliers to hold Cyber Essentials certification. Paytia's Plus-level certification ensures eligibility for public sector work at the highest tier.
Our CE+ certificate and supporting documentation are available on request, providing ready-made evidence for your own audits, risk assessments, and compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2.
Your customers and stakeholders expect you to vet your suppliers. Paytia's dual certification — Cyber Essentials Plus and PCI DSS Level 1 — gives you a clear, auditable answer when asked about the security of your payment processing chain.
When you take telephone payments through Paytia, your customers' card details are captured using our DTMF masking technology. The card number is entered on the caller's telephone keypad, the DTMF tones are masked in real time so agents never hear or see the card data, and the information is routed securely to your payment processor without touching your systems.
Cyber Essentials Plus certification confirms that the cloud infrastructure delivering this service — the servers, the networks, the endpoints, the administrative systems — has been independently tested and found to meet the UK government's cybersecurity standards. It means the platform your business relies on for secure payments is not only designed to protect card data (PCI DSS) but is also defended against the broader range of cyber threats that could compromise any technology provider.
This matters because a payment platform is only as secure as the organisation behind it. A provider could have strong payment-specific controls but be vulnerable at the organisational level — through unpatched workstations, weak access controls, or misconfigured firewalls. Cyber Essentials Plus closes that gap by verifying the security of the entire business, not just the payment processing layer.
Every year, Paytia undergoes a full Cyber Essentials Plus reassessment. Here is how the process works.
We define the assessment boundary, covering all systems, devices, and cloud services involved in delivering our secure telephone payment platform. This includes our DTMF masking infrastructure, administrative systems, and all endpoints used by Paytia staff.
An accredited Cyber Essentials certification body, authorised by the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre), is engaged to conduct the assessment. The auditor is fully independent of Paytia.
The external assessor conducts practical, hands-on testing across all five security control areas. This includes vulnerability scanning, configuration review, and real-world penetration testing of our systems — going significantly beyond the self-assessment approach used in basic Cyber Essentials.
Any findings are addressed immediately, and the assessor re-tests to confirm that all issues have been resolved. Certification is only awarded once every control passes the practical assessment.
Paytia renews its Cyber Essentials Plus certification every year. Each renewal is a full reassessment, not a paperwork exercise, ensuring our security posture is continuously validated against the latest threat landscape.
Two independent frameworks. Two annual audits. Complete coverage of Paytia's security posture.
Paytia holds both Cyber Essentials Plus certification and PCI DSS Level 1 compliance. These two frameworks are complementary, and together they provide full coverage of our security posture.
PCI DSS Level 1is the payment card industry's own standard. It governs how we handle, process, and protect cardholder data through our DTMF masking platform. It covers encryption, access controls, network segmentation, vulnerability management, and ongoing monitoring — everything specifically related to payment card security. Our Level 1 status means we undergo a full annual audit by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).
Cyber Essentials Plus takes a broader view. It validates the fundamental cybersecurity hygiene of our entire organisation — not just the payment processing systems. This covers all devices, all users, all internet-facing services, and all endpoints. It ensures that the wider business environment surrounding our payment platform is also properly secured.
In practice, this dual certification means there is no gap between our payment security and our general cybersecurity. The systems that process your customers' card data are secured to PCI DSS Level 1 standards, and every other system in our organisation is secured to Cyber Essentials Plus standards. One covers the payment data; the other covers everything else.
Cyber Essentials Plus is a UK government certification, so it sits as our GB-specific credential. For US clients, the same underlying controls map across to widely-recognised US frameworks.
The five control areas validated by CE+ — firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management — are the same controls the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0) organises under Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, and Govern. Our programme is aligned with NIST CSF 2.0 and we can provide a mapping document on request.
PCI DSS Level 1covers the payment layer for every client, US or UK, and is validated annually by a Qualified Security Assessor. That's the same certificate that satisfies US card brand requirements.
SOC 2 Type II— we're often asked whether Paytia holds a SOC 2 Type II report. If that's on your vendor checklist, reach out at compliance@paytia.com and we'll tell you exactly where we are with it.
If your procurement process needs something specific — a NIST CSF mapping, CISA alignment notes, or state-level attestations — ask us. We keep this documentation assessment-ready.
Paytia's Cyber Essentials Plus certificate is available upon request. We can also provide supporting documentation for your vendor assessments, security questionnaires, and audit processes. For a copy of our certificate or for any questions about our cybersecurity posture, contact compliance@paytia.com.
For details on our payment card security certification, see our PCI DSS Level 1 compliance page.
Cyber Essentials Plus and PCI DSS Level 1. Two independent certifications, one secure payment platform.