PCI DSS Compliance for Retail Chains and Franchise Locations
Loxada makes network segmentation scalable and straightforward, helping your stores and franchisees meet PCI DSS requirements with less testing and lower cost.
The Problem
Retail stores and franchise locations often process card payments on-site, but their network setups aren’t designed for security. Most small outlets have a single internet connection shared among multiple systems, including POS terminals, tills, admin devices, smart TVs, customer Wi-Fi, and even security cameras.
This creates a significant compliance issue under PCI DSS v4.0.
If the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) isn’t segmented, everything on the network falls within scope, including devices that have no relation to payments. This means:
- More testing and documentation
- Higher costs for audits
- Greater exposure in the event of a breach
- In practice, most franchisees and small stores:
- Don’t have the in-house expertise to configure secure firewalls or VLANs
- Can’t prove segmentation to assessors
- Rely on off-the-shelf routers or ISP equipment with little control
This is especially challenging when managing dozens or hundreds of stores, each with slightly different setups and varying levels of IT capability.
Loxada’s Solution
Loxada provides a scalable, centrally managed solution for creating PCI DSS-compliant network segmentation across your entire retail footprint.
Our secure routers isolate in-store payment systems from all other devices on the local network. They establish a known-good, encrypted path back to your infrastructure, ensuring payment data is separated from other traffic and systems. Even if the shop’s main router is misconfigured, unpatched, or shared with customer Wi-Fi, your CDE stays isolated.
Why this works for retail deployments:
- Drop-in deployment with no IT reconfiguration
- The Loxada router plugs in and connects wirelessly or via Ethernet to the existing network: no VLAN setup, no switch changes, no customer downtime.
- Createing physical network separation
- Payment systems (POS, tills, etc.) connect to Loxada, isolating them from other devices, such as laptops, cameras, and Wi-Fi clients.
- Repeatable and demonstrable control
- Use the same setup across locations, making it easier to document and validate during PCI DSS audits.
- Centrally managed and auto-updating
- Devices are managed remotely and receive automatic firmware updates, so stores don’t need local IT support
This provides a cost-effective and straightforward way to reduce PCI DSS scope at scale.
Benefits and Use Cases
PCI DSS network segmentation is a technical requirement; however, many retailers lack the necessary infrastructure to meet it without hiring consultants or conducting manual testing across all their stores.
Loxada changes that by offering a lightweight, auditable solution designed for environments with minimal on-site support.
Use cases include:
- Retail chains with multiple small stores
- Securing and segmenting cardholder data across your entire estate without requiring engineers to visit sites.
- Franchise networks with diverse local setups
- Standardising security across locations, regardless of what ISP or router is in use.
- Food, hospitality, or convenience outlets
- Isolating POS systems in fast-moving locations with high customer turnover.
- Pop-up shops and mobile sales points
- Creating a portable, compliant setup even when infrastructure is temporary
Why It Matters for PCI DSS v4.0
PCI DSS v4.0 allows flexibility but requires organisations to prove they’ve implemented effective segmentation. Assessors may ask for:
- Diagrams of the network layout
- Documentation showing traffic is isolated
- Evidence of reduced scope based on segmentation controls
Loxada gives you that evidence. It’s a physical, centrally managed system you can reference in your audit documentation, providing a repeatable control that doesn’t rely on variable router configurations or software agents.
And because the Loxada device creates its own secure network path, it can help you avoid putting your entire store environment in scope, saving time, money, and complexity.