Hydes is an award-winning independent family pub, retailer and brewer. Founded in 1863, it has remained an independent brewery in the Northwest of England and North Wales ever since.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance protects cardholder data from theft, hacking and security threats. All merchants processing, transmitting or storing card data must maintain compliance, but certification requirements increase with transaction volumes.
Hospitality operators moving from self-assessment to external audit face significant resource demands. Evolve managed Hydes' entire external PCI certification process, coordinating with third-party suppliers, supporting site visits and delivering audit-ready documentation.
As a Mako Platinum Partner, Evolve provides Hydes with PCI Level 1-certified SD-WAN infrastructure that supports secure payment processing across their estate. Until recently, Hydes completed PCI self-assessment forms to maintain compliance, but increased payment card turnover triggered the need for external audit.
External PCI certification requires:
Third-party coordination
Assessors require evidence that all suppliers in the payment chain-including POS providers, connectivity partners and network vendors-maintain appropriate certifications.
Multi-site evidence gathering
External assessors conduct site visits to verify physical security, network segmentation and access controls across the estate.
Policy documentation
Detailed evidence of information security policies, incident response procedures and change management processes must be audit-ready.
Internal resource commitment
Managing the assessment process requires significant time from technical and operational teams, diverting attention from core business activities.
Without external support, Hydes faced weeks of internal resource allocation to coordinate suppliers, prepare documentation and support site visits.
In early 2024, Evolve took ownership of Hydes' external PCI certification programme, managing the end-to-end assessment process on behalf of the business.
Evolve worked directly with Hydes' POS provider to verify certifications, confirm compliance scope and provide assessor-ready evidence packs.
Evolve engineers attended site visits with PCI assessors, demonstrating network segmentation, SD-WAN configuration and physical security controls.
Using customisable compliance templates developed through previous certifications, Evolve prepared policy documentation, network diagrams and evidence logs with minimal input from Hydes' internal teams.
Evolve acted as the primary technical contact for assessors, responding to queries, clarifying network design and providing additional evidence as required.
The up-front preparation work created reusable documentation frameworks that will streamline future assessments and reduce ongoing compliance overhead.
Hydes achieved external PCI DSS certification without remediation cycles, delays or compliance gaps.
Evolve's management of the assessment process freed Hydes' teams to focus on operations rather than compliance administration.
Pre-built templates, existing supplier relationships and deep PCI process knowledge compressed the assessment timeline significantly compared to self-managed certification.
External certification provides evidence that payment systems meet industry security standards, reducing breach risk and protecting reputation.
Documentation and processes established during the 2024 assessment create repeatable frameworks for subsequent audits.
Evolve's UK-based Network Operations Centre provides round-the-clock support for hospitality operations that trade outside core hours, ensuring payment systems remain available when sites are serving customers.
“Thanks to the expertise and dedicated support of Evolve, our journey towards PCI compliance was smooth and successful. Their team navigated the complexities of PCI standards with ease, providing tailored solutions that fit our specific needs. From meticulous assessments to the implementation of robust security measures, Evolve ensured that every aspect of our operations met the stringent PCI requirements. Their ongoing monitoring and support have been invaluable, keeping us informed and proactive in maintaining compliance. With their assistance, we've not only achieved PCI compliance but also strengthened our reputation as a secure and trustworthy pub chain. I highly recommend Evolve to any organisation seeking reliable guidance and support on their path to PCI compliance through SD-WAN.”
Simon Mollitt
Finance Director at Hydes Brewery
Evolve delivers service-first managed network solutions for multi-site brands across retail, forecourts, QSR and hospitality. Our PCI Level 1-aligned SD-WAN, resilient Business Connectivity, Guest Wi-Fi and managed IT services are backed by a UK-based 24/7/365 Network Operations Centre.
We specialise in blueprint-led rollouts that protect trading minutes, reduce compliance risk and scale predictably across complex estates. Our proactive monitoring model means 86% of support interactions are outbound-we detect and resolve issues before sites feel the impact.
As Mako Networks' only Platinum Partner, we are the only network management company in the world to qualify as a PCI-certified Level 1 service provider, making us uniquely positioned to support hospitality and retail businesses requiring external PCI DSS certification.
For more information, contact us.