Advisory & Training

Build capability. Make better decisions.

Know the system. Own the outcome.

ION8 provides specialist payment training programmes and strategic advisory services — helping financial institutions build internal expertise and make smarter technology decisions.

Delivered by certified practitioners
On-site or remote
PCI DSS certification via QSA-accredited partner
PowerCARD · Postilion · Surnia · EPS/BITS
Training Programmes

Specialist programmes. Every team covered.

Platform Training
Deep-dive training on the payment platforms your team operates — delivered by engineers who have implemented and supported these systems in live environments.
  • PowerCARD (HPS) — issuer, switch, and acquiring modules
  • Postilion (ACI) — switch operations, configuration, and troubleshooting
  • Surnia / WiseCard — system administration and operational workflows
  • EPS / BITS — implementation fundamentals and operations
  • Payment fundamentals — for technical and business teams new to payments
Enablement & Certification
Structured programmes that take your team from competent to certified — with formal assessment, documentation, and readiness support for scheme and regulatory requirements.
  • Scheme certification readiness — Visa, Mastercard, and domestic schemes
  • PCI DSS certification via ION8's independent QSA-accredited partner — CREST accredited and ISO 27001 certified. ION8 makes the introduction. They handle everything.
  • Post-certification compliance maintenance and annual review programmes (via partner)
  • Internal assessment frameworks your team can run independently
Security Awareness
Practical, payments-specific security training for the teams who touch live systems — from fraud pattern recognition to PCI DSS awareness at the operational level.
  • Fraud pattern recognition — current attack vectors targeting payment institutions
  • PCI DSS awareness for non-technical staff — what the standard means for your people's day-to-day responsibilities
  • Social engineering and phishing defence — tailored to financial services environments
  • Incident response drills — tabletop exercises for payment security events
  • Refresher programmes — annual recertification for compliance-driven teams
Advisory Services

RFP & Vendor Strategy

Before you invest in a platform, make sure you are choosing the right one. ION8 guides financial institutions through the vendor selection process — from defining requirements to shortlisting, scoring, and negotiating with payment technology providers.

  • Requirements definition — translating your business and regulatory needs into structured, vendor-neutral technical and functional requirements
  • RFP design & management — crafting RFP documents, managing vendor responses, and running structured evaluation processes
  • Vendor scoring & shortlisting — independent, criteria-driven scoring across technical capability, commercial terms, and implementation track record
  • Negotiation support — deep knowledge of payment platform pricing and contract structures to help you negotiate from an informed position
  • Proof of concept oversight — scoping and managing PoC engagements to validate vendor claims before contract signature
Considering a new platform?
ION8 has worked across every major payment platform in the market. We can help you avoid costly selection mistakes and enter vendor negotiations with confidence.
Get Started

Ready to build capability?

Whether you need a training programme, advisory support, or help navigating a vendor decision — tell us what you're working on and we'll put together a tailored proposal.