Running a retail business in this day and age means so much more than just good customer service and attractive displays. You need to have a steady inventory and in a digital first world, you must protect your operations as a retailer. There is one persistent threat that all business leaders are going to face, including retail business leaders, and that is cyber attacks.
Whether you’re running an online shop or a brick and mortar store with a connected point of sale system, your business is going to be a tempting one for hackers to target. The risk can range from stolen customer data to ransomware attacks, and these can both grind your business to a complete halt. You don’t have to be a cyber security expert to take meaningful steps towards protecting your business, but doing so is important.
Secure Remote Connections
The best way to do this is to buy VPN service. If your business handles data on public Wi-Fi or works with remote employees, or you’re accessing the cloud platforms outside a secure office, you need a virtual private network. It’s this that will help to encrypt your Internet connection and make it much harder for hackers to intercept your data or track your activity.
When you buy a VPN service from a reputable provider, you’re going to be adding a stronger layer of protection between your business and the cyber threats out there. This is especially important if you’re managing online sales or using mobile pointer cell systems.
If you’re handling customer data while you’re travelling, or you’re working remotely to manage the business, then a VPN that offers a strong encryption and a no logs policy will help
Update Your Software
It is very easy to close the software updates that pop up on your technology, but they exist for a good reason.
Hackers will often exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software systems and if your business is being watched, then you have to know that from your point of sale system to your operating systems and even to your e-commerce platform, you are vulnerable. When you set up automatic updates for your software to be updated and routinely check for patches on devices and software that’s used by your team, you could end up saving your business from a data breach.
Keep your business passwords strong. We all hate the use of multi factor authentication, even in our personal lives, but weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for a hacker to gain access to your systems. It’s important that you use strong and unique passwords and the password manager for every single system or platform that your business uses.
Better yet, make sure that you’re not using a password twice.
Password management tools not only generate strong passwords for you, but they store them securely. This reduces the temptation for your employees to use the same login for multiple accounts, no matter how convenient that may be.
Allow Two Factor Authentication
It can be frustrating to have to use a phone to backup every login that you have, but enabling 2 factor authentication is going to help your business to remain safe from digital attackers. There once was a time that people used to worry about physical thefts of their business, and while that’s still a thing to consider, digital theft is just as scary.
Enabling 2 factor authentication on your e-mail accounts, payment processes, inventory software and more will help to protect all and any sensitive information that your business may keep. It may take a few extra seconds, but it reduces the risk of your business data going out of control or out of your reach.
Secure Point of Sale Systems
When you’re dealing with anything to do with customer information and payment systems, you need to secure it. Retail hackers will often go after your point of sale systems because they’re packed with valuable data. Make sure that your system is payment card industry standard compliant and encrypts transaction data. You should also use firewall protections and restrict your cell system’s access to authorised employees only.
It is from here that you can monitor suspicious activity or unexpected software changes. You should also try to isolate your point of sale system from your regular Wi-Fi network so that you get that extra layer of protection.
Employee Cybersecurity Workplace Training
Cybersecurity and online safety should be a part of that. Your security is only as strong as your team’s awareness, so making sure that any attacks are staved off starts with getting on top of any potential mistakes, training your team how to look for phishing emails, and using hard to guess passwords Is a good place to begin. Make cyber security part of your business culture rather than just a once a year training session.
Backup Your Data Frequently
If your business has ever been met with ransomware, then your backup may be the only thing standing between you and the business. Disaster by regularly backing up all files. You’ll be able to keep your information safe. Storing backups in a safe, secure and off site location with a cloud backup system with a strong encryption is going to help. You can ask your IT service to test your backups regularly to ensure that you can restore them if needed.
Have a Response Plan in Place
If worst has happened and cyber attackers have got hold of your business information. What do you do next? Who do you contact? How do you contain the issue? This is where your response plan comes in. Knowing what steps to take if a breach happens is going to protect you going forward. It’s also going to ensure that customers don’t lose faith in you or your business.
Having a plan and acting on that can help you to limit damage quickly, and that can make all the difference to the way that your business recovers from an attack.
