Steps to Increase Your Business’s Security

Businesses that manage sensitive information are at risk of security breaches. For businesses in the retail industry that are constantly dealing with sensitive customer information such as credit card information, this is especially true. While data hacks are becoming more efficient and creative these days, a hack should not feel like an inevitability. For businesses in the retail industry, here are some key steps that can be taken to increase business security–

Adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

One of the best ways to start adding an additional layer of security for your business and your retail customers is to make sure that you’re doing business in alignment with data security standards established by the Payment Card Industry (PCI). PCI compliance requires completing a yearly self-assessment and passing a quarterly PCI security scan. You’ll also need to make sure that your retail business is adhering to certain data security standards, such as:

• Using data encryption;
• Utilizing tokenization technology;
• Ensuring multiple layers of defense in protecting stored data;
• Using anti-virus software;
• Maintaining a policy that addresses information security; and 
• More.

Get Employees Involved

Data security isn’t something that you can do on your own – data security begins with employees. You must create policies and procedures related to employee compliance, and ensure that everyone is trained on proper procedures. For example, employees should be trained on how to log in and log out of internal systems, should be instructed to refrain from using an internal network on a personal device, and should be advised in regards to best practices for installing external software (which is likely not appropriate on an internal system). 

Keep Your Point-of-Sale System on a Private Network

A major security mistake that a business may make is running their point-of-sale (POS) system on a public, rather than a private, network. If anyone external of the company can access the network, then the risk of a data breach is much higher. 

It’s also important that you keep your POS software and system up to date. Older systems may be easier to hack, and more vulnerable to security breaches.

Protect Your Business and Your Customers: Call Our POS Company Today

At One Source pos, Inc., we know how important it is that your data is secure. We offer POS systems that are up-to-date and with data protection features, such as data encryption. To learn more about our POS systems and our services, please reach out to our team directly today online or by phone.