The pandemic has vastly changed the landscape of retail as many businesses in the industry had to close physical stores and shift to online business. But, as brick and mortar stores begin to reopen, retailers are implementing more technology in hopes of a safer and easier shopping experience. Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) gadgets are popping up in more and more stores to help customers carry out transactions and gather product information. As this elevates the customer’s experience in-store, it also poses many cybersecurity risks. Technology has been known to greatly outnumber employees in retail settings and it’s crucial that all devices are visible to staff.
Experts suggest a few strategies to ensure that in-store devices are kept secure from hackers. Network segmentation is a great strategy to control what parts of a network in-store devices have access to. This method can be extremely helpful in the event of a cyberattack as it can stop hackers from moving around in the network. Another suggestion is to collaborate with other retailers on their cybersecurity strategies in order to establish best practices. Retail is known for being an extremely competitive industry but sharing cybersecurity strategies can help all businesses.
See how the AgileBlue Machine Learning + User Behavior Analytics SOC-as-a-Service can keep you safe from a breach, schedule a demo.
Learn more here.