The cost of business interruption for retailers due to ransomware, malware or other hacks into your systems can be significant:  1) Tens of thousands of dollars of lost revenue and gross margin per day.  2) Damage to your company’s reputation, especially if customer data is compromised.  3) Wasted labor dollars.  4) Perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars if a ransom must be paid to free encrypted data.  5) Investigations to identify the nature of the hack can cost $20,000 or more.  6) Legal fees, mailing costs, call center costs, and public relations costs. 7) Hundreds of thousands of potential PCI fines, and more…

At DilSe.IT we have ten high-level recommendations to protect your retail business from technology-related threats and to maximize your chances of ensuring continuity of your operations:  1) Maintain a firewall that blocks access from known malicious IP addresses.  2) Backup your data files and important workstations regularly using a device that stores a local backup copy and then transfers backups to the cloud in a way that minimizes traffic over your Internet connection. 3) Separate your “PCI network” from your regular network so that the network that houses customers’ credit card data is totally isolated from other network activities.  4) Configure your Microsoft Windows based systems correctly to automatically install patches to the operating system, software and firmware on the device.  5) Implement strong spam filtering and block ads to prevent phishing-type emails from reaching your users.  6) Scan all incoming and outgoing emails to detect threats and block executable files from reaching your users.  7) Use software to prevent unauthorized applications from running on your computers.  8) Limit access to data files based on sensitivity and value to your business.  9) Implement a training and awareness program for your employees to make them aware of the various threats to your systems and how they can be delivered.  10) Conduct an annual test of your systems against external penetration and make an assessment of your vulnerabilities.

To learn more about protecting your retail business, contact us at sales@dilse.it