I recently returned from an industry conference and wanted to share some of what I learned.
The topic of security was on everyone’s mind and was a key area of discussion.
Here are the highlights from some of the speakers:
Former United States Most Wanted, Brett “GOllumfun” Johnson, referred to by the United States Secret Service as “The Original Internet Godfather”, spoke at the conference.
Quite honestly, I was horrified after he showed us how quickly and easily it was to create a new identity for less than $2.
There was also discussion around how the Point of Sale industry is now really the Retail and Hospitality IT services industry.
Many customers are looking for their POS partners to provide a full scope of IT services, included, but not limited to the following:
- Wireless Infrastructure Management
- Patching
- Antivirus Management
- Network Security and Administration
- Commercial Firewall Management
We have been hearing the same things from our customers also and wanted to dive deeper into what services are really needed/wanted within the industry.
So we sent out a simple poll (takes less than 1 minute to complete) to get your opinion and advice on what other services would be valuable to your business.
If you haven’t already, click here to access the survey - we would love to get your feedback too.
Elizabeth Terry, Community Engagement Manager with the PCI Security Standards Council, also spoke to us.
Here are some of the highlights of her presentation:
- The chances of being struck by lightning this year are 1 in 960,000. When it comes to experiencing a data breach, the odds are as high as 1 in 4.
- 81% of hacking related breaches succeeded through stolen, default or weak passwords.
- 80% of the majority of hacking attacks could be prevented by strengthening passwords and installing patches.
(If you are having problems managing your passwords, click here to read the article about password management.)
- Businesses should only use a Qualified Integrator and Reseller (QIR) to manage their Point of Sale system. (Yes, we are a QIR!)
If you have any questions about these or other point of sale or IT topics, please give us a call at 907-243-2683. Or fill out the form below, and we will have someone contact you.
