Target’s far-reaching data breach has raised new questions about payment security at the checkout line. As the third-largest company in the US, Target’s size makes it an attractive target for hackers. The investigation into the theft of 40 million credit card and debit card numbers during the holiday shopping season is still ongoing.

Large companies aren’t the only ones who should be worried, said a recent article in Digital Transactions Magazine. Small merchants are increasingly vulnerable because they are less likely to have the proper data protections in place.

In fact, according to Visa Inc. data, nearly 95 percent of all credit card breaches affect smaller merchants. Despite the evidence, 71 percent of small business owners don’t see themselves at risk, according to an annual survey commissioned by ControlScan and Merchant Warehouse.

Only five percent of survey respondents said they had been victims of a data breach, but the impact of the breach had, in some cases, nearly forced them out of business. The stakes are high, but most businesses do not pay enough attention, time or money to data security. More than 50 percent have spent less than $500 over the last year on the issue, with 17 percent spending nothing.

A point of sale system can help ensure compliance, protecting a business from breaches and the costly fines and damaging investigations that accompany them. Systems running on the Windows platform can achieve PA-DSS (Payment Application Data Security Standard) certification.

However, iPad-based solution users beware: it’s impossible for tablet POS systems running on iOS or Android to achieve PA-DSS because the standards have yet to be developed by the PCI Council.  This means the onus falls on the merchant to ensure his software is compliant and keeps customers’ payment card data secure.

pcAmerica’s point-of-sale solutions Cash Register Express™ and Restaurant Pro Express™ are PA-DSS certified. For more information about how you can ensure your business is protected, please call your pcAmerica sales representative at 1-800-722-6374.