Since the Target data breach, we’ve been reading about the other companies who have been victims of breaches, too. Although it’s mainly larger companies making the news, don’t think medium and small businesses are immune.

Any business can suffer from a breach and this is not anything you want to make headlines about. And with all of the competition out there and online, brick-and-mortar stores don’t need to give shoppers another reason to take their business elsewhere, so making sure your POS system is secure will help shoppers feel safe swiping their card at the checkout.

How can your business protect itself against these types of breaches? You may be surprised to hear that the solutions are relatively simple to implement.

First, make sure your computers are equipped with antivirus software. You probably wouldn’t consider allowing your home computer to go unprotected, so there’s no reason your Windows-based POS system should be either. Having the antivirus software isn’t enough though; you need to update the definitions frequently to ensure maximum protection. It’s also easy to set your computer to require an administrator password to download and install new programs, which will help prevent employees from installing malware or other potentially harmful applications.

Second, set up your network so your employees cannot go online and surf anywhere they please. Not only does this open your POS system up to viruses and other threats, it also gives employees unfettered access to upload data into cyberspace. A firewall or network set up to block information being uploaded will help prevent someone from sending out the data if they are able to bypass the antivirus program or if the definitions haven’t been recently updated.

By adding layers of security, you ensure that data theft can be prevented even if one of the safeguards can be circumvented. For more information about how you can secure your point of sale system, please call your pcAmerica sales representative at 1.800.722.6374.