The hospitality industry has taken the biggest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, but with people beginning to frequent hotels and restaurants once again, it’s back to business for both restaurant owners and cybercriminals. Restaurants are a big lure for hackers, as they hold large databases and sensitive financial information with limited security. This is why restaurant owners need to be aware of rising threats and invest in strengthening their security systems. Here are a few things to remember when it comes to security:
1. Advanced POS Systems
Strengthening your POS system goes a long way in controlling your losses. From preventing employees from creating false records, detecting inventory theft to ensuring payroll accuracy, a good POS system can ensure the smooth running of a hotel business. Apart from ensuring monitoring of sales and inventory records, an advanced franchise POS system can help in tracking sales trends to plan your business strategy.
2. Security Camera and Video Surveillance
Security cameras are a vital security feature in the restaurant business, as they can be a valuable tool to track customer and employee behavior. They act as a deterrent in many theft and harassment cases and prove an effective tool in increasing the overall safety of your business. The rise of POS integrated surveillance systems also aids in effective and efficient monitoring of suspicious and fraudulent activities, as these systems include theft-detection technologies and link transaction times with video-recording times, eliminating the need to review countless hours of footage.
3. Ensuring Credit Card Protection
Credit card scams are the most common in the restaurant business. Practices such as upgrading card readers to EMV chip and pin readers, utilizing cardless tab systems, providing tableside processing, and installing powerful firewalls can be useful. Restaurant owners need to take these measures seriously, as even the merchants can be held liable in case of fraud in some cases due to new law developments.
4. Protection Against Malware
Emails are the common method of communication with restaurants when it comes to booking reservations. However, with phishers laying the groundwork for bigger ransomware attacks through emails, caution should be exercised to avoid opening or clicking on any attachment from a suspicious sender. Many global hotel chains and restaurants have been a victim of a huge cyberattack owing to lack of inadequate security systems. Hackers use this chink in the armor to target restaurant servers. Staff should be trained to recognize such threats and exercise caution in such cases.
5. Uniform Security Framework
Maintaining uniform data management systems and security frameworks across the board can help franchisees maintain a robust setup and ensure secure systems. Usually, the complicated ownership hierarchy poses a big hindrance, with each center using different systems that are incompatible with each other. However, ensuring the implementation of a uniform software and security framework across the organization can result in effective communication.
Recognizing these digital security hurdles and putting adequate safety measures in place just in time can help restaurant businesses to bounce back to normalcy in no time.
