Lockdowns have seen the rise of eCommerce integrations for retailers who were previously not online. This move to the cloud has seen a need for integrations with existing point-of-sale (POS) systems and the deployment of mobile and web applications. There is also a rise in contactless transactions and delivery solutions that exposes retailers to retail cybersecurity breaches.

Cloud deployments offer retailers increased flexibility and reduced costs, especially those with geographically distributed operations. Numerous branches need access to the same network and cloud applications. This results in administration, access control and compliance challenges.

Retailers are taking advantage of SD-WAN capabilities that allow them to control interactions between data centres, remote offices and cloud-based resources. Although they provide increased efficiency, flexibility and performance, some SD-WANs only offer external security measures or an inadequate overlay. Retailers then face the challenge of procuring an SD-WAN that is fully integrated with cybersecurity features.

The retail industry experiences high staff turnover rates, with employees regularly coming and going. This means credentials that allow access to internal systems often change hands and, without proper security tools, may be used for malicious retail cyber attacks. In addition, suppliers, contractors, and other stakeholders who require access to your systems are potential cybersecurity threats in the retail sector.