HP Innovation Journal Special Edition: Retail Transformation | Page 36

personalization, but it also places an increased burden on any
business to protect that information. Every business has the
responsibility to protect any information it receives from a cus-
tomer, and the consequences have never been more serious.
THE VISIBLE AND HIDDEN
COSTS OF A DATA BREACH
Breaches cause multiple kinds of damage that can affect
businesses. The kind of data used in retail and hospitality
spaces—including credit card and payment processing
credentials—is both valuable and highly sensitive.
In the event of a breach, there are
several serious ramifications. Per-
sonal financial data can be stolen,
which is a burden for individual cus-
tomers. Depending on local laws and
agreements with financial institutions,
businesses must publicly disclose
breaches and may be fined after suf-
fering a breach. And compounding
those losses, the reputation of any
business that gets hit takes a signifi-
cant drop, losing public trust. Retailers
that suffer personal data breaches
can see business decline for months
to come—in some cases matched by a
shift to payment by cash, or customer
avoidance altogether.
There is also the possibility of system disruption. A point of
sale device is the life support of a retail store or restaurant. If a
business is unable to ring up customers due to a breach, even
for just a few hours in peak season, it can have a tremendous
negative impact on a brand through customer inconvenience
and lost revenue. These are the stakes for protecting infor-
mation and maintaining system integrity, which is why the
defense mechanisms are of paramount importance.
INNOVATIVE, EVOLVING PROTECTION
We have three levels of focus when it comes to protecting
information on point of sale equipment within a business:
device security, identity security, and data security. HP
takes steps in each of these areas to help maintain secu-
rity at the highest level.
To protect a device, HP delivers physical protection for the
actual device and internal digital protection for the system
and the information it stores. HP point of sale equipment
comes with ways to physically attach or bolt down devices.
Some systems support Kensington locks, providing the abil-
ity to secure devices to a counter. Point of sale systems may
also use many different peripherals, from cash drawers and
Every business has the responsibility
to protect any information it receives
from a customer, and the consequences
have never been more serious.
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HP Innovation Journal: Retail Transformation