It’s likely no coincidence that Cyber Security Awareness Month is just before Black Friday and the run-up to Christmas. In fact, Cyber Security Awareness Month has grown in popularity since 2004 with the encouragement of the public to protect themselves and reduce online risks. During this same period of growing cyber awareness, online retailers, as well as the volume of globally connected devices and applications, drastically increased. By the end of 2024, it is predicted that the number of connected devices will grow by a further 13%, to a total of 18.8 billion devices, and 51% of enterprise IoT adopters plan to increase IoT budgets.
This article explores the critical ways retailers can easily protect corporate and customer data using an effective for all devices in their fleet and all integrated technology partnerships.
E-Protection: How Retailers Can Protect Themselves, Staff and Customers
Remove the pressure of remembering when and what to update. An EMM solution does all the hard work for you. As mundane as software updates seem, they are imperative to ensure attackers cannot take advantage of possible known vulnerabilities in software. Updates help keep devices safe and enable support to quickly identify issues. All in all, they are a critical part of device lifecycle management.
For labeling workflows, BarTender adds a critical layer of security and reliability with its 99.9% uptime and consistent security updates. These proactive measures ensure that retailers' labeling operations run smoothly and securely, reducing downtime and helping retailers keep essential tasks on track – even during the busiest seasons.
Device Identification and Monitoring
Monitoring device abnormalities during peak seasons can become challenging due to increased device activity on networks. Moreover, application downloads, internet access to forbidden websites, or camera usage in prohibited areas can lead to compliance and security issues for organisations, which can seem like an ever-growing problem as the volume of devices - and their complexity - expands globally. When unusual activity is identified on networks, oftentimes the damage is already done before IT can do anything.
It is critical to ensure full visibility of connected devices, approved users and user profiles and all access rights across the network. Without monitoring for these threats, devices and networks are left exposed and time is ticking. This puts attackers at an advantage over organisations until they spot the vulnerability – and then the organisation also needs to fix the problem. All in all it is easier to prevent in the first place,” said Colby Cavanaugh, SVP of Marketing at BarTender.
Remote support is quickly becoming a leading requirement of mobile management systems, as workforces are geographically dispersed across multiple time zones and speak various languages. Equally, the range and volume of devices that need managing makes the whole support and maintenance model more complex.
“User ” Colby Cavanaugh, SVP of Marketing at BarTender.
Managing label templates during the holiday season can be a challenge, especially in retail environments where changes in inventory, compliance requirements, or even product information can shift rapidly. Using flexible templates allows retailers to adjust label designs easily, so they can handle a variety of label types without having to manage hundreds of individual templates.
“This flexibility means that a single template can adapt based on product data, adjusting what’s displayed – like text or barcodes – according to specific conditions. This approach not only reduces the workload on IT teams but also keeps labels accurate and consistent across products. Furthermore, it enables third-party providers to use standardized labels, ensuring that incoming goods arrive correctly labeled, even during peak seasons. Any last-minute updates, whether regulatory or operational, can also be rolled out quickly and uniformly, keeping operations compliant and efficient.” Colby Cavanaugh, SVP of Marketing at BarTender.
With Christmas shopping now in full swing, ensuring cybersecurity across the spectrum of devices – everything from kiosks to printers – is more critical now than ever before for retailers. With its dependable software updates, strong device monitoring methods, remote support and dynamic labeling options, partners and retailers can work their way through the busy season in a safe manner. An EMM solution from SOTI, combined with BarTender’s suite of solutions forms the backbone of retail, keep the shelves stocked, data safe and customers happy.
After all, the only thing that retailers should be trying to keep pace with during the holiday season is demand – not their devices.
