POS Security For The Small-To-Midsized Retailer

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Under renewed scrutiny in the wake of high-profile POS data breaches, small-to-midsized retailers are wise to start taking transaction security seriously.

For more than 200 years, the United States of America has been the land of milk and honey for retail-oriented entrepreneurs. Where launching a business is concerned, retail has boasted what might be the lowest barrier to entry in all of industry. A college degree is optional. With little exception, third-party certification requirements have been nonexistent. For local and regional startups, the slew of standards and governmental regulations such as ISO, Sarbanes Oxley, and HIPPA that dictate operations in other industries like banking, accounting, medicine, and manufacturing have not applied.

That’s not to say that building a retail business is easy. It’s not. According to the Census Bureau, nearly half of retail startups go belly up within their first three years. But on paper, starting a retail business has traditionally required little more than a great idea, a lot of gumption and resolve, and enough money to acquire some inventory and hang a shingle.

Now, after more than 200 years of unrestrained free enterprise, small-to-midsized retailers are facing the burden of an increase in business requirements and protocols, most notably concerning POS and transaction security. It’s not been an easy pill to swallow. Perhaps that’s why so few small-to-midsized retailers have been willing to subject their businesses to the rigors and expenses associated with meeting the data security standards set forth by the PCI SSC (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council).

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