Modern Security Practices: Catalyst for Digital Innovation

Hotels and restaurants have focused a great deal of technology investments over the last several years on digital innovation and infrastructure to support hyper-connected needs. Hospitality operators have rapidly rolled out and iterated technologies running the gamut from online ordering and smart TVs to interactive kiosks, digital signage, voice technologies, and digital wallet acceptance to name just a few. Each one of these initiatives rely heavily on the network and is a potential attack vector for cybercriminals. With all of these initiatives, improving data and payment security has also risen in priority as increasing connectivity gives rise to more opportunities for hackers. According to Hospitality Technology’s 2019 Restaurant Technology Study, 22% of restaurants say improving security is a top strategic goal for technology and the Lodging Technology Study reports that hotels are placing high priority on tech investments to ramp up security. Payment & Cyber Security Considerations for Restaurants and Hotels When it comes to protecting data and IT assets, top areas of concern for distributed businesses such as restaurant and hotel chains, include the point of sale (POS) and the cardholder data environment (CDE). CDE is the group of IT systems that process, store, and/or transmit cardholder data or sensitive payment authentication data. The POS system is one of those systems, perhaps the most important, in the CDE. Cardholder data includes the Primary Account Number (PAN) plus any of the following: cardholder name, expiration date and service code. To decrease the risk of valuable customer data being compromised, network segmentation is crucial in order to isolate CDE from other systems. A vital first step is for restaurants and hotels to implement a cybersecurity practices policy for all employees and vendors to follow. A multi-layered security strategy to protect CDE should include a properly managed firewall and network security services, network segmentation, data encryption technology, EMV technology, and advanced threat protection – all backed by adherence to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance practices. With connected devices becoming more prevalent comes an increase in vulnerabilities. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance is often challenged when new types of devices connect to the store’s network, such as IoT devices and innovative POS systems. Endpoint security alone, without a proper edge security stance, won’t be enough to reduce risks. Similarly, a firewall without other measures won’t secure the perimeter. Is SD-Branch The Next Step in the Evolution of Payment & Data Security? SD-Branch (software-defined branch networking) can be defined as a single hardware platform that supports SD-WAN, routing, integrated security and LAN/Wi-Fi functions that can all be configured and managed centrally via the cloud. One advantage of a robust SD-Branch is the capability to deliver multiple security functions using a single device, installed at the branch. By connecting the hardware platform, called the “universal Customer Premise Equipment” (uCPE), between the ISP modem and the LAN, it is possible to see and control all the traffic that comes in and out of the network. Deep Packet Inspection of all encrypted data, including first packet detection at layer 7 (app level), enables detection and response at the edge. A robust SD-Branch can see all the applications communicating within the LAN to the internet, and with whom they are communicating. For certain businesses, such as highly distributed ones with multiple small-sized locations, SD-Branch enables consolidating functions into a single piece of hardware, reducing IT sprawl at the branch, and consequently reducing the exposure to cyber threats. An SD-Branch solution can complement a firewall and Universal Threat Management (UTM), but for small to medium size locations, it makes more sense to shift strategy and replace them with what can work as a UTM solution at the edge.

Related Topics