Protect your POS from the Web
The web can be a dangerous place. Merchants instinctively know that internet communication is not only of great benefit to their store, but it can also be a source of many threats, and cyber attacks on retail and restaurant credit card data, and customer data are at an all time high. Merchants aren’t just looking for security, they’re looking for expertise to help them understand and navigate the technology. Armagh takes a proactive approach to the security of our customers and has put together an assortment of managed network solutions to provide our merchants with a comprehensive security solution to protect against viruses, intrusion, malware, ransomware, spyware and a variety of other cyber risks.
Appliance Gateway Security
The key to a secure managed network is it’s firewall. Having your network protected by a firewall “appliance” means that the security software is installed on a piece of hardware, with it’s own resources to filter and protect the entire traffic on your POS network – rather than using the resources on your POS terminal to protect only the terminal itself. As a result, appliance firewall solutions provide environments for more robust point of sale terminals, while at the same time maintaining a safer network for them to reside.
Hardware-based or “appliance” security devices are often referred to as “gateway” security devices, because they act more like guards at a gate than janitors in your computer. Anti-Virus “software” is designed to detect and remove threats that have already entered your computer workstation – and that’s their fatal flaw. In order to protect you, virus software must let the intruder in through the door, and then identify the intruder. A security appliance provides “Gateway Protection”, which means the appliance identifies threats before they are allowed to enter your POS network. Additionally, commercial grade hardware security appliances aren’t as susceptible to damage like software solutions are, and they come with a variety of options and security configurations that just aren’t available on a domestic grade device from your local computer store.
Virtual Private Network
When data is transmitted from a store to your headquarters, or from your headquarters to a store, it must travel on the open internet through potentially thousands of nodes and routers to reach it’s final destination. If your communications are intercepted by a sinister party along the way, they can steal or modify that information, potentially damaging or gaining access to your systems. A VPN creates a secure “tunnel” between your locations by encrypting your data so that only the intended recipient can access and modify it. Armagh’s technical staff can advise on the right managed network solution is right for your business and help you effectively deploy it.
Intelligent Wireless Access
IT managers that deploy wireless handhelds in a retail, grocery, or restaurant environment know that it’s all for nothing if the devices don’t stay connected. Managed network systems are able to manage the wireless connections in a network and assist them in staying connected and provide balanced coverage on the retail floor or restaurant dining room. Security matters for wireless connectivity as much as wired, and our solutions offer gateway anti-virus, malware, and intrusion protection for every connection. Need access in the basement, on the patio, in the freezer, and on the 3rd floor? No electronics store special with bunny ears will be able to provide that kind of coverage, but our networks can deploy antennas wherever you require coverage – indoors or out.
Network Segregation
All your employees have smartphones, and many of your staff have laptops, and tablets, and a variety of other personal and business wireless devices. Do they all need access to your POS network? Chances are, the answer is no. If that’s the case, you can segregate off a portion of your network that provides access to business printers and internet, but separates your office from your retail store. In this way, your point of sale card holder data, loyalty, customer database, and gift card liability is completely separate from your bookkeeper clicking on that email she shouldn’t be opening. Need guest wifi? No problem, our solutions can offer separate wireless access for guests without allowing visibility or access to critical business systems.
Internet Backup
Protecting your business from the internet isn’t enough. 100% internet up-time is critical to conducting your business, so protecting your business’ vital connection to the internet is just as important. Therefore, you must consider the threat that a failure in internet service can cause. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can fail to provide internet to your business for dozens of reasons – and you need that service to provide credit & debit, gift card, customer records, and valuable store data synchronization with Headquarters. Our managed network appliances can provide automatic broadband fail-over. When it senses a failure in connectivity from a primary source (such as a cable or DSL modem), the device will automatically switch data traffic to a secondary backup source such as a cellular modem. As a result, your business continues to operate, and your revenue is not interrupted.