IBM White Paper Sample

Security has always been a critical challenge for retailers, but never more so than in today’s digital environment. In addition to protecting merchandise from threats such as shoplifting, employee theft, and damage, today’s retailers must also protect confidential financial and customer data. The challenge of managing physical plus digital retail security has become so complex that retail security is now a professional discipline in itself. To protect their businesses, today’s retailers must be adept in managing physical security across multiple locations, and digital security for e-commerce transactions as well as internal systems. They must comply with laws governing handling of financial, customer, and employee data—laws that vary by country, state, and even municipality. Finally, they must do so in a way that maximizes profitability.

Adding to the challenge is that new technology-enabled business models introduce new security risks. Retail business processes such as mobile payment and RFID-based messaging bring new opportunities, but also potential security threats. Retailers that are slow to implement the new business technologies may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage; those that implement them without adequate security preparations in place will find themselves vulnerable to a number of risks.