Helping Retailers Deliver a Secure Omnichannel Experience

Retailers face higher expectations and more challenges than ever. The industry must keep pace with rapidly advancing technology which provides numerous opportunities for threat actors. Customers demand a multi-channel experience and proven data security. Retailers also must comply with a growing list of privacy regulations in addition, facing harsh penalties for failure to protect their customer’s data.

To make matters worse, well-equipped hackers take full advantage of ample opportunities, targeting retail application servers in pursuit of customers’ personally identifiable information (PII). Many retailers lack effective threat response, bogged down with legacy tools and manual processes that fail to provide visibility or effectively demonstrate compliance.

Exabeam works with retailers to even the playing field. Using the latest analytic and automation technology to increase threat visibility, Exabeam’s solution secures customers’ PII and supports a culture of regulatory compliance, all while providing a superior omnichannel customer experience.

Protecting critical data

The nature of retail lends to providing a wealth of valuable information for threat actors. From customer payment card data to a loyalty program and shopping history, the retail industry has become a prime target for today’s cybercriminals. Hackers come well-equipped, using the latest technology, including automation, to exploit point-of-sale and application server vulnerabilities. Even with the latest defenses, security teams have their hands full, and retailers using legacy tools and manual processes find themselves completely outmatched. The result is a dangerous lack of network visibility, leaving retailers open and vulnerable to undetected invasions.

Exabeam applies analytics to detect anomalous user activity giving defense teams critical visibility and insight into existing threats. Log files are analyzed with all documented actions recorded and scored on Smart Timelines to further immediate investigation. The Exabeam platform also engages automation to triage and respond to all detected threats. With Exabeam in place, retailers have advanced tools necessary to safeguard their customers’ sensitive information.

Securing multiple, dynamic channels

Customers want to engage retailers across many channels – according to research by CX Today, nine out of ten customers want to experience omnichannel service. Mobile device applications provide the convenience shoppers desire but also create vast attack surfaces for threat actors. Security teams must lock down numerous endpoints, starting with all point-of-sale (POS) devices, which can present quite a challenge.

Exabeam works with retailers to lock down POS devices in addition to sensors, workstations, and corporate tablets within a network. All collected data is scored on risk and presented in Smart Timelines to facilitate faster incident response.

Supporting compliance

As a retailer, protecting your customer’s most vital personal and financial information is crucial to build trust and loyalty. This responsibility is further mandated by customer privacy regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), an information security standard setting the guidelines for handling customer credit card information. Retailers doing business in European markets find themselves subject to strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws governing the privacy, protection, and transfer of customer’s personal information. Certain states such as California have also enacted similar regulatory laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to protect consumer’s personal information. Retailers failing to comply with these regulatory standards face the punishment of harsh fines.

Retailers must prove regulatory compliance, and this process can be challenging and time-consuming. Audits require documented evidence of proper security practices, and manually searching volumes of incident logs waste valuable company time and resources. With Exabeam the audit process is streamlined, significantly reducing the burden of compliance monitoring for retailers. Automation also conveniently removes the potential for human error, which often is the root cause of security incidents.

Protecting customer data and providing documented proof is critical for retailers. Exabeam makes building data security and regulatory compliance culture easy by automating manual processes that once drained valuable time and resources. Using Exabeam, customers report spending 51% less time on security tasks. With analytics and automation, Exabeam balances the odds for retailers providing the visibility and tools to protect sensitive data while helping them deliver the best omnichannel experience for their customers.

This industry solution brief covers the challenge retailers face when delivering customers a superior omnichannel experience while protecting their sensitive data and remaining compliant with privacy regulation laws. Find out how Exabeam provides the tools that help retail organizations level the playing field.