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This article sums up the ways in which POS is currently changing. These ways include by using shared commerce POS systems, mobile POS systems such as Square and PayPal, integrated real-time transactions with CRM solutions, and POS security. 

This article sums up the ways in which POS is currently changing. These ways include by using shared commerce POS systems, mobile POS systems such as Square and PayPal, integrated real-time transactions with CRM solutions, and POS security. 

The article discusses three key points to keep in mind for a better security within a hotel according to Russ Schrader from NCSA.

Memorial Day weekend will soon be upon everyone and with summer officially kicks off. This article talks about how hotels can clean up and do better to protect their guest personal information. A few years ago, all major corporation were required to adopt General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations which helped some hospitality companies. In my current capacity with Marriott International as a Workforce Administrator we were required to schedule all customer facing associates for training on GDPR. Prior to Marriott acquiring Starwood hotel company they had their own data hacking which caused an increased expense for Marriott to let customer know they were doing all they can to stop the data breach and protect their personal information. They also created a dedicated call center for this effort to let guest know that they will continue to put protecting their personal information as a high priority. This article outlines how hotels can prepare for increased guest traffic and protect their guest personal identical information. One of my responsibilities as a Workforce admin is to handle staffing for all of Marriott International Customer Engagement Centers. Employee training on GDPR is required every year for Marriott associates. Training employees on how to better protect guest personal information is more cost effective than dealing with a data breach due to negligence of an absent-minded employee. Guest expect to know their personal information is going to be protected. This allows them to have piece of mind. Leaving a clear and clean area allows for guest to feel that their information is being protected. Imagine walking up to the front desk and finding the previous guest personal information cluttered in view. This will make the current feel their personal information will left unattended and viewable to the guest to walk up causing nothing but anxiety attacks. Unable to enjoy their summer vacation. Guest expect that the overall security of the hotel

Another point as for the "clean desk" policy goes, it also needs to include stricter policies on securing credit card information. It should not be written down or repeated on the telephone. In an open environment sound can carry and unwanted parties can hear. Cell phones should be stored away from the desk, because cell phones are in itself a potential security breach.

Our hotel as well has reinforced the clean desk policy. I remembered the data breach for Marriott it was in most major news channel and at work for several months we had the same questions from our guest requesting more information. As you stated a hotline was created and of of course the most surprising for me was the acceptance from our guest. Main responses were, with the new technology advance world we've coming and going into that is something we all have to face.

Cloud computing is ever-evolving and I wonder if it's just today's hype and a trend. As this article shows, cloud computing has a huge impact on PMS. Imagine this: If your hotel is using a cloud-based PMS and you lose your internet connection. What do you do? Hoteliers need a strong case indeed before they entrust their valuable operations and data into these cloud computing providers. In the perspective of a hotelier, I'd be worried.

I found this article interesting for this week because it is about Property Management Systems being on the cloud. The author states that many hotels chose to use internal servers because of the convenience, security and the economy. "Cloud-based property management systems know that a major security breach would be fatal to their business, so they have to invest constantly in security upgrades." As a future manager, this is comforting to know because at least these companies know the amount of hackers out there and how important security is for hotels. Another important concern mentioned on the article, is the maintenance and updates. Whenever, the internet goes away and you are on a cloud system, there goes your system. "Investing in a PMS before you invest in rock solid data infrastructure is therefore not the best decision." In conclusion, the cloud based systems are slowly increasing but they have a lot of pros and cons, especially due to the hacking and chaos it may cause a hotel if the internet goes down.

Having the property management system in the cloud might be a useful concept but it does bring up a lot of security concerns. Maybe the change should be implemented once a security software has been created that can withstand a breach. But then we know that is not something most companies would wait for. Especially when using the cloud would save them money in the long run.

This article highlights the need for hotel guests to be weary of the fact that the use of a hotel's Wi-Fi is not always secure. With more hotels opening up for guests to use their rooms and spaces as work offices, the FBI has stated that with the limited cyber security that hotel Wi-Fi has, it is possible for hackers to create fake Wi-Fi networks and steal or damage guest data. The article makes it known that it is much safer to use the network at home, that that at a hotel.

Top 10 most notorious cyber attacks in history

The focus of this article is to point out why restaurants are targets for cyber attacks, what information hackers are looking to obtain and to identify what steps can be taken to protect consumer information. Hackers target a restaurant's POS system for the large amount of bank data it may record as well as any online banking occuring in the restaurant. The personal information from employees as well as any app or website utilized by guests, is prone to cyber attacks. The most important solutions rely on conducting background checks on employees and making sure that they are trained on what to look for. Restaurants can also put practices in place that involve using unique employee numbers, keeping computers out of guests' view, and using vendors with a stellar reputation.

Bitsight examines the 2018 Marriott reservation management database breach. Using the breach as an example, this article shows how poorly the hospitality and tourism industry performs in cybersecurity versus other sectors.

Cyber attacks open more and more often and varied since cybercriminals are becoming more cunning and their methods more challenging to detect. This article introduces some types of strategies implemented to protect companies' businesses from cyber threats and cybercriminals. Including using Anti-virus software, firewalls, password managers (very useful while some even free), VPN, patch management program which not only for operating program but also for other applications running on your system, consider the email SPAM/Malware filters and security awareness training for the employee since "humans are the weakest link." An employee who accidentally clicks on the wrong link can put in motion a chain of events that results in a cyber breach. Finally, plan a 24/7/365 network and endpoint monitoring.

This article describes the vulnerabilities in the security systems of the hotel Industry. The POS system was recognized as one of the most vulnerable areas that are more targeted by hackers. This is due to the multiple stations where the POS systems are located on the premises of the hotel. Likewise having POS systems independent of the hotels security system left the system open to hackers. Two options to defending the cyber-defense, are digital walls and employee training. Digital walls works by keeping hackers from accessing the systems. Although even with a strong firewall it is recommended to implement point-to-point encryption (P2PE), this encrypts payment information of guest. the other is tokenization. This uses alphanumeric pseudonym to protect data stored for long periods of time. Another way to prevent cyberattacks is employee training, encourage the use of strong passwords an dhow to detect fraud and phishing attacks.

email security is a good defense against cyberthreats in the hospitality space because it not only helps fend off attacks but also sensitizes staff to risks in cyberspace and provides them with basic awareness and education.

Mariott learned the hard way about the importance of cyber security! By inquiring a hotel for their boutique hotel line, it wasn't until after the fact that they realized that the hotel had been hit by a huge data breach in their system. Luckily, Marriott has the resources and reputation to deal with the issue. But a lot of these smaller hotels do not, so the damage to them could be catastrophic.

"The hotel industry is at risk of attacks, such as malware and ransomware, where criminals try to either steal data or exploit organizations" Majority of threats come through over email, often in malicious links. deploying email security is a good defense against cyberthreats in the hospitality space because it helps fend off attacks.

This article talks about how the hospitality industry has become more susceptible to cyber-attacks. Hotel companies like the Marriott have faced costly fraudulent cases online and have implemented new programs to ensure safety and security.

Cloud-based hotel software is able to host a property management system from a remote location which therefore allows hotel staff to access data from wherever they are in the world. It is showing positive signs of increased efficiency and overall cost-effectiveness.

A general trend is that hoteliers are considering to use cloud-based systems more. Data have proved that hoteliers will invest more in cloud technology. Cloud-based hotel software can provide its users with many benefits like cost-efficiency, increased accessibility, and user-friendly dashboards. Furthermore, it makes remote/offsite information sharing and real-time offsite management possible. With a cloud-based system, staff can spend more time on guests and improving service. For security issues, cloud-based systems upgrades often and therefore reduce the risk of being hacked. Cloud-based systems are also enough flexible to meet the future needs of users. In sum, cloud-based technologies can help the hospitality businesses to deal with the changes better.

Hotels are beginning to transition to cloud-based software because they are realizing the great impact it has caused on their business. The article mentioned, "in the next two to three years hoteliers are expected to invest 7-8% on cloud technology". This percentage exhibits how hotels are going to be ran in the future. Cloud-based software has brought positive impact to a hotel business such as "increased accessibility, greater profitability, and user-friendly dashboards". All of these benefits have caused hotels to run their business smoothly bringing back satisfied guests. This software allows check ins/out to be more quick and gives easy access to areas in the hotel for employees. Another gain received by using this software is that its cost-effective. It has been disclosed that a hotel has saved "60% on software costs". Using this software has saved a hotel a lot of money that can be used to satisfied guest more. Security on data is more secured using cloud-based software because the vendors take it seriously making it harder for hackers to retrieve information. Some hotels may halt to install new technology such as cloud-based software but with all the benefits it has given to other hotels, this is going to be the future for the hospitality industry.

The article by, a financial policy author, explains in detail the extent of cyber-attacks in the hospitality industry. The article explains that the hospitality industry is more prone to cyber-attacks, given the nature of information most of the organizations generate daily in their operations. The article explains that most organizations in the hospitality industry may not be aware that they have already been hacked. The article emphasizes the importance of internal audits and the critical evaluation of cyber footprints in hospitality organizations to minimize cyber-attacks. The author of the article delves into the cybersecurity risk factors in the hospitality industry and reports about the UAE IAA members' seminar which was aimed at sharing information and networking with a focus on building cyber-resilience against cyber-attacks. The article shows the prevalence of cyber-attacks in the hospitality industry noting that each stolen data record costs an average of $148 with the average cost of a cyber-attack being valued at over 3 million dollars (Karantzavelou, 2020). The article quotes a statement by the Jumeirah group chief internal audit officer who asserts that protection against cyber threats should be the DNA of every organization, and they should be continuously on the lookout for potential threats and ensure adequate protection. Members in the seminar advised on the importance of having internal auditors to provide assurance, suitable frameworks, and to set up controls to mitigate key cybersecurity risks. The article explains that hotels are prone to Cyber-attacks since they collect varied, valuable and sensitive customer information. The article also cites a cyber-breach in 2018 where up to 500 million customer details and passport information was compromised in an international hotel chain for up to four years continuously without detection (Karantzavelou, 2020). At the bottom line, contributors in the seminar explain the importance of cybe

In this article, the author emphasizes that security in the tourism industry should be number one. With the advent of technology, cyber contingency plans must be a part of the overall security plans of tourism businesses. The author also admonishes hospitality businesses to be proactive when dealing with cyber security breaches to withstand malware and infections as well as to be honest with customers when security breaches occur to maintain the customer's trust.

the article emphasizes the importance of conducting constant updates and upgrades on software and hardware, as it will help to protect the company data and systems from any possible hacks or viruses or data loses.

This article explains how music festivals are innovating their use of the RFID bracelets to create a more immersive guest experience. These bands, on top of being used as a cashless payment system, entry pass, and VIP entrance, festivals are now looking to use these bands to in creative ways including linking them to apps and augmented realty technologies to "gameify" the experience. Possibilities include having check- in sites to collect points for real- life prizes, allowing entrance to specialized areas, and creating mission logs so guests can remember their experience.