7 Questions Retail Executives Need To Ask Their IT Departments

April 2014 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Kurt Groth Bager, CEO, Netop.

Being proactive in overseeing security policy and procedure is essential for retail executives.

If a particular business unit or function isn’t performing as expected or their actions have an adverse effect on operations, ultimately, the responsibility falls on senior management. For example, if the marketing department releases an ad campaign that is in poor taste and draws unwanted criticism, blame ultimately lies with company executives — and a staff member may be reprimanded, too.

Now consider the recent security breaches at two major U.S. retailers. Leveraging loopholes, hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities that resulted in tens of millions of compromised consumer credit and debit cards. These activities resulted in more negative press than Target or Neiman Marcus could ever want, and the long-term impact is still uncertain.