Retail Industry Solutions

WLANs are proving their value to retailers with the flexibility of easily deploying checkout registers throughout a store and the productivity benefits of wireless applications, such as managing inventory. Without the time and cost of additional wiring, WLANS allow a retailer to position registers closest to where customers make their buying decisions with multiple points of sale. WLANs also enable mobile applications for tracking goods to instantly connect data from bar code scanning to backend systems of inventory management.

While WLANs can boost sales and create new efficiencies, retailers must protect their information by defending the airwaves. The media have publicized reports of national retailers that failed to encrypt their WLAN traffic and openly broadcasted customer credit card information, which was easily readable by any WLAN card in the parking lot. Other media reports have focused on the unencrypted traffic of a pharmacy chain's inventory management. The pharmacy said that customer and proprietary corporate information could not be accessed through the inventory system. However, few information systems operate as islands of automation. Once intruders get into one insecure system, they use it as a launch pad to access the entire corporate network where they can wreak havoc.

Motorola’s wireless network solutions not only extend wireless agility to retailers but also prepare these organizations for growth, to expand and improve services across the network. Motorola understands the need for retailers to constantly improve customer conveniences and enhance user experience. That is why Motorola works with retailers to protect customer information and sensitive corporate data by effectively securing WLANs. Our solutions ensure customer information and corporate data are stored on secure and reliable networks.  By identifying vulnerabilities and monitoring the airwaves for intruders, Motorola provides various benefits to retailers, including:

	Providing the most cost-effective mechanism to comply with PCI DSS version 1.2 wireless requirements.
	Recognizing impending threats from network interference, unknown stations scanning the network and the use of hacking reconnaissance tools, such as Netstumbler.
	Enforcing usage policies, such as mandatory encryption, to ensure that all traffic, including credit card information and proprietary internal communication, is fully protected.
	Detecting and disconnecting intruders who attempt to access an enterprise WLAN to steal customer information or corrupt management files.

To learn more about how Motorola can help retailers with PCI Compliance, please click here.