Retail

Retail cybersecurity compliance for stores and e-commerce

We help retailers meet PCI DSS 4.0, protect payment systems and customer data, and run secure store networks at every location. You get one view of security across stores, warehouses and your online channel.

Book a scoping call See PCI DSS services
  • PCI DSS 4.0 readiness and segmentation testing
  • Store networks that deploy in days
  • 24/7 managed SOC across every location
Pharmacist helping a customer at the counter
Engineer working on network cabling in a rack

The challenge

Why retail security gets harder as you grow

Retailers process large volumes of card and customer data across point-of-sale systems, store Wi-Fi, e-commerce sites and third-party apps. Each new store, pop-up or integration adds devices and connections, and small IT teams struggle to see them all.

PCI DSS 4.0 raised the bar. Since March 31, 2025, requirements that were once future-dated are mandatory, including multi-factor authentication for access to the cardholder data environment, targeted risk analyses and controls on scripts that run on payment pages. Many retailers are also subject to state privacy laws for the customer data they collect.

  • POS terminals and store networks at many locations
  • E-commerce payment pages and third-party scripts
  • Vendors and franchisees with network access
  • Seasonal staff and high turnover
  • Fragmented tools and limited visibility

How we help

Retail cybersecurity services

We start with an assessment of your stores, payment flows and online channel, then build the program around what we find.

PCI compliance for retailers

Scoping, gap assessment and remediation support for PCI DSS 4.0, including the requirements that became mandatory in 2025.

PCI DSS

PCI and segmentation testing

Compliance-based penetration testing and segmentation testing that confirm your cardholder data environment is isolated.

Penetration testing

24/7 managed SOC

Monitoring and response across stores, warehouses, e-commerce and corporate systems in one view.

SOC as a service

Store network and POS security

Managed networks, firewalls and SD-WAN with a standard store design, so new locations open secure.

Managed network

Access control and MFA

Least privilege and multi-factor authentication for staff, admins and vendors who touch payment systems.

Identity and access

Recurring testing and assessments

A year-round testing program so new stores, apps and integrations are covered as you add them.

Continuous testing

Practical guide

Retail cybersecurity compliance: five tips for your business

Mid-sized retailers face the same attackers as national chains with a fraction of the staff. These five steps cover the ground that matters most.

1. Assess your risk regularly

Know where card and customer data flows, which systems touch it and which vendors connect to your network. Assess at least annually and after opening new locations or channels. A recurring testing program keeps findings current throughout the year.

2. Control who has access

Give each person only the access their role needs, and require multi-factor authentication for anyone reaching payment systems or administrative tools. Remove access promptly for seasonal and departing staff.

3. Secure your payment systems

Segment payment systems from the rest of your network, keep them patched and encrypt card data in transit and at rest. Point-to-point encryption and tokenization reduce how much of your environment is in PCI scope. For e-commerce, inventory and monitor the scripts on your payment pages.

4. Train your employees

Store and office staff see phishing, fake vendor calls and gift card scams. Short, regular training helps them recognize and report attacks.

5. Build and test an incident response plan

Define roles, communication steps and recovery procedures, including how you’ll work with your payment processor. Test the plan with a tabletop exercise before the busy season.

Regulations and frameworks

Cybersecurity compliance for retail we support

  • PCI DSS 4.0 gap assessment and remediation
  • Payment page script inventory and monitoring
  • Segmentation testing of cardholder data environments
  • State consumer privacy laws such as the CCPA
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework maturity assessment
  • Vendor and franchisee third-party risk reviews
  • Incident response planning and tabletop exercises
  • SOC 2 readiness for retail technology platforms

Case study

24/7 managed SOC for a multi-national retailer

A growing retailer adding e-commerce had limited visibility, fragmented security tools and a lean team responsible for a large global infrastructure.

After a detailed assessment, we re-architected the network, deployed 24/7 managed SOC services, secured every retail location with a single view and designed a store-in-a-box IT architecture.

  • Unknown vulnerabilities and unmanaged third-party systems found and addressed
  • Time to repair network issues cut from days to minutes
  • New store IT that deploys in days, not weeks
Read the case study

FAQ

Retail cybersecurity questions

Version 4.0 added more than 60 new or updated requirements, and those marked future-dated became mandatory on March 31, 2025. Key changes include MFA for all access to the cardholder data environment, targeted risk analyses, stronger password rules and controls on payment page scripts. The current version is 4.0.1, which clarified wording without adding requirements.

Segment payment systems from the rest of your network, use point-to-point encryption and tokenization, and avoid storing card data you don’t need. Segmentation testing then confirms the boundary holds, which can shrink the number of systems your assessment covers.

We build a standard store design with managed firewalls, segmented networks and central monitoring, so every location runs the same configuration. New stores can then be deployed quickly and consistently.

Antivirus blocks known threats on a device. A managed SOC watches every location, correlates activity across stores, cloud and e-commerce, and has analysts investigate and contain threats that get past preventive tools.

The number of stores, devices and payment channels, your PCI merchant level and which services you want managed. We scope the work after a short call and quote a fixed price.

Related services

Related services

PCI DSS

Readiness and remediation for PCI DSS 4.0.

PCI DSS

SOC as a service

A managed security operations center across locations.

Managed SOC

Managed firewall

Firewalls configured and watched around the clock.

Managed firewall

Third-party risk management

Reviews for vendors and franchisees that connect to you.

Vendor risk

Book a scoping call

Secure every store and every sale

Tell us about your locations, payment systems and online channel, and an advisor will reply by email to set up a conversation.

  • A PCI DSS 4.0 starting point for your business
  • A plan that covers stores and e-commerce together

Prefer email? Write to [email protected] or call (858) 712-0040.

Send us a message