Industry News

14/10/2009 - Point-of-sale (POS) terminals and the accompanying payment processing infrastructure are getting more and more complicated as the technology continues evolving.

While this can be considered a good thing - the technological advances usually bring increased security and adherence to the PCI DSS, improved performance and even marketing and inventory management capabilities - it can also be difficult for small businesses to stay in the loop or to continually manage the whole payment processing system.

This becomes particularly difficult if the small business does not have the resources to hire an IT staff dedicated to maintaining the system. If this is the case, maintenance of the system is at risk of being neglected, which can drastically increase the company's vulnerability to credit card fraud or a security breach.

To help manage this problem, Business Solutions Magazine recently released a report highlighting the benefits for small business owners of implementing remote systems management for help with maintaining the company's payment processing infrastructure.

"Benefits to the retailer accrue with the ability to standardize and manage store systems and operational processes without intervention by untrained store personnel," the report read. "The goal is, of course, reduced IT costs but also include increased performance and up-time of store level systems that maximize operational efficiency and increase the customers' satisfaction with their shopping experience."

Merchants interested in remote systems management are encouraged to talk to their payment processing provider about possible options.