A retail shop with one location and five employees can often get by with minimal IT infrastructure. Add a second location, hire more staff, and start processing more transactions \u2014 and the gaps that were manageable before become real problems. For growing retail operations in Trenton, here's the IT checklist that prevents those gaps from becoming crises.<\/p>\n
\u2610 Business-grade router and firewall<\/strong> \u2014 not a residential router from a big-box store \u2610 Current OS versions<\/strong> \u2014 no Windows 7, no end-of-life systems \u2610 Daily automated backups<\/strong> of all business-critical data \u2610 MFA enabled<\/strong> on Microsoft 365, email, and all cloud services
\n\u2610 Managed switches<\/strong> with VLAN capability for network segmentation
\n\u2610 Separate VLANs<\/strong> for POS, business systems, and guest Wi-Fi
\n\u2610 Adequate Wi-Fi coverage<\/strong> for all areas \u2014 no dead zones at checkout or in storage
\n\u2610 Redundant internet connection<\/strong> \u2014 primary broadband + cellular backup
\n\u2610 UPS battery backup<\/strong> on network equipment and POS systems<\/p>\nEndpoint and Device Checklist<\/h2>\n
\n\u2610 EDR endpoint protection<\/strong> on all computers (SentinelOne or equivalent)
\n\u2610 Full-disk encryption<\/strong> on all laptops
\n\u2610 Automated patch management<\/strong> \u2014 security updates applied without manual intervention
\n\u2610 Asset inventory<\/strong> \u2014 documented list of all hardware, serial numbers, and locations
\n\u2610 Standard software build<\/strong> \u2014 consistent configuration across all workstations<\/p>\nData and Backup Checklist<\/h2>\n
\n\u2610 Offsite backup copy<\/strong> \u2014 separate from local network (cloud or separate physical location)
\n\u2610 Monthly restore test<\/strong> \u2014 verified that backups can actually be restored
\n\u2610 Backup retention policy<\/strong> \u2014 how many days\/weeks\/months of history are maintained
\n\u2610 POS data backup<\/strong> \u2014 including transaction history and configuration<\/p>\nSecurity Checklist<\/h2>\n
\n\u2610 Strong password policy<\/strong> enforced through directory services
\n\u2610 Security awareness training<\/strong> for all staff (phishing is the #1 threat)
\n\u2610 Firewall with IDS\/IPS<\/strong> enabled and configured
\n\u2610 DNS filtering<\/strong> to block malicious websites
\n\u2610 PCI DSS compliance<\/strong> \u2014 if you accept credit cards, your network needs to meet these requirements<\/p>\nCommunications Checklist<\/h2>\n