Monty Goodwin

For any number of reasons, from the upswing in cyberattacks to the need for maximum uptime and access to the web, retailers are eager to create stronger business continuity plans. In the past, to a certain degree, the disciplines of IT security and business continuity were separated. IT professionals handled security and data protection while business continuity was more under the realm of risk managers. Retailers today demand that this divide be narrowed, especially in light of the serious IT breaches at Target, Neiman Marcus and elsewhere that threatened customer loyalty and brand image. On the business continuity front, retailers need a solid response plan in place for customer and compliance reasons.