Retail in Asia

In Trends

RetailWATCH: Cloud data attacks can come out of the blue

According to Trustwave’s 2013 Global Security Report, the retail industry had been the top industry target of cybercriminals in 2012 because of the lure of the large number of customer records, especially payment card data. Retailers should be aware of the attackers – close to where the attacks are originating, far from their valuable data centers – and ensure that their site is always on without compromising their revenue or brand.

Retailers are focusing on deploying robust security solutions for their online properties to ensure site availability, protect customers’ data and personal information from ever increasing and sophisticated attacks. The negative impact a breach or a downtime has on a retailer’s brand and revenues is well understood. As a result, retailers must address the security issue arose when operating data in a cloud environment.

RIA: How can they protect the integrity of their data?

SY: First, ensure you have a defense in depth solution. There are several types of attacks – attacks to the origin, the network and the application. A retailer should have a comprehensive, multi-layered security solution to protect from these varied and sophisticated attacks. Such a solution is what Akamai refers to as a defense in depth solution.

Second, protect your origin. It is not enough for retailers to ensure proper multi-layered security and leave their origin directly exposed as hackers are now adept enough to hack through several levels of security. Enlisting the help of an organization that defends against Web and app layer attacks at the network edge is one way to protect your origin.

Last, it’s important to protect against application level attacks. It is unrealistic to expect retailers to have a 100% bug-free, vulnerability-free application. Retailers do make every effort to fix bugs and vulnerability. However it’s important to have a solution in place to detect attacks early on especially closer to the source. Upon identification of an attack, there should be a well-defined security run book and process in place to mitigate it. Our recommendation is for retailers to focus on partnering with a provider that can give them this capability.

RIA: What Akamai solutions do you recommend?

SY: We recommend Akamai Aqua Ion. The increased use of connected devices will lead to the rise in application complexity required to deliver a meaningful user experience demands. To meet the rising expectations of connected end-users, there is a need for a new kind of intelligent performance acceleration, optimization and security solution. Akamai Aqua Ion is the first situational performance solution – a tightly integrated suite of delivery, acceleration, and optimization technologies with the required intelligence to make real-time web experience optimization decisions based on the requirements of the given situation. Aqua Ion simplifies the complexity of modern web delivery while delivering a faster experience that is highly available, secure and scalable to meet peak capacity demands – backed by Akamai’s industry leading performance and availability Service Level Agreement.

RIA: What are consumers demanding from retailers and how are retailers responding?

SY: Due to the differing infrastructures and technology maturity across Asia, we can expect the eCommerce landscape to be a dynamic one. However, what stands out across Asia is an increase in commerce and transactions online. We are also seeing more consumers purchasing from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

For a very long time, the online platform was a channel that retailers complement their existing operations with. Now across Asia, it has become a dominant channel as more retailers come to realize the value of consumers who shop online through multiple channels.

Retailers are also becoming more aware of the importance of end user experiences and performance and its strong correlation to conversions. Another trend is the increasing emphasis on their mobile strategy. While this may vary across geography and retailer’s maturity in their adoption of the mobile platform, what is clear is that everyone understands the importance and relevance of the ‘hyperconnected’ landscape that we are in.

Omni-channel retailing is also another focus across Asia’s landscape as retailers recognize that shoppers are increasingly interacting with retailers across three or more channels. The number of omni-channel shoppers will only grow with the proliferation of Wi-Fi, broadband, and mobile technologies that enable retail Web site access to users on any device from anywhere. As a result, retailers must address tremendous diversity among variables that impact the end-user experience.

RIA: What can Network Service Providers do to enhance multi-screen video options to retailers?

SY: To enhance multi-screen video options, it involves the development of different content across screen, which means a huge investment. Retailers should level the playing field by offering a platform and solution that enables retailers to meet their media, mobile and cloud needs, which help to minimize investment from retailers. More importantly, the solutions should reduce the complexity and cost associated with effective mobile delivery and security, allowing content providers to focus and concentrate on executing their strategy. All retailers, big and small, will be able to enjoy similar benefits when they partner with Network Service Providers, which enables them to avoid massive CAPEX investments.

RIA: How to deal with multi-device consumption?

SY: Multi-device consumption matters the consistency of user experience. The key to ensuring a consistent shopping experience is the implementation of a solution that intelligently and automatically adapts content for the best possible experience. This requires applying the right intelligence and optimizations in real-time for each request across every situation. Retailers should collaborate with solutions providers like Akamai which delivers device-targeted intelligence, optimizations and application acceleration services to deliver unparalleled speed end-to-end, delivering a shopping experience that is as seamless to our customers as it is to their end-users.

Find out more at Akamai.com