Hospitality technology companies should serve as not only your solution providers, but also your security partners. The software solutions you choose to help run your hotel should be developed and implemented securely in a hosted SaaS environment, and provided by a company that has your security at the top of its list.

Whether it is through static application security testing, threat modeling, automated penetration testing, or dynamic application security testing, the technology providers that work with your property must be focused on protecting your hotel, its systems, your employees and your guests.

What are your best options?

By working with a vendor that provides defense in depth or multiple layers of security controls, your hotel systems become part of a larger ecosystem where protection is implemented across the infrastructure. If your property decides to host the solutions it selects, it has two choices: implement its own defense-in-depth protocol, or work with a vendor that ensures these security protections are part of the service it provides.

Selecting cloud-based SaaS solutions can provide several benefits to minimize the risk of cyberattacks. By working in this type of environment, the technology provider can automatically monitor solutions that leverage their hosted SaaS solutions and automatically update systems when needed. They can implement a variety of measures like creating tokenized payment information and encrypting personal information in transit and at rest. With this focus and extensive monitoring, they can identify and prevent cyberattacks from escalating. This is where the defense-in-depth protections come into play through cloud-based SaaS solutions and can provide a proactive process by which the hotel can protect itself with the help of its technology providers. 

The good news is vendors like these that truly have their hotel clients' security at heart not only can provide these protections, but also have created hotel staff training programs to operate their solutions safely and integrate them into the hotel's existing systems. User access to sensitive information should be controlled to protect employee, guest and property data. Through secure transmissions and secure payment solutions, your staff members can become an important piece of your security process.

Creating clear protocols and educating your staff will reduce your risk of a cyberattack dramatically. By combining that with effective cloud-based solutions and a highly capable provider as a partner, your hotel is already ahead of the security game.

Once we select the right technology partner, what are some solutions that can protect your hotel business and our guests?

If you are working with a qualified technology provider that is monitoring and protecting your hotel systems including booking and reservations, property management, point of sale and guest service, among others, you have already reduced your risk of a cyberattack. Offering cloud-native solutions like mobile booking, mobile check-in/out, mobile key access, mobile ordering, and contactless payment are just a few examples of services that hotels can provide to offer convenience and further protect their guests.

Mobile booking allows guests to use the device of their choice, and through options such as self-service ordering and mobile check-in/out, guests experience the flexibility and comfort of interacting with the hotel staff in the way they prefer. Additionally, guests today are more comfortable with the convenience and security of contactless payments. By providing a self-service option for payment, guests can use their own device, scan a QR code, review a digital copy of their bill, add gratuity, and complete their payment. The hotel can easily accept and track these contactless transactions – all while ensuring the guest’s payment option is in their possession the whole time.

Technology Providers = Security Partners

Technology providers who truly follow a security-focused software development lifecycle are the right partners for your organization. While your team is ultimately responsible for protecting the property, the systems you have in place, your staff and your guests, selecting a technology provider that also monitors your solutions and your security is in your best interest – whether you are responsible for one property or thousands around the world. By selecting solutions provided by experienced technology vendors with a focus on innovation and who keep their clients top of mind, you will reduce risk and be in a great position to protect your property.