Retail IT Readiness Checklist
Purpose: Use this checklist to quickly assess the reliability, security, and readiness of your retail IT environment in Aotearoa New Zealand. It focuses on POS stability, Wi‑Fi coverage, payments, data protection, and continuity — tailored to NZ retail realities.
1) Point‑of‑Sale (POS) Systems
- POS terminals are patched and up-to-date; vendor support is current.
- Card payments meet PCI requirements used in NZ; surcharge settings reviewed.
- Local failover (e.g., backup EFTPOS, 4G router) is ready for internet outages.
- POS data is backed up daily to a secure (NZ-compliant) cloud location.
- Staff know the “manual fallback” steps if systems go down.
Tip: Ask your POS vendor for an annual NZ compliance statement and incident playbook.
2) Network & Wi‑Fi
- Guest Wi‑Fi is segmented from POS/office networks (VLANs or separate SSIDs).
- Coverage tested across the shop floor, storeroom, and curbside click‑and‑collect.
- Router/firewall firmware is current; default passwords removed; MFA enabled for admin.
- Internet uptime is monitored; alerts go to a local, responsive team.
- Content filtering blocks risky domains; DNS security enabled.
3) Cybersecurity & Privacy (NZ)
- All endpoints use modern EDR/AV and auto‑patching (OS + browsers + apps).
- MFA on email, admin portals, payment & inventory systems.
- Staff receive phishing awareness training aligned with CERT NZ guidance.
- Policies align with the NZ Privacy Act 2020; breach response steps are documented.
- Suppliers and apps are reviewed for data location and sovereignty (NZ or compliant regions).
4) Cloud, Backup & Recovery
- Critical data (POS, inventory, finance) is backed up daily; immutable backups used where possible.
- Restore tests are performed quarterly; RTO/RPO targets documented.
- Access to backups requires MFA and is separate from production credentials.
- Third‑party SaaS (e.g., Xero, Shopify) export/backup strategy is defined.
5) Business Continuity & Support
- A simple incident response plan exists (who to call, 1‑hour actions, comms to staff).
- Local IT partner with clear SLAs and transparent pricing.
- Quarterly technology reviews: stability, security, costs, roadmap.
- Key person risk reduced (shared credentials policy, admin access control).
- Local, responsive, and personalised service.
- Transparent pricing.
- Expertise across industries and platforms.
- Strategic, not just reactive.