IT for a shop:
where to start

An internet connection that doesn't leave you unable to take payments. These days the card terminal, many POS systems, the management software, email orders and often the phone all depend on the same line, so when it goes down, everything stops at once with the shop open. That's why the first thing isn't a new computer or a website, but a reliable line, a router that can handle business use and, if every hour without taking payments costs you money, a second path that only kicks in when the main one fails. Straight after that comes the till: the computer you take payments on should be up to date, wired in if possible, and you should have someone to call if it freezes on a Saturday morning. Everything else — cameras, website or social media — makes sense once this is sorted; the other way round, any failure in the foundations takes down whatever you've built on top.

It depends on how long you can manage without a connection, not on the size of the premises. If you can no longer take card payments when the fibre goes down, and most of your customers pay that way, every outage is lost money and customers heading to the shop next door. In that case a backup makes sense even if the shop is small. What matters is that the second path doesn't share the same infrastructure as the main one, because two contracts coming in through the same cable go down together, and that the switchover is automatic, with a router that detects the outage and moves traffic to the other line without anyone having to touch anything. Tethering from a mobile phone gets you out of a fix, but it isn't a plan: it depends on someone being there, remembering and knowing how to set it up with customers waiting. We explain it in our article on backup internet for a business.

For security and for speed. If customers connect to the same network as the POS, the management computer or the camera recorder, any infected phone or anyone with bad intentions is, technically speaking, inside your shop, right next to the equipment where you take payments and store data. On top of that, a customer's phone streaming video competes for the same connection as the card terminal. The solution is a genuinely separate guest network, technically isolated from everything else, not just a different network name that ultimately leads to the same place. Many professional routers and access points support this, and some let you cap how much bandwidth that network uses. And the shop network password isn't given to anyone from outside, not even the supplier who comes in to take an order: that's what the guest network is for.

Whatever would be costly to rebuild: the management software or POS database, with products, prices, stock, customers and sales; invoicing and any documents you keep on the computer; and the configuration of anything that took effort to set up, such as the POS itself or the online shop. A cloud POS often already stores the data on the provider's server, but it's worth asking whether you can export it and how often you do, because depending solely on one provider is also a risk. The practical rule is 3-2-1: three copies, on two different media, one of them outside the shop, because a burglary, a fire or ransomware takes out everything on the premises. And above all, check every so often that the backup can actually be restored: a backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a backup.

Enough to cover the spots where things actually happen, not as many as will fit on the ceiling. In most shops that means the entrance, facing it so you can identify whoever comes in; the till, framed on the hands, the drawer and the card terminal; and the way through to the stockroom or back room, which is where goods leave without anyone seeing. If there's a corner that can't be seen from the counter, it may justify one more camera. Floor area isn't the measure: a large shop with a single counter may need fewer cameras than a small one with two entrances. And there are places you never record, such as fitting rooms or toilets. It makes sense to leave cameras until after the connection, the till and backups because, if the network is unstable or nobody reviews the footage, the camera protects nothing. We go into detail in our article on where to put cameras in a shop.

For many local shops, the Google profile — the business profile that appears on the map and in search results — does more than a website, and it's free. It's what people looking for a shop like yours nearby see: opening hours, address, phone number, photos and reviews. Keeping it up to date, especially opening hours over bank holidays and holidays, avoids the customer who turns up to find the shutters down. A website becomes important when you want to explain something the profile doesn't allow, such as a catalogue, detailed services or an online shop, or when you're competing with other shops that have a well-made one. If you're going to have a website, make sure the profile links to it and that the details match in both places. On a tight budget, the sensible thing is to start with a well-maintained profile and add the website when there's something specific to say.

The minimum that protects the most costs little: different passwords for each service, stored in a password manager rather than on a sticky note by the till; two-step verification on email, banking, the Google account behind your profile and the management software if it supports it; and one user per person on the computers, so that when someone stops working for you, you can revoke their access without changing everyone's key. Add to that keeping the till computer's operating system and the router up to date, changing the factory password, and being wary of invoices, bank alerts or calls from supposed tech support asking for details or payments in a hurry. Email is the first thing to lock down, because it can be used to recover almost every other account. We explain it in detail in our article on passwords: what to do and what to stop doing.

It depends so much on what you already have that there's no point giving a fixed figure without seeing the premises: a shop with a good line, a cloud POS and a recent computer needs very little, and one with an old router, Wi-Fi shared with customers and no backups needs more. What we can tell you is what we publish on our pricing page: IT support starts at €39 per call-out and ongoing support at €19 a month, installed IP cameras from €149, web hosting from €9 a month, and a business website and email from €19 a month. These are starting prices for the simplest version of each service; what your particular shop needs is quoted after seeing it. That's why the order in this article matters: investing first in whatever stops you taking payments avoids spending on eye-catching extras while the basics are still limping along.