In the wake of the £99m Marriott International data breach fine, we’ve released a free guide to help hoteliers navigate the challenging cybersecurity landscape. Sentis’ IT Guide for Hotels eBook arms concerned hoteliers with all they need to know about tech in hospitality, including all-important cybersecurity, GDPR and the latest emerging risks.

In July, the Marriott International was fined just shy of £100m by the ICO for the breach of personal guest data under the GDPR, including credit card details, passport numbers and dates of birth. The company has vigorously defended its position and will appeal the fine.

However, the multimillion digit – along with how the theft of 339 million guests’ data went under the radar for two years – has caused widespread alarm about hidden cyber threats and their knock-on effects. Independent boutiques to global chains are now asking what more can be done to forestall a repeat of the Marriott event in their hotel.

Scaling up defences against potentially devasting cyber threats such as hacking, ransomware and viruses has become a significant talking point for the industry and indeed with our customers. But with cybersecurity being so fast-moving and sometimes confusing, it’s difficult knowing where to start.

“The scariest factor in all of this is that, as surfaced by the Marriott event, you may not even know your vulnerabilities”, says Neil Homer, our Managing Director.

“More now than ever, it’s critical that hoteliers have eyes on their cybersecurity risks and get those essential protective measures in place. Cybersecurity won’t just shield you from theft, system failures, reputational damage and trading outages, but will also make your IT infrastructure work harder through being more available, reliable and future-fit”.

We’re also on a mission to simplify IT and cybersecurity so that every hotel can benefit from peace of mind and performance. “When we meet new hotels, it quickly becomes evident if their IT isn’t pulling its weight in terms of added value and suitability”, Neil adds. “We set out to change this”.

“Unnecessary jargon has sadly become the norm, but our IT Guide for Hotels eBook is a straight-talking, step-by-step guide to getting the most from new technologies, preparing for cyberattacks and protecting data and business continuity”.

The eBook is entirely free; click here to download it.

Sentis Managed Solutions is a managed IT service provider to the Pride of Britain Hotels Consortium. For more information about how we can help your hotel get more from its technology investments, click here.