Cloud software is transforming the hospitality sector. Hotels have the ability to manage all elements of their operations from front desks, restaurants and customer accounts from one single scalable platform. Restaurants are equipped with analytics that can measure sales, inventory levels and the effectiveness of marketing activities to help them compete in an increasingly tough market. Key benefits include cost cutting, due to the reduced need for expensive hardware and enhanced customer service, as a result of greater efficiency and personalised offerings.

However, cloud hospitality software has hit the headlines recently with announcements that Fancy Bear, an infamous group of cyber criminals targeted hotel Wi-Fi systems across Europe and the Middle East, through malicious emails. It was not a first for the industry. A recent data breach by the company Sabre affected high profile names such as Four Seasons Hotels and Trump Hotels. With cyber security breaches now becoming a regular occurrence, the industry is seeking a solution to keep its customers data secure. 

Recent attacks may make some entrants wary of moving to the cloud. Yet cloud providers are ultimately likely to be the answer. They’re investing millions into internet security with continual updates to their offering. Measures such as secure coding and architectural risk analysis are likely to be far more effective than an individual hospitality provider protecting its own server. Oracle also stresses the importance of a focus on software integration with physical premise security and access protocols to ensure firms stay protected. Finally, firms need to give staff greater training to ensure that they inadvertently avoid opening the door to cyber attackers.

Emma Rodgers Director of Clearwater commented: “There has been numerous UK software success stories in the hospitality sector, as the industry has truly embraced the positive benefits of cloud technologies. Although data breaches have been a concern, the industry is deploying a multi-million investment in preventative measures as it looks to help protect customer data, business operations and corporate reputations from criminals.”