Traditional Vs. Cloud-Based Dispensary Point of Sale Software

A robust POS system is one of the best efficiency and sales tools for dispensaries. However, with so many POS systems on the market, finding the right fit can sometimes be difficult, especially when deciding between local or could-based dispensary POS software. Let’s consider some of the disadvantages when choosing an online or cloud based POS system.

Based on Internet Connection

Online POS systems require you to have a strong internet connection. So in other words, if you do not have broadband internet access, you won’t be able to use it. If you do not have a fast connection, customers may have long waiting times, making the checkout process sluggish and inefficient, the very reason dispensaries opt for an online  point of sale system in the first place. This is one of the reasons why cloud POS systems have introduced offline mode. Though offline mode has been made available, it is still not possible to complete a transaction without a proper internet connection. You will be able to access only the data which has been stored until the connection is restored. For these reasons, if your dispensaries is in an area with low connectivity, an online POS system would be ill advised.

Security

Dispensary POS software security is the most important issue to address. In today’s world, data breaches are a regular occurance. Dispensary POS systems should always be secure, protected, and encrypted at all times for the sake of your entire business. With traditional POS systems, dispensaries usually store sensitive data on their premises in back-office servers that is unencrypted. Alternatively, cloud-based servers store data that is immediately encrypted and sent over to a separate secure network. Since this data is not stored in servers on your physical property, that means cloud Dispensary POS customers are not at risk of experiencing on-site data breaches, which helps reduce company liability. Furthermore, devices can also be continuously monitored to immediately detect suspicious activity or rogue access points.

Having said that, however, the cloud’s unprecedented storage capacity has also allowed both hackers and authorized users to easily host and spread malware, illegal software, and other digital properties. This is a series concern for dispensary owners as privileged users can directly or indirectly increase the security risks and as a result infringe upon the terms of use provided by the POS provider.

All this is to say that when choosing a cloud-based POS system, make sure that several security measures are taken into effect, including: 256-bit SSL web encryption, regular backups hosted on several secure locations (do not keep sensitive data stored in one place), encryption key rotation and more!