Four Seasons Greenhouse: POS System Risks and Mitigation Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of implementing a Point of Sale (POS) system at Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery. It details the advantages of a POS system, such as increased efficiency, improved inventory management, and accurate financial transactions, while also addressing disadvantages like the initial cost and maintenance requirements. The report explores how a POS system can help Four Seasons gain a competitive advantage through streamlined operations and better decision-making facilitated by a centralized database, which offers benefits like data preservation, enhanced security, and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, it recommends a Wide Area Network (WAN) with wireless technology for telecommunications and identifies potential risks, including security breaches and privacy concerns, along with mitigation strategies like antivirus software, strong passwords, and firewalls. The report concludes that adopting a POS system with centralized data management and appropriate telecommunication options is essential for Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery to enhance its operations and achieve its business goals.

Running head: POS SYSTEM
POS System
Name of Student-
Name of university-
Author’s Note-

1POS SYSTEM
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
1. Advantages as well Disadvantages of Point of Sale System...........................................2
2. POS System help in gaining Competitive Advantages....................................................3
3. Benefits of Centralized Database.....................................................................................4
4. POS System Facilitates Decision Making.......................................................................5
5. Recommendations of Telecommunication Options.........................................................5
6. Risks in POS System with Mitigation Plans....................................................................6
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................8
Appendices........................................................................................................................10
Appendix 1.....................................................................................................................10
Appendix 2.....................................................................................................................10

2POS SYSTEM
Introduction
The Point of Sale, commonly known as POS is that exact time when the transaction for
retail sale is fully completed. That particular point of time when the merchants evaluates that
exact time that the customers owns and therefore, gives an exact time and an exact amount for
the transaction (Falzone and Ciabarra 2016). At the time of POS, the customer is given an
invoice for the amount and then the customers proceed to payment for completion the POS. After
making the payment, the customer actually gets the product from the seller and then the whole
process is being completed. All the retail organization, from small to big, has a POS system with
every transaction it proceeds.
1. Advantages as well Disadvantages of Point of Sale System
There are several advantages as well as disadvantages that the POS system includes in an
organization. The case study that is provided for Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery have
different advantages as well as disadvantages for POS system. The advantages are as follows.
1. Rapidity as well as Efficiency- The foremost advantage that the Point of Sale system
involves rapidity as well as efficiency (Madden and TAN 2015). The efficiency of the system is
improved by using of POS system in the organization. All the efficiency related to transaction is
increased with the organization. The transaction system becomes faster with the implementation
of the POS system.
2. Manage the Inventory- Another advantage that the POS system provides is that the
inventory of the organization is managed efficiently with the implementation of POS system
(Edwards et al. 2016). The Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery faces major problem

3POS SYSTEM
regarding the inventory of the system. The inventory of Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery is
maintained manually for which the organization needs to implement POS in its system.
3. Exact Financial Transaction- The system of POS provides exact financial transaction
that are carried out in the system. The POS system helps the Four Seasons Greenhouse and
Nursery to keep a proper calculation on all the transaction that is not always possible with the
manual process.
Along with all the advantages, the POS system also comes with some disadvantages. The
disadvantages that the system includes are stated below.
1. Costly System- The system of Point of Sale is mainly costly. The Four Seasons
Greenhouse and Nursery is a small sized organization and the company is facing issue regarding
its inventory and maintaining its transactions manually (Orr et al. 2015). But as this organization
is a small sized company, it is difficult for the organization to implement the system of Point of
Sale as the system is costly. There is no possible ways to reduce the cost of the POS system and
thus it becomes unaffordable for most of the organization. Thus, implementing the POS system
night lead to financial crisis for the organization.
2. Maintenance- There is another disadvantage that the Point of Sale offers is the
maintenance factor (Van Horn et al. 2017). The POS system needs regular maintenance. Four
Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery is a small organization and might face issue while maintaining
the POS system.
2. POS System help in gaining Competitive Advantages
The transaction system of the company is generally increased by the Point of sale system.
Point of Sale makes the system of buying and selling easier compared to other similar systems.

4POS SYSTEM
All the details related to the business transaction can be identified by the Point of Sale system.
As the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery is a small sized organization that deals with
transaction of buying and selling of different items, POS can help the organization to simplify its
processes. All the system in the organization does the work manually, which leads to many error.
To mitigate those errors, the system of POS can be implemented in the organization (Orr et al.
2016). All the transaction process does not need manually involvement after implementing the
POS system. The system of POS makes to increase the decision making system in the
organization. With all this advantages, the system POS will increase the competition in the
market with all such similar organizations. More revenue can be collected by the organization
with the implementation of the POS system making the system more efficient.
3. Benefits of Centralized Database
The centralized database system is a simple database or is a centralized database of
computer (Rese, Schreiber & Baier 2014). The information is accessed in an organization with
the help of centralized database. Smaller sized companies as well as medium sized companies
can use the system of POS. The advantages that the centralized database provides are listed
below.
1. Helps in Data Preservation- The foremost advantage that the centralized system offers
is preventing the data that associated with the organization (Januzaj, Ajdari and Selimi 2015).
The data is also enhanced and improved with the centralized database.
2. Improves Physical Security- The next advantage that the centralized system provides is
improving the security related to data. Physical access is therefore restricted with the
confidentiality of data.

5POS SYSTEM
3. Provides Data Security- Another advantage that the centralized database offers is
provide security of data. The data is secured with the implementation of centralized database.
4. Cost Effective- The last benefit that the centralized system offers is that the system is
cost effective (Coronel and Morris 2016). This centralized database is easily affordable by all
organization from small to medium at a very cheap rate.
4. POS System Facilitates Decision Making
The decision making process can be made much easier by implementing the system of
POS in the organization. The Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery uses the system of handing
all the processes manually and then maintain the track of orders manually by the employees. The
Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery wants to change its system to POS for making the system
automated (Meagher 2014). The business process can be made efficient by implementing the
POS system in the organization. The information that are involved with the organization is to be
stored properly by the POS system. The decision making process is easily improved by the POS
system implementation in the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery.
5. Recommendations of Telecommunication Options
The Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery is to select a proper telecommunication
process in the system. The recommended telecommunication system that can be suggested for
the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery is a WAN (Wide Area Network) for the system. This
WAN network helps to improve the network of the over a wide area (Wang et al. 2014). The
WAN is very different from LAN (Local Area Network) or MAN (Metropolitan Area Network).
As the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery wants to expand its business and network LAN
cannot provide that network for the organization as it can provide a network only in local or

6POS SYSTEM
smaller areas. MAN network is also appropriate for the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery as
it provides network for extremely large areas. So, the organization is recommended to use WAN
to produce network in the organization.
For Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery. The most appropriate technology is the
wireless technology. The wireless technology does not have any type of complication or any
kind of complexity because they are basically wireless (Yang et al. 2015). The involvement of
wire is an extra cost for the organization and thus to cut the cost of telecommunication, the
organization is suggested to use wireless technology. Wireless technologies are faster than other
communications. On example of wireless technology is the Wi-Fi technology that can be used by
the organization by improving its telecommunication.
6. Risks in POS System with Mitigation Plans
The risks that the Point of Sale may face are stated below along with their mitigation
processes.
1. Security- The POS (Point of Sale) system comprises of security risk or the threat that
the network possess (Dai 2015). If the network is not secured, there is high chance for the hacker
to hack the system. This would lead to data theft of the organization. This can be mitigated with
the use of proper antivirus within the organization. The antivirus will detect the hacker and can
prevent attack from the hackers in the system.
2. Privacy- When there is a malware attack in the system, then there always remains a
risk of privacy within the system. All types of malware that are faced by organization are
common and these attacks of malware can only be removed by the adding of passwords in the

7POS SYSTEM
system. The employees or the staffs who are involved with the system of Four Seasons
Greenhouse and Nursery should have a unique user ID as well as a unique password.
3. Confidentiality- There should be a proper confidentiality maintained in Four Seasons
Greenhouse and Nursery. The employees should not share the data with any outsiders as that
may be prone to data breach within the organization. The confidentiality within a system can be
maintained by the implementing a firewall in the network of the organization.
Conclusion
From the above report it can be summarized that POS, centralized data, a proper
telecommunication process is very essential for the Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery to
improve its system. This report clearly gave the description of Point of Sale that is based on Four
Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery. The basic system of the POS was illustrated in this report
related to the case study. All the advantages as well as the disadvantages that the POS system
possess were described in brief and some recommendations were also provided for the Four
Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery regarding POS system.

8POS SYSTEM
References
Coronel, C. and Morris, S., 2016. Database systems: design, implementation, & management.
Cengage Learning.
Dai, X., 2015. Secured point-of-sale transaction system. U.S. Patent 9,129,269.
Edwards, T., Skoog, L., Babu, A. and Dorogusker, J., Square Inc, 2016. Point-of-sale system.
U.S. Patent 9,424,721.
Falzone, L. and Ciabarra, C., Revel Systems Inc, 2016. Point of sale system. U.S. Patent
Application 15/043,163.
Januzaj, Y., Ajdari, J. and Selimi, B., 2015. DBMS as a Cloud service: Advantages and
Disadvantages. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, pp.1851-1859.
Madden, C.A. and TAN, G.P., VeriFone Inc, 2015. Point of sale system. U.S. Patent Application
14/103,298.
Meagher, M., Metrologic Instruments Inc, 2014. Bioptical point of sale (POS) checkout system
employing a retractable weigh platter support subsystem. U.S. Patent 8,822,848.
Orr, R.N., Lemley, D., Hotchkies, C.J. and Dehoux, J.L., Atx Innovation Inc, 2015. System and
method for interfacing a client device with a point of sale system. U.S. Patent 9,195,982.
Rese, A., Schreiber, S., & Baier, D. (2014). Technology acceptance modeling of augmented
reality at the point of sale: Can surveys be replaced by an analysis of online reviews?. Journal of
Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(5), 869-876.

9POS SYSTEM
Van Horn, E., Kearney, S.P., Giordano, P.A., Good, T., Dickinson, C., Au, K.M., Wilz Sr, D.,
Furlong, J.A., Hejl, B., Walczyk, J.A. and Coyle, L., 2017. Multifunction point of sale system.
U.S. Patent Application 15/612,332.
Wang, C.X., Haider, F., Gao, X., You, X.H., Yang, Y., Yuan, D., Aggoune, H., Haas, H.,
Fletcher, S. and Hepsaydir, E., 2014. Cellular architecture and key technologies for 5G wireless
communication networks. IEEE Communications Magazine, 52(2), pp.122-130.
Yang, N., Wang, L., Geraci, G., Elkashlan, M., Yuan, J. and Di Renzo, M., 2015. Safeguarding
5G wireless communication networks using physical layer security. IEEE Communications
Magazine, 53(4), pp.20-27.

10POS SYSTEM
Appendices
Appendix 1
POS System
A point of sale system encompasses the hardware, software, and support that
manage that transaction, including credit card processing, and the post-transaction operations
that lead to customer fulfilment, whether in a retail or restaurant setting. The functionality POS
systems can provide is why they are replacing traditional cash registers. A point of sale serves as
the central point for customer data, sales reporting, and can even manage labor and
inventory. Running a business on separate pieces of technology working independently is high-
stress and inefficient. Point of sale systems connect every part of a business, to simply and
efficiently improve operations.
Appendix 2
Case Study
Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery, is a nursery located in Colorado. This
small nursery was like many other small businesses and garden centres. They used manual
registers to track and maintain its inventory as well as determine which products were realizing
the most profit. The profits from the nursery were either "negligible" or a loss. They did not have
access to useful operational data to effectively manage their business. For example, they did not
track or review the margins of individual products. However, they believed that they needed to
do something different for their $1M business operation. Enter a new point-of-sale system (POS)
in 2008. The system allowed the owners to track useful business data from the sales transactions
immediately at the time of the sale; eliminating the need for tracking sales manually. The system

11POS SYSTEM
processes and stores data from the sale while updating the inventory as well as compiling a sales
history. This eliminates reliance on manual entry of sales transactions and reduction of inventory
units for the items sold. POS systems provide much more than a cash register.