Retail & shops
Your card reader going down on a Saturday shouldn’t mean turning customers away.
Registers that keep ringing, cameras that keep useful footage, and one phone system across every location.
Cellular backup so an internet outage doesn’t stop a sale. Payment systems isolated from everything else. And your existing cameras kept in service where they still do the job.
Prefer email? info@solstice-technology.com
We keep what still works
If your cameras or cabling are fine, we keep them in service instead of selling a replacement.
A number before the work
You get a straight cost up front, with no surprise line items after.
Sized for your shop
No pressure to buy enterprise security a store your size doesn’t need.
Who we work with
Alaska shops, contractors, and distributors already count on us.
Counters, back-office computers, warehouses, and card readers. Same principle everywhere — the systems that take money get their own protected lane.
Dalton Refrigeration
Paragon Distributing
Window Medics of Alaska
Shown with permission. Logos are the property of their respective owners.
Sounds familiar?
What shop owners actually say when we walk in.
These four come up in almost every retail walkthrough we do.
“Our internet goes out and we can't run a single sale.”
A cellular backup connection kicks in automatically, so your registers keep working even if your main internet drops.
“I don't know if our old cameras are even still recording anything useful.”
We check and keep your existing cameras working where we can — you don't have to rip out and replace everything to get real coverage.
“Our phone bill is high and half the calls still go to voicemail.”
One connected phone system across all your locations, usually for less than what you're paying now.
“I have no idea if our Wi-Fi password has ever been changed since we opened.”
Passwords, firmware, and default settings on your network gear get updated and locked down — not left exactly as the installer left them years ago.
When the internet drops
A sale you can’t process is a sale you don’t make.
A cellular backup connection takes over automatically when your main line fails, so cards keep clearing while your provider works on it. Meanwhile your registers stay on their own segmented network, with no path to guest or staff Wi-Fi.
- Automatic cellular failover so registers keep running
- Payment systems segmented away from staff and customer Wi-Fi
- Default passwords and stale firmware cleaned up on day one
- Inventory scanners and staff devices that connect reliably in a rush
After hours
Know who went into the stockroom, and when.
Door access and camera coverage on the same system means the answer to “what happened to that shipment” takes minutes, not an afternoon of scrubbing footage.
- Stockroom and office access controlled per person, revocable instantly
- Camera footage searchable by time and location
- One phone system across every location, often below your current bill
- A short monthly summary you can read before you open
Everything we do — all 19 services
Everything we do, written for a retail shop.
The full list, framed around registers, stockrooms, and a floor that has to stay open.
01 Network design & installation
Every register and terminal in the store gets a reliable connection, not just the one nearest the router.
02 Business-grade Wi-Fi
Staff devices and inventory scanners connect reliably, even during a rush.
03 Wireless building-to-building links
Connect a second location or a stockroom building without new cable runs.
04 Network segmentation & firewall
Your registers, staff Wi-Fi, and any customer Wi-Fi stay separated, so one doesn't put the others at risk.
05 Business phone systems (VoIP)
One phone system across multiple locations, often for less than separate lines cost today.
06 Security cameras & video
Keep working cameras you already have, or add coverage where you need it — footage you can actually pull up when something goes missing.
07 Door access control
Control who can get into the stockroom or office after hours, and see exactly when they did.
08 Structured cabling
New registers or a remodel get wired properly the first time.
09 Endpoint protection
Your point-of-sale computers are watched for ransomware and tampering attempts around the clock.
10 Email security
The fake “supplier invoice” or “shipping notice” phishing email gets caught before it's opened.
11 Backup & continuity
If a register computer fails, your sales and inventory records don't disappear with it.
12 Monitoring & patching
Firmware and security updates on your network gear happen automatically.
13 Monthly security reporting
A short monthly summary of what's protected — easy to read in the time it takes to open the store.
14 Training for your team
Staff learn to recognize a card-skimming attempt or a phishing text pretending to be a vendor.
15 Project & install work
New store openings or remodels get the network planned before fixtures go in.
16 Travel / on-site service
Multi-location retailers get on-site visits across Alaska, not just in Anchorage.
17 Nonprofit rate
Nonprofit thrift or resale operations get a standing discount on ongoing support.
18 Co-managed IT
If you already have a POS vendor or bookkeeper handling software, we handle the network and security side.
19 Financing
Multi-location rollouts can be financed, subject to approval.
See it before you buy it
See how the systems behave day to day.
Manufacturer demos of the camera and access platforms we install most in retail, plus our own short explainer.
Cameras, demonstrated
The manufacturer’s own UniFi Protect demo — the camera platform behind most of the retail systems we install.
Door access, walked through
A longer official Ubiquiti walkthrough of UniFi Access, useful if you’re weighing stockroom access control.
Why a small business gets targeted
A short Solstice explainer on how everyday attacks actually reach a small business here in Alaska — and the handful of things that stop most of them.
One phone system across locations
Ubiquiti’s official UniFi Talk demo — the phone platform we use for multi-location retailers.
Solstice Technology is an independent installer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ubiquiti Inc. Product demonstrations below are published by the manufacturer on its own official channel.
Worth knowing
Three facts that matter if you take card payments.
Linked to the payment-card standard body and the original research.
The card-payment standard applies to your shop, whatever its size.
PCI DSS applies to every business that takes card payments, regardless of size, and specifically requires a firewall protecting cardholder data and removal of vendor-default passwords on all payment hardware. That's the standard behind “change the default password the installer left on your router.”
Source: PCI Security Standards Council, Merchant ResourcesTreat your POS as its own isolated system.
A 2026 review of point-of-sale fraud found the fix is a separate, segmented network for payment systems with no path to guest Wi-Fi or office computers, so a compromise on one side can't cross to the other.
Source: Ghosxt, 2026When it goes wrong, it usually goes wrong everywhere at once.
Ransomware or extortion was involved in 88% of confirmed small-business data breaches in 2025 — for a shop, that's registers, inventory, and customer records locked at the same time, not one machine.
Source: Verizon 2025 DBIR SMB SnapshotAlaska is not the quiet corner of the map.
Alaskans reported nearly $40 million in internet-crime losses in 2025, up 52% over 2024.
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Alaska report, via HSToday
Card payments
A flat network puts your whole shop inside PCI scope. Segmenting it pulls most of that back out.
The PCI Security Standards Council is clear that separating your payment systems from the rest of your network is not technically required. But it’s equally clear about the consequence: without adequate separation, the entire network is in scope — and the Council notes that separate VLANs alone don’t count. The controls have to actually stop traffic from crossing.
- Registers and card readers on an isolated network, separated from staff and customer Wi-Fi
- Default-deny firewall rules, with each allowed connection there for a documented reason
- Cellular failover that keeps you selling without opening an unprotected side door
- Vendor defaults, stale firmware, and old installer credentials cleaned up on day one
- Unique per-person logins with multi-factor on anything administrative
- Vendor and remote-support paths enabled only when in use, then closed
- Cameras, printers, and back-office gear kept off the payment lane entirely
- A documented diagram and change log you can hand to your processor
Your back-office computers and your email are in the picture too, whether you run Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
Segmentation handles the network. It does nothing for the machine your bookkeeper uses or the inbox where supplier invoices arrive — and both carry requirements of their own. Neither Google nor Microsoft ships a tenant configured for a business that takes cards; that setup is the work.
The one rule worth posting in the back office: never email or text a card number, and never accept one that way. A single card number in a mailbox pulls your entire email system into your payment environment.
- Managed protection on every business computer, kept current, that staff can’t turn off
- USB drives blocked or restricted, so a stick from home can’t bring something in with it
- Patching on a planned cycle, with urgent security updates moved out fast
- Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 configured past the defaults — links and attachments inspected before delivery
- Impersonation and display-name spoofing caught, so a fake supplier or fake owner email doesn’t land clean
- Your sending domain locked down so nobody can email your customers as you
- An outbound rule that blocks card numbers from leaving by email
- A named login per person with a second step at sign-in, and access revoked the same day someone leaves
- Recurring staff training on fake invoice and wire-transfer scams, plus practice messages to spot who needs coaching
Multiple locations get the same standard at every store, so your Anchorage shop and your second location aren’t two different security postures.
We build and maintain the network. Your SAQ and your compliance validation stay in your hands — we just make sure the answers are true.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is published by the PCI Security Standards Council: Guidance for PCI DSS Scoping and Network Segmentation. Solstice Technology is not a PCI-certified assessor and is not endorsed by or affiliated with the PCI Security Standards Council. We build and maintain network infrastructure; your compliance validation remains your own. On email specifically, the Council states that if a card number is sent or received through a messaging channel, the systems behind that channel — mail servers included — come into scope: PCI SSC FAQ on cardholder data over end-user messaging.
Live from the Threat Center
What’s going around right now that affects retail shops
Pulled from public CISA, FTC, and FBI advisories. If something here worries you, ask us — it’s usually a two-minute answer, not a sales pitch.
Loading current advisories…
See the full Threat Center — sources: CISA, NVD/NIST, FTC, FBI IC3, PCI SSC. Solstice Technology is not endorsed by or affiliated with these agencies.
What this looks like in practice
Example retail work
A two-location Alaska retailer had both stores connected as one system with a phone platform that replaced a higher monthly phone bill, cellular backup so an outage at one site doesn't stop sales, and its existing cameras kept in service rather than replaced.
Common questions
Retail questions, answered
Does PCI compliance apply to a small shop?
Yes. PCI DSS applies to every business that takes card payments, regardless of size. It requires a firewall protecting cardholder data and removing vendor-default passwords on payment hardware.
What happens to my registers if the internet goes down?
With a cellular backup connection, your registers keep processing when the main internet line drops. We set it up to switch over automatically.
Do I have to replace my existing cameras?
Not necessarily. If your existing cameras or cabling still work well, we keep them in service instead of selling you replacements.
Can multiple store locations share one phone system?
Yes. One managed phone system can cover several locations, so calls route between stores and staff use the same system everywhere.
What you can expect from us
What you can expect from us, in every store.
No ticket queues, no rotating technicians, no jargon.
A straight answer on cost first
You'll know the number before any work starts. No surprise line items.
The same person every time
One person who already knows your setup — not a new technician learning your store on your dime.
Right-sized for your shop
No pressure to buy enterprise security a shop your size doesn't need.
We keep what still works
If your existing cameras or cabling are fine, we'll keep them in service rather than sell you a replacement.
Free, no obligation
Find out what’s actually protecting your registers.
A free walkthrough, no obligation. We’ll show you exactly what’s on your network right now and what’s worth changing.
- Call or text(907) 312-1411
- Emailinfo@solstice-technology.com
Anchorage-based. On-site travel across Alaska, plus managed homes in Mexico and Peru. Financing available, subject to approval.
Your busiest Saturday shouldn’t depend on luck.
Free in-store walkthrough. Multi-location visits across Alaska.