Sitehop trials payment security tech with major retailer

Sitehop has been selected by a major retailer to trial technology that secures payment data, marking the Sheffield company's first engagement in the retail sector.

The retailer is testing Sitehop's system in four areas: performance under load, encryption strength, network resilience and operational integration during high-volume trading periods. The work focuses on protecting payment infrastructure in environments with large store estates, mobile equipment and network settings that change during busy periods.

The trial comes as retailers face renewed cybersecurity scrutiny after a series of attacks on well-known chains. It also follows the PCI DSS 4.0 compliance deadline, with research cited by Sitehop suggesting many UK retailers still do not meet the standard's requirements.

Sitehop specialises in post-quantum cybersecurity, which aims to protect encrypted data from the risk that future quantum computers could break current methods. The company says hostile actors are already collecting encrypted information in the expectation that it may become readable later, a risk often described as harvest now, decrypt later.

At the centre of the trial is SAFEcore Edge, a hardware device that sits atop existing store infrastructure rather than replacing legacy systems. It is designed to secure payment data as it moves between stores and the head office.

The product was designed in Sheffield and is manufactured in the North of England. Sitehop describes the system as tamper-resistant and says it can apply the same level of encryption to different data types, including cardholder information, CCTV feeds and back-office traffic, while keeping those systems segregated.

That segregation is intended to limit the impact of a breach. In practice, a compromise affecting one connected system, such as CCTV, would be contained rather than automatically exposing card payment environments to the same incident.

Retail push

The retailer project follows Sitehop deployments with a tier-one global telecommunications group in seven countries. The move into retail gives the company exposure to a sector with complex networks, high transaction volumes, and strict payment data compliance requirements.

Retail payment networks can be difficult to secure because merchants often run a mix of old and new equipment across stores, warehouses and central systems. Any new layer of protection must usually work without slowing transactions or requiring broad changes to installed technology.

Sitehop says its hardware approach avoids the delays associated with software-only encryption tools. The company claims the device delivers up to 1,000 times lower latency than software-based alternatives, although it did not identify the benchmark used for that comparison.

Quantum concern

Interest in post-quantum encryption has grown as governments, financial institutions and infrastructure operators examine how to protect long-lived sensitive data. While practical large-scale quantum attacks are not yet available, security planners increasingly treat the issue as a current risk because stolen encrypted records may retain value for years.

For retailers, that concern extends beyond payment details. Store networks can carry a wide range of information, from video surveillance to internal operational data, and a weakness in one part of the estate can create a route into more sensitive systems if the network is not properly segmented.

"Retailers hold some of the most sensitive payment data in the economy. Our technology gives them a practical way to secure it today and prepare for emerging quantum threats without disrupting the operations that customers depend on," Melissa Chambers, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sitehop, said.

"Retail payment networks are among the most complex environments we encounter. We secure them at the network layer without touching existing infrastructure, giving retailers a faster, simpler route to PCI DSS compliance. Our technology is already post-quantum ready," said Ben Harper, Co-founder and CTO of Sitehop.