For many businesses, one of the most common security problems is confidential documents. With all the data leaks that have occurred over recent years, security of documents is crucial.
As a business owner, it’s vital that you take the steps to ensure that all sensitive documents are kept safe. From storing them to sending them, it’s important that you ensure that sensitive information is not leaked.
To help you make sure that your company’s documents and data are kept safe, here are a few useful tips:
Store documents and date safely
However you choose to store your documents and data – online or in files, it’s important that they are stored securely. Only the people who need access to those files should be able to access them, and they should always be protected by passwords or locks.
All sensitive printed documents and data should be stored in a lockable filing cabinet that there is limited access to. Only a couple of people should have access to this, as that way if there are any security breaches, you will know who could have caused it.
In terms of online documents, these should be securely stored on your company’s cloud storage. Any online storage that is used to store secure documents should be protected by a strong password.
Shred all documents
Once you have finished with a sensitive document, make sure that when you dispose of it, you shred it. Never throw confidential documents in the waste paper basket, always make sure that they are shredded.
If you don’t want to shred sensitive documents yourself, you can hire a professional company to do it for you. How it works is that all documents that have been disposed of are stored, then the company you outsource to, will come and shred them.
Be careful when sending sensitive information
If you need to send documents or data that have sensitive information on them, be careful about how you send them. You can either send these documents via a courier service – not the mail, or via email or free fax. Sending via email and online fax is fine, as long as no one else is able to access the files – they should be password protected.
If you choose to send sensitive documents online, make sure that after being sent, the documents are deleted off of the system. Otherwise, other people may be able to access them.
Protect your passwords
When it comes to sending and storing sensitive documents, it’s crucial that your passwords are secure. Make sure that once a month you change your password so that you know that your documents and data are safe.
Your password should be at least eight characters long, contain one number and one capital letter. For instance, if you support a certain football team, your password might be their name followed by the year that they won a title. These kinds of passwords are too easy to guess, your password should be something random, that is not related to you.
To ensure that your confidential documents are kept as safe as possible, follow the handy tips in this guide. Always make sure that your documents are protected by locks and secure passwords, so that they are safe from prying eyes. If you know what you are doing, keeping your documents and data safe doesn’t have to be difficult.
