3 Big Records Management Risks and How to Avoid Them
Your company should take every possible precaution to protect its records and data. Business large and small are increasingly targeted by identity theft and business fraud criminals. Here we discuss three big records management risks and how to avoid them:
1. Storing Records In-House
Risk reduction is a major reason to scrap your in-house document storage plan. Your business records include proprietary and confidential information, and only authorized individuals should have access to them. Offsite records storage eliminates internal security risks that allow unauthorized employees to access sensitive information. A commercial records center is equipped with advanced systems to keep your business documents safe, secure and organized. It features:
- Climate control
- Fire protection technology
- Digital surveillance
- Access control and monitoring
Only pre-screened and authorized personnel can access the records center. Your records are barcoded and tracked with sophisticated records management software, allowing you to easily request documents online for delivery to your office anytime.
2. Taking Backups Home
You don’t take your profits home with you in cash, so why take your backup tapes home? The data on your tapes may be worth untold thousands of dollars. A quick trip to the grocery store on the way home from work can result in a car break-in and the loss of that valuable data. And that’s not the only risk—the temperature and humidity levels in your house may be ideal for you and your family, but they are not ideal for backup tapes.
Instead of taking your backups home, invest in a media storage and rotation service. That way, your backups are routinely transferred to a media vault facility where they’re barcoded and protected and preserved with the following systems:
- Advanced climate control monitoring
- Biometric security
- Waterless fire suppression technology
Your data is managed by screened professionals and is available to you anytime to support your data recovery needs.
3. Do-It-Yourself Destruction
In-house paper shredding puts your information at risk. Why? Because office shredders are inefficient and unreliable. Staples and paperclips have to be removed from documents, and paper jams and tedious maintenance issues make the shredding process a time–consuming hassle. As a result, your employees may be less inclined to use the office shredder, instead discarding sensitive documents in a trash or recycling bin—or perhaps piling whole files next to the shredder to await destruction, where they can be pilfered by a dishonest employee or visitor. And even when the shredder is used properly, the shredded material is tossed in the dumpster where it may be stolen and reconstructed by a ruthless competitor or identity thief.
Outsourcing your destruction to a qualified partner eliminates identity theft and business fraud risks. Locked shredding collection containers are delivered to your office where employees can quickly drop sensitive files through a slot in the container without having to remove folders, staples or paperclips. On a scheduled basis, background-screened, uniformed and badged professionals empty your containers and either transport your documents to a shredding plant for secure, offsite destruction or shred them onsite with a mobile shredding vehicle. A strict chain of custody is maintained at all times and you receive a Certificate of Destruction when your records are shredded.
Take every necessary step to mitigate risks to your information. We recommend that you start by using the tips we’ve offered here.
Pacific Records Management provides records and information management solutions for businesses throughout Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Napa and Solano Counties. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.