One of the ways information breaches can happen to a business is through the theft of paper documents from your office, or right out of the trash. It’s not always some highly planned scheme that looks like something from Oceans 11, it can often just be a crime of opportunity. The situation is an easy one to imagine: someone comes into the office, they see some papers that look official on a nearby desk, with a quick look around they see no one is watching them. A decision is made, the papers are grabbed up, pocketed before anyone notices, and just like that you’ve experienced a data breach.
How do we stop this? It’s clearly an unacceptable situation for you to be in, it poses a big security risk for you and your clients. Fortunately there is an easy solution you can follow to help prevent the theft of documents left laying about. If you read the title of this blog then you already know what you have to do: implement a clean desk policy in your workplace.
Creating A Clean Desk Policy
Creating a policy is fairly straightforward, as it is a simple thing to understand. Proper training and enforcement will be required to ensure the success of this policy.
It is important for your staff to understand that they can’t be leaving sensitive papers on their desks. As the example above illustrates, it is an easy thing for a dis-honest individual to happen by and take something. Naturally the next place people will keep files would be in their desks, which can work if you can secure the drawers. Depending on what exactly your document management policy is, you may decide a better option is storing them in an agreed upon location. The practicality of that will of course depend on the nature of your business.
Not only will using a clean desk policy improve the security of your information, it’ll also tidy the place up! It could breathe a breath of fresh air into an otherwise cluttered office. As helpful as this can be, it isn’t a substitute for proper document shredding. When you are ready to get on board with some, let us know ASAP.
We’ll be there.
A puff of smoke pops out of your computer in the middle of your work day, your smart phone suddenly winks out in the middle of a call. For one reason or another, your trusty electronics have failed you and you are resigned to the fact that it is now junk. You may salvage some pieces here and there, or you may just toss the whole kit and kaboodle out, but one way or the other something is going to end up in the landfill.
Unfortunately this is a bad decision to make, for a number of reasons that we will get into. The overall summary is that they have a negative impact on the environment that most people don’t realize. Understanding is of course the first step towards fixing the problem, and hopefully after this you will understand more.
Why Electronics Are Bad For Landfills
Hazardous Materials
Electronics have a number of different materials in them, heavy metals specifically pose an issue here. A heavy metal refers to a metal that is high density and toxic/poisonous. If these metals are left out to break down in a landfill, these toxins will leak out. They’ll work their way into the soil, the water, and the air. From there they find their way into the plants, animals, and even the people of the region. As you can probably guess, slowly being poisoned isn’t a particularly great thing for the environment, or your good self.
Taking Up Space
Another issue is the fact that electronics take up alot of space, and since they don’t really break down like other trash, they hold onto that space for some time. As the landfill gets pilled up with more and more junk, it fills up faster then it would if everything was decomposable. This results in more landfills needing to be opened up across the land, which in turn fill up with more items that should never have been in them to begin with.
What Should You Do
Instead of throwing old or broken electronics away to rot in the landfill, you should seek out a service that specializes in the proper disposal of e-waste. For example, we can easily handle the proper destruction of your old hard drives, and other services have a full complement of e-waste recycling. By doing so you will be keeping toxic materials from breaking down in the environment, and help sustainability efforts by letting recyclable materials be used in new products.
Whatever you decide, just remember this one thing: keep electronics out of the landfills.
You’ve made the decision to search for and obtain a professional shredding service, and you’ve discovered that there are many out there. Some are large, some are small, but they usually all offer the same kind of services. This can make narrowing down your choice difficult when everyone looks the same. Fortunately there are some things you can look for that will help you make a decision.
Certain things really define who the quality shredding service providers are, and these are the points you need to be on the lookout for. A certificate of destruction, an important document for your records should be provided. Certified regulation compliant services that adhere to both State and Federal regulations. Environmentally friendly service that is dedicated to recycling all shredded material. Those three key points will really help you narrow your options, but what do they each mean?
Three Points In A Quality Shredding Service
Certificate Of Destruction
The certificate of destruction, which is awarded to you upon completion of your shredding, is your proof that you have met your compliance requirements. You’d keep this in your records going forward for peace of mind that you can prove what you’ve done, should you need to. Additionally, in order to award a proper certification, a shred company needs to be certified themselves to begin with.
Certified Services
The mark of a true shredding company is one that is NAID AAA Certified. This certification is a sign that all the highest requirements of State and Federal regulations have been met. Any shred company worth their salt will go after this certification, should you meet one that does not have one of these, look elsewhere. It’s best not to take chances with your private information.
Environmentally Friendly
Aside from certifications, the mark of a truly great shred company is their commitment to sustainability efforts. The sheer amounts of paper still being used is staggering, and it fills up the landfills very quickly, meaning more will have to open. Additionally the wasted material has huge ramifications, the logging industry will have to cut many more trees in order to meet paper demand. However, when shredders recycle the paper material properly it can be repurposed into new paper products, thus lowering our impact on the environment, and slowing the filling of landfills.
Additionally, for companies that offer hard drive destruction, sustainability efforts keep the heavy metals from electronics out of the landfill, which prevents toxins from leaking into the air, soil, and water. Shredded material is also sent to be recycled into new products, once again lowering our impact on the environment.
There It Is
Hopefully you now have a good idea on how to choose a good shred company. Keep an eye out for these key items, and you will have an easier time navigating through the many shred companies that are out there.
Happy shredding!
Sometimes you come across some records during the course of your business that you need to hold on to. Conventional wisdom suggests that you should shred documents immediately, but in some cases that isn’t practical. Certain medical records, financial statements, contact information, etc, are all types of documents you might need to hold onto. Doing so requires care, lest you run afoul of compliance regulations by being careless.
Whether you are a professional business with a big fancy office with a large list of employees, or a humble small business owner working out of your home, the same considerations will apply. Selecting a secure location to store records is the order of businesses here, as well as good old fashioned common sense. We’ll look at some of the most common places most businesses, be they large or small, could have access to.
Common Safe Record Storage Options
Lockable Desk Drawer / File Cabinet
The least secure option on the list, these also typically tend to be the most common, especially for the smaller businesses. Depending on the budget you had when you bought these, the locking mechanism will vary from ridiculously simple to a more complex lock. Making good use of the drawers instead of keeping papers piled on your desk is both secure and organized.
It’s not exactly easy to hide these ones, the desk especially would be a challenge, making them very obvious as the location for your files. If it’s all you have then you will have to make due as best you can, unless of course you are inclined to get something better.
A Good Safe
This is likely the most secure option you can get. A good stout safe, that’s preferably kept out of sight so it’s out of mind, will do a good job keeping your records protected. Their locks are more complex than what you’d find in a drawer, and their secure construction makes circumventing then lock itself unlikely. For extra protection, you could seek out a safe that is fire resistant so it will still offer protection to what’s inside should a disaster occur. While the price might be an issue for some, it is better to invest in good equipment that will last over poor equipment that could be compromised.
Safety Deposit Box / Off-Site Storage
Perhaps you have a feeling that storing records off site somewhere is the best option for you. In that case a safety deposit box is probably the first option many working from home will consider. While this is a good option, if you have more then a few items you may run into problems of organization and space as well. A better option would be to contact a record storage company, one that is dedicated to properly protecting documents. They use organizational procedures to ensure you can always find what you need, offer great security, and disaster protection.
There are many options you could pursue, some are far better then others, but whatever you choose you need to make sure it complies with the regulations. We can help you with that sort of thing, giving you peace of mind. It’s best not to take any chances with private information.
With more and more of our daily routines migrating to digital mediums, the abundance of wireless technology, and so many people working from home these days, data protection needs to be in the forefront of your mind. Every day use can lean towards being careless at times. With the ever increasing cases of data breaches, it is important to be careful. Luckily there are some easy things people can do in their everyday lives to improve your cyber security.
4 Ways To Improve Your Data Protection
Avoid Public Wi-Fi When Possible
Public wi-fi is everywhere these days, with social venues and other businesses offering it as a perk of visiting their location. With so many people connecting to these freely accessible wi-fi hotspots, data thieves can have a field day. Public wi-fi is not a secure connection, since anybody can connect, a dedicated individual can monitor what it is you are doing. To that end, it is best to avoid using it for anything that is sensitive, like your banking for example.
Delete Suspicious Emails
One of the oldest tricks in the book for cyber criminals is the scam email. We’ve all been there, you check your email one day and see something that looks a little off, so you open it to see what it’s all about. Sometimes opening it is all they need, something nasty gets left behind in your system, and they’re in. Others require you to be a bit more proactive in your own detriment, asking you to reach out by phone or email, which you should not do of course. Give them absolutely no information.
Your best course of action is to simply leave suspicious looking emails unopened. Block the sending address and delete it entirely. It is not worth the risk or your time.
Two Factor Authentication
A newish addition to the cyber security world that has really taken off is two factor authentication for your logins. How it works in a nutshell is this: you set up in your account to have a code emailed to you, or texted to your mobile phone, which needs to be entered so you can login. Easy, simple, and effective. The code itself is generated at the time of login, and has a short shelf life before expiring. It adds a nice layer of additional security for you, and can act as an alert to unauthorized login attempts.
Use Different Logins And Passwords
We’re all guilty of reusing passwords and logins for our various accounts. It makes remembering things easier, but is at high risk of compromise should it get stolen. Consider that by using one login and one password for every account leaves them all vulnerable if the login credentials are stolen. This is obviously not good. Come up with some variety, and don’t resume passwords for your most secure logins, see banking and finance as an example.
Data security goes beyond online sources, old hard drives, usbs, and other data storage devices can all be risks as well. Be smart, stay safe, and you’ll have a better time navigating the digital world.
With many people heeding the advice of healthcare professionals, and seeking self-isolation for a period of time, there arises some questions for businesses. Life must go on despite the limitations imposed on us. For those with the option to do so, many are choosing to work from home. By doing so, we are moving our secure information with us, and keeping up with security continues to be a big concern.
While your work place most likely has procedure and security in place for information security, you may not necessarily have the same set up at home on such short notice. So what can you do to keep information safe while protecting your health? As it turns out, there’s a fair bit you can do.
Information Security At Home
Cyber Security
For starters, since the majority of working from home will involve computers, we will start here. As you are most likely working from your personal computer, start by having a good password to lock it. Chances are, no one is going to log onto your own computer, but it’s better not to take chances.
If you are using wi-fi instead of a wired connection, make sure it is encrypted. A strong, unguessable password, will help prevent anyone from just hopping on and monitoring your data use. Another good step is naming your wi-fi something that can not be immediately traced back to you. For example: don’t name it after yourself, or your address.
Keep a good anti-malware/anti-virus program running on your computer, and utilize a firewall to prevent attacks on your system. Should anything try and come at your system from the web, a good firewall will help to deflect the attack. Anti-virus/anti-malware programs will help to contain and remove any harmful files/programs that may infiltrate your computer.
When you are between working hours, at night for example, a good idea is to shut the computer right down. By leaving it on all the time, you are leaving connections open to it, connections that could be exploited. By shutting the power right off, no connections can be made to your machine.
While cyber security can be a complicated business and there are many things you can do, taking a few precautions will protect you. When everything is all said and done, don’t forget that you have had business data on your computer. When it gets old and it’s time to go, destroy your hard drives properly to ensure no data can be recovered.
Paper Record Security
If you are printing lots of records for your files while working at home, don’t forget that you are still required to follow compliance regulations. If you are retaining them, keep them stored in a secure manner. A locked safe that’s kept out of sight would be best, but a lockable file cabinet, or desk drawer can work for the short term.
When you need to dispose of paper records, do not be tempted to use your home paper shredder. They do not meet the requirements for paper shredding that a real industrial grade shredder does. This leaves the potential that documents could be reconstructed.
Just about every real certified paper shredder offers on site options for residents and businesses. These services will come right to your location, and shred right at your door. For those implementing social distancing, we can easily accommodate your needs during the shredding process.
Remember that now is not a time to forget about your information responsibilities, and you can stay on top of it, even if you are at home in self-isolation.
To our valued customers: we are remaining strong, dedicated to supporting our people and our community and we are taking the necessary precautions to keep our customers and staff safe. We would like to let you know that:
- We we will remain open for business at this time. We plan to continue our operations for as long as our customers stay open and need our services.
- We are carefully monitoring the health of our entire staff. No one will be out servicing our customers, or working in our offices, if they are experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms.
- If you have your employees working from home, please remind them of the importance of storing any paperwork they may have to print in a bag or box at their home. Employees can bring that container back to your office and place the contents in our shred containers when you re-open.
- If you are closing, please notify us so we can take the proper steps
Stay well and please reach out if you have any questions!
Chesapeake Paper Systems
So your computer has served you faithfully for many years, but now age has finally caught up to it. Starting the computer used to take seconds, now it takes minutes. Opening and closing programs happened with immediateness, now the computer has to think about it first. It’s time for an upgrade, but you need to be careful with your old parts. Old hard drives need to be destroyed, and there are some important reasons why that is.
3 Reasons To Destroy Old Hard Drives
Ensure Data Destruction
First thing’s first. Your data is still vulnerable on a hard drive after you have deleted it. Many people don’t understand how deletion works. The assumption, and one can’t be blamed for believing this considering the definition of the word “delete,” is that your data is destroyed. This is not the case at all.
Data in your hard drive is stored in a specific spot that is reserved only for it. When it gets deleted the data is merely flagged as available to be overwritten, and the links pointing to it are removed. That’s it! Eventually, as new data is created and saved, that old piece will get overwritten, but what happens if you don’t create anymore? The old stuff will be sitting there still, waiting and vulnerable.
This is why complete physical destruction of the hard drive is so essential. A dedicated person with some software and a little time can recover what was deleted. Preventing this is as simple as ensuring there is nothing available for recovery. As you may guess the way to do that is by not leaving a hard drive behind for someone to try to use it. By utterly destroying the devices there is nothing left to be recovered, which protects any data you left behind.
Keeping With Compliance
Another reason for destroying hard drives comes down to legal requirements. There are various State and Federal laws that require the safe and proper handling of information. Two specific examples of laws are HIPAA for medical information, and FACTA for other areas. Failing to be in compliance will result in fines for businesses, and a loss of trust from your clients.
Environmental Impact
Another issue to keep in mind is putting electronics in the landfill negatively impacts the environment. There are toxic materials in electronics like various heavy metals. When allowed to deteriorate, leak toxins into the air, soil, and water. Those toxins will eventually find their way into all aspects of the ecosystem, including plants and animals that consume them. Eventually of course they find their way into humans, as we eat, drink, and breathe all the same things as the other animals.
Additionally there’s the issue of landfills filling in faster this way. The sooner a landfill reaches capacity, the sooner we have to open more. And then more and more will follow after it. Proper destruction takes the decimated components and sends them away for proper recycling. Toxic materials are handled properly, and the rest is turned into new products, lowering our overall impact.
In The End
So there we have it, 3 reasons why you should be destroying your hard drives when their time has come. It all comes down to doing what’s best for your data privacy, your legal responsibilities, and helping out the environment. Don’t take any chances, do it right from the beginning.
So you’re aware of your shred responsibilities and are seeking a provider of shred service. Once you’ve worked out how often you might need to shred, you’ll have to work out a way to securely store the documents to be shredded. It might be tempting to just use some file cabinet, or a bag as your collection point, but those come with risks. A safe of some sort would certainly be secure, but it’s not conducive to a smooth workflow.
What you need is something that’s secure yet easy to access for your staff. Something like a secure shred bin! GASP! What is a shred bin you might ask? Why should I bother with such a thing? Those are all excellent questions, and we’ll answer those now.
Shred Bin Advantages
These bins are common enough for document shredding providers, and are usually a standard feature when signing on. This will be due to the reasons we shall list, and also because they are required for compliance purposes. That aside, let’s look at why these are so good.
Unobtrusive and Accessible
The bins are designed to fit into an office environment, therefore they must not take up a large amount of space, and be able to fit in somewhere that people can easily access. In this way, the bins are combining security while not sacrificing work flow. A bulky thing sitting in the middle of the main walkway would be disruptive to say the least. With several different sizes available, having a small office isn’t an issue, whereas a large office has options that fit their requirements as well.
It’s important for your staff to have easy access to the shred bins so compliance can be carried through. If it was hard to reach them, short cuts could be taken that would leave you vulnerable. People might wait until there is a large pile that needs to be binned before going over to do it, which is not good for compliance. By acting as centralized collection points they also eliminate any confusion as to where secure files need to be deposited. Training will be smoother and faster, compliance will be maintained easier.
Secured
So we know these bins are easy to access collection points designed to fit into an office. Great, but how do they keep things safe? If they’re out in the open can’t anybody happen by and take a handful? Absolutely not, the reason being a fun invention we call a “lock”.
The actual lid or door of the bin is lockable so only authorized personnel can access the items inside. A letter slot is the opening by which papers are placed within, thus it is too small for a hand to reach in and take them back out. The only time these bins will be opened is when a uniformed employee of your shredding service provider arrives to carry out shredding for you.
At The End
With those main points you will hopefully now understand what the big deal with shred bins is. Don’t seek an alternative when presented with these, they are designed to fill a specific task and they do it well. Always remember that they are maximizing your security, compliance, and convenience.
It’s a time of year that’s easy to love. Bright lights, cheery songs, and parties with friends naturally help brighten the mood. From finding the perfect gift to our best creative wrapping strategies, there’s a lot of fun to be found.
However, an increase in shopping also means increasing rates of fraud. 2019 already shows a 29% increase in retail fraud compared to 2018, and fraud isn’t limited to online interactions. Purchases of any kind create a massive paper trail of receipts and credit card statements. Even Christmas cards aren’t completely safe – personal addresses, pet names, and handwritten signatures often accompany the warm wishes for the season, and these are highly desirable for identity thieves.
What Does Document Destruction Have to Do with Holidays?
Your control over any personal information in your trash effectively ceases to exist the second you put it out for public trash collection. This means that, in most states, it’s perfectly legal for someone to search through your garbage, provided it’s on public property (such as a street curb for collection).
Cards with the addresses and names of those most dear to you, receipts and delivery statements from all the gifts you ordered – all of these can fall into the hands of someone intent on misusing them. With little more than your name and address, thieves can scam their way into getting the rest of your information.
It’s true that document destruction isn’t naturally associated with the holiday season, but it really should be. It’s an essential step towards making sure that your new year doesn’t begin with charges you didn’t make or, worse, the discovery that your bank account has been cleared out.
The way document destruction works is by guaranteeing that the information on these printed items can’t be recovered. The shredding company will crosscut your documents into tiny pieces (about the size of very fine confetti). Instead of putting those pieces back into the public trash system, the shredding company will securely remove them to a trusted, local recycling center to ensure that all traces of the physical documents – and your personal information – are gone for good.
How to Prepare During the Holidays
While the holidays are going on, and you’re juggling a variety of guests, gift arrangements, and party planning, all you need to focus on is collecting the items you’ll need to have destroyed. This can be as simple as taking a cardboard box from a recent delivery and dropping papers with sensitive information into it.
What do you need to withhold for document destruction? The short answer is anything with personally identifiable information on it. This can include:
- Billing Statements
- Credit Card Receipts
- Order Invoices
- Prescription Documents
- Greeting Cards & Envelopes
Of course, it’s perfectly all right to hold onto things for sentimental reasons. But when you’re ready to throw them out, make sure they go into the pile you’re setting aside for professional document destruction.
Arranging a Post-Holiday Purge
When the new year arrives and the seasonal craziness slows down, it’s time to do something with all those papers you’ve set aside. You’ll want to call a certified, professional shredding company. All you need to do is let them know what you want to shred, and where/when you’d like them to arrive. That’s it!
When your shredding day arrives, all you need to do is direct the shredding technician to your collection of papers. They’ll personally load it into the shredding truck, and you’ll be able to watch as the papers are destroyed right before your eyes, usually in only a few minutes. When the process is complete, the technician will give you a Certificate of Destruction, which is a document verifying that your items were destroyed according to state and federal regulations (this is especially useful for those who work from home or have a home-based business).
The technician will then directly deliver your document shreds to a secure recycling plant for processing, which means you can tackle the new year with complete peace of mind as to the state and security of your discarded information.
Where to Find More Information on Document Destruction
The safety and security of your personal information should never be taken lightly, which is why it’s important to find a trustworthy company to handle your document destruction. Chesapeake Paper Systems is a NAID-certified, locally owned business with a track record of excellent service. We’re proud to provide a variety of services to our community, including one-time purge shredding, residential shredding service, and a hard drive destruction plan.
For more information on our on-site paper shredding service for both businesses and residential customers, call us at (844) 400-2437 or get in touch online.