Businesses must be able to secure their assets to reduce liability and maintain a competitive advantage. With so many things used in the workplace to create, store, and share important information, it’s easy to forget some things.
It’s vital to properly handle your and your client’s data to ensure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Here are five overlooked items your business needs to properly destroy to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Personnel Files
Businesses often need to purge their records to reduce storage and maintenance costs. However, it’s easy to simply throw everything in the trash, exposing critical personal data to malicious actors.
Any personally identifiable information needs to get destroyed when you’re done with it. IDs, Social Security numbers, addresses, and anything else that might compromise someone’s privacy should get shredded or burned to comply with regulations.
Financial Information
Another thing businesses often overlook when disposing of old assets is financial documents. This type of sensitive information can be easily exploited if the wrong person or group discovers it.
Whether it’s related to the business, an employee, or a client, any information related to money or finances should be securely destroyed. Bank statements, tax documents, invoices, and even purchase histories can leave you and others vulnerable if not adequately dealt with.
Digital Storage
Many don’t realize the importance of properly disposing of old digital storage devices. However, even after it’s erased, data can remain on the medium for its lifetime, making proper disposal necessary when organizations get rid of their IT equipment.
SSDs, HDDs, and old user devices must be securely managed so that information stored on them isn’t exposed to the public. Crushing, drilling, burning, and chemical dissolution are just a few ways to be sure digital storage won’t compromise your business.
Hazardous Chemicals and Waste
Businesses that work with any dangerous chemical or waste byproduct need to be especially careful when storing, shipping, and disposing of the items. The EPA and other federal agencies carefully regulate the use of these types of materials.
This type of waste should never go into the trash or public site. In most cases, businesses must go through the proper legal channels to certify that they’ve dealt with toxic or harmful items according to predetermined standards.
Defective and Outdated Products
Most businesses don’t want their unsold or defective products to end up in the hands of consumers. Items no longer on the market are vulnerable to counterfeiting, and if unsafe items end up hurting someone, your company could be liable for any damages.
In-store returns, damaged goods, and unwanted inventory can be a hassle. Going through a product destruction company is the best way to ensure everything gets handled correctly.
It’s Important To Have Solutions in Place To Maintain Privacy
No matter what industry you’re in, leaving personal, financial, or strategic data to get discovered by unauthorized parties should be out of the question. Pay attention to the most overlooked items your business needs to destroy properly so you don’t miss anything important.
Knowing what to look for when maintaining systems will allow you to build resilient practices and reduce the possibility of unwanted threats.
