Modern businesses regularly collect and leverage essential data to improve their competitiveness and better serve their customers. Unfortunately, this information is vulnerable to misuse by unauthorized individuals.
Getting rid of unwanted assets requires you to remember several things, so it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are five mistakes to avoid when performing document destruction.
1. Putting It Off
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when destroying their documents is putting them off for too long. You should protect vulnerable information at all costs. You risk damaging your reputation and bottom line if credentials, user information, or intellectual property leaks.
It’s good practice to destroy unneeded documents at the end of every work week. That way, valuable information won’t pile up and become a liability.
2. Ignoring Electronics
Another mistake businesses often make regarding document destruction is focusing on only paper documents. Thieves can still recover your electronic files and records stored on electronic devices such as HDDs, SSDs, and flash drives after you delete them.
Your document destruction policy should encompass all documents (digital and print) used during operations. This policy includes documents stored on computers and other electronic devices.
3. Going It Alone
Businesses should also be careful of going it alone when destroying documents. While it can be tempting to save some money by DIYing this process, you can make many mistakes that can leave you vulnerable to attacks and data theft if you aren’t careful.
Rather than trying to do everything in-house, you can turn to secure document shredding services capable of certifying every step of the process.
4. Not Tracking Documents
Sometimes, businesses may fail to track and manage their document destruction processes accurately. Even if you’re using a third-party service, it’s a good idea to keep track of which documents you’ve destroyed and when.
You should clearly label your documents to ensure you only send the correct ones for destruction. Having a schedule outlining which items need retaining and destroying is good practice.
5. Breaking Regulations
Most regions have specific laws and regulations that businesses must follow when dealing with vulnerable information. You must protect any private user data your company collects during operations or face severe fines and penalties.
It’s your responsibility to stay abreast of any policies associated with the collection and use of data. A robust data destruction policy should include methods for monitoring these rules.
Keep Yourself and Your Customers Safe
Businesses must protect consumer data to the best of their abilities. You should inform any affected individuals immediately so they can take precautions if there is a data breach.
Knowing the biggest mistakes to avoid during the document destruction process will allow your company to operate without putting anyone in harm’s way.
