5 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Identity Theft
(Updated September 2024)
December is National Identity Theft Awareness and Prevention Month
How can you protect your organization from a data breach and ensure confidential information is secure against identity theft? Types of business records vulnerable to identity theft include:
- Financial documents
- HR records
- Customer files
- Tax records
- Insurance documents
- AP/AR files
Develop a Records Retention Schedule
Protecting your organization from security breaches could be as simple as developing a well-structured records retention policy. By categorizing documents into active and old records, you can determine the appropriate storage method. Consider offsite storage for active records that are cluttering your office or those required by law. For confidential records that have expired, a secure shredding service can help protect sensitive information. By following these steps, you’ll create a secure, cost-effective system for managing your files.
Document Shredding and Hard Drive Destruction
Document shredding and hard drive destruction are two of the biggest ways you can prevent against identity theft. A document shredding service can provide locked shred consoles for your office where employees can securely dispose of documents that have outlived their usefulness. It’s also important that you not recycle or stock pile hard drives, as you could be exposing tons of sensitive company data. Using a monthly document shredding service and hard drive destruction provider can ensure documents don’t fall into the wrong hands.
Stop Storing Sensitive Documents in Public Storage Units
If you’re currently storing your hard copy records in a self-storage unit, you’re leaving your organization extremely vulnerable to unwanted exposure. There are too many uncontrollable factors that impact business productivity, jeopardize client privacy, and damage your organization’s reputation. The good news is – pulling your records out of a self-storage unit is easy! Record Storage Systems will purge, pack, and transport all boxes to our secure facility where you will have peace of mind knowing your documents are protected throughout their lifecycle.
Limit Access to Critical Electronic Records
As the paperless office becomes the norm, electronic records are increasingly vulnerable to data breaches. HR and AP departments can benefit from efficient electronic records storage and content management software, but data security must be a top priority. Choose a software solution that empowers you to control access and streamline workflows. By setting permissions and creating customized workflows, you can ensure that only authorized employees can view sensitive information like onboarding records, payroll details, and invoicing.
Conduct Regular Audits and Risk Management Assessments
Conducting a risk management assessment is an excellent way to catch vulnerabilities within your document management process, prepare you for audits, and prevent identity theft. Is sensitive information traveling via unencrypted email? Are social security numbers exposed on documents that pass through multiple employees or departments within the organization? Organizations could be mismanaging data without even knowing it. A risk assessment can identify weaknesses within your internal workflows and help prevent accidental breaches.
