Reasons why having a “Clear Desk” Policy is beneficial for businesses today

confidential shredding, clean desk policy

A clear space, a clear mind. Paper shredding is a good habit to help clean up and also protect your data. Confidential document shredding service will help you clear out unwanted paper and documents that may have built up over the years.

(Shred your waste paper data)

It is the time of year for new beginnings, new healthy practices and in the business arena new accounting years. Even though we advocate best healthy practice we will now take a look at kick-starting some best practices for housekeeping within your place of work.

When looking around in your offices; are you looking at paper documents stacked in areas to be “Got to at some stage”, as we have begun new healthy habits in our personal lives it is also a great decision to look at implementing a clean desk policy also known as “waste paper procedure” within your offices.

Similar to a clean eating policy where you maintain clean and healthy macronutrients entering your body, a clean desk policy will direct your employees in maintaining a clean desk at all times during their working day.

We are all aware of the benefits of having a clean working area, “a tidy space equates to a tidy mind” however, a clean desk policy will also empower your Organisation to protect data in line with Data Protection Legislation.

Simple guidelines to protect your working data, whether the data is sensitive commercial data and/or personal sensitive data is to;

  1. Passwords and encryption upon electronic data carrier
  2. Have lockable cabinets within your office areas
  • Other suitable secure storage if/when required
  1. Once any of the data has been used and is no longer required you should insert it into secure consoles (Cabinets) awaiting destruction.

A well detailed and structured “Waste paper Procedure/Clean Desk Policy” really is of serious benefit to any Organisation and protects you in many ways such as;

  1. Saved money and resources
    Using a clean desk policy and having a certified vendor saves money upon downtime for staff in destroying old data
  2. Protect your Organisations Data and improve upon internal data flows

Detailing to staff that data digitalisation is the new company policy you will save money upon printing costs, increase efficiencies in data transfers and maintain business competitive with new data storage technologies.

  1. Data Protection law compliance
    It is essential for business to comply with the relevant Data Protection Laws in their jurisdictions, this includes not leaving it resting upon desks for casual bystanders to see the details; the Organisation in turn is protected from receiving for non-compliance fines and penalties
  2. Reduced data breach risk
    When private and sensitive information is protected from unauthorised view, there is less likelihood of information theft, fraud or a security breach, the costs of which can run into the £millions – in fines, reputation damage, and lost business
  3. Create a stronger reliability within your firm
    Ensuring that sensitive information is not left on desks will provide management with peace of mind that possible insider fraud is reduced to a minimum risk.
  4. Create a positive working environment
    As previously covered, a clean and tidy work space results in a clean and tidy mind enabling employees to be happy and consistent with their work duties and create an overall positive atmosphere within your workplace.

For more information, handy tips and beneficial help; Join the conversation on information security with Security in Shredding on Twitter @SecurityInShred.

Why should SME’s outsource the destruction of it confidential documents?

Onsite document destruction

Secure document destruction is an integral part of business practice. Shredding confidential paper can be done by your business but hiring a certified and secure shredding service will benefit your business long term.

Firstly, outsourcing means just what it says — going “out” to find the “source” of what you need. Many companies regularly outsource areas of their business such as document management, payroll, Human Resource Management, cleaning to name but a few.

There are many benefits to outsourcing;

  • Reduction of costs;

Having your own company staff perform tasks that is not their core duty can result in the miss-management of company time resulting in companies paying above the market rate for that task.

  • Efficient Resources;

An outsourced service provider such as Security in Shredding provide an excellent cost structure and economies of scale resulting in giving the client a competitive advantage.

  • Allows the company to focus on core areas;

The clients trained skilled employees are left to focus on their core areas and duties resulting in a continued performance level from the employees and clear objectives are established and adhered to.

  • Save on infrastructure and specific technologies;

As a result of employing an outsourced service provider, you are reducing the cost of wear and tear on company equipment when choosing to outsource to a professional Data Destruction Service Provider.

 

  • Access to skilled resources;

 

A good outsourced service provider like Security in Shredding takes pride in the level of professional work they do. Security in Shredding  have the resources, in-house trained personnel and experience to carry out the task to the highest standard – EN 15713 and hold ISO 9001 certification.

 

  • Eliminating risk;

 

If you employed Security in Shredding as your data destruction service provider; they would manage the risk and eliminate the risk of data breaches and assist with the internal efficient management of paper data within your organisation.

As a result of the demand for outsourced Document Shredding, Security in Shredding has developed certified shredding equipment with the highest level of security shredding technologies available in Ireland to date. The shredding technologies are certified to Shred No. 6 of the EN 15713 shredding standard.

Security in Shredding have ample knowledge and expertise when it comes down to the management and secure certified destruction of data; so search no further. .

Give Security in Shredding a call and they will assist you with the management of your paper data as well as the secure, confidential and certified destruction of paper data. We cater for all size companies ranging from 1-10 employees to 10 + employees and Security in Shredding’s destruction services are nationwide so call us today on +35367 24848. The Security in Shredding team is looking forward to your call.

Please visit Security In Shredding website for more information:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Onsite & Off Site Paper Destruction Service

Security In Shredding on site service, Onsite shredding service

At Security In Shredding we provide excellent and secure service in both onsite shredding and onsite collection with off site shredding. Providing paper shredding in Ireland with a high quality service.

Din 66399 Standard

We operate under this standard. The Din requirement is in place and provide 3 separate shredding levels for your data destruction. The level of protection will depend on the how fine the paper is shredded.

  • Din level 1
  • Din level 2
  • Din level 3

The type of documents used will depend on the level of security you should implement. Documents containing a low threat and low impact would require Din level 1. Sensitive data restricted to a small group of people would require Din level 2 as if these documents were leaked would cause harm to a business. Din level 3 should be used for highly confidential data only accessed by authorised people.

On Site Mobile Shredding

This service is beneficial if you require your documents to be securely shredded on business premises. Our specially designed vehicles will securely destroy your documents. The entire process is done securely and is environmentally friendly where all waste is sent to a licensed waste company. More information can be viewed here:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/onsite-document-shredding.php

Off Site Document Shredding

Our off site service is also done to a high standard of security. We operate on a scheduled basis and our staff will collect the bags from a secure area within the business premises. The bags are collected by uniformed staff on a set time and will inform you if they are on route. The bags are placed into a locked secure van and taken to our site where it is shredded. Full details of the process can be viewed here:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/off-site-document-shredding.php

IT & Media Destruction

Data is not just paper data. It comes in many forms and digital data and the devices used also need to be destroyed in a secure manner. Digital has has become more and more popular and data protection of these devices needs to be implemented.

https://www.securityinshredding.com/it-media-destruction.php

Our aim is to provide you with a high quality and highly secure service, with minimal impact on your day to day business activity while maintaining your data security. For more information please visit our site or contact us for a consultation:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Shredding Documents Before Recycling Them

Data Protection, Paper Shredding, limeirck paper shredding

Paper data still plays a major part of industrial paper shredding. It is important that you are Shredding confidential paper before it is put into recycling. This is to ensure that your data is protected and cannot be viewed by public eye.

Paper like any other recycling is often left in the blue bin outside your home or business for it to be collected. This is a common practice and nothing wrong with it. If your recycling contains documents of a personal nature and or sensitive data nor for public knowledge, how it is disposed needs to be taken into consideration.

It is quite easy to access anything contained in these bins and within an urban area someone in a “white van” and a high vis jacket could pull up and throw these bags into the van. What they do with these documents may be unclear but can be malicious intent. Having the documents shredded before it is recycled will increase your data security.

Shredding Documents

A good practice for your business to incorporate is to shred your document before you put them into recycling bin. Also to be aware that a simple office shredder does NOT provide adequate data destruction. This data can be reconstructed. An industrial paper shredding service provides you with secure paper shredding. Incorporating a service to handle and destroy your documents should be used.

Scheduled Onsite Collection

A reputable shredding service will provide you with a collection service to handle and securely destroy documents you have. Ringing your shredding service provider and organising a collection at a time specified by you will ensure that you know when your documents are to be transferred.

A shredding service can provide you with sealed bags for collection and shred them in off site paper destruction location. A shredding service can also provide onsite shredding service with their specially designed trucks to handle and destroy these documents.

Data Protection

Under the EU directive the data protection act and the data protection commissioner are governing bodies in place to ensure that businesses handle data correctly and ensure sensitive data is used in a correct manner.

For more information on a reputable shredding service in Ireland please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Responding To Data Breaches

Secure Paper Shredding Hard Drive Shredding WEEE Destruction

Paper Data;

Without a confidential document shredding service in place for shredding documents and media devices. Your company or business may become under scrutiny for not having these defensive measures in place to begin with.

It is common practice for a business to securely deal with paper documents in its handling, who can access it and how it is destroyed. Most businesses and organisations will incorporate a reputable paper shredding service and these processes are all above board.

Digital Data;

This trend is still widely used but not with the increase in use of mobile devices globally. Digital Data has become the preferred use of displaying data. How this information is used and the potential of this information being misused. Issues regarding digital use to be an “IT issue” but this is now no longer the case. Data Breaches and leaks have become more and more common due to lack of cyber protections in place. Lack of knowledge for one about cyber security is one factor that causes these issues.

Data Protection

A Data Protection strategy for digital and paper documents must be implemented throughout a business. There are governing bodies in place and bodies localised to your business and is worth knowing what procedures are in place for data protection. In Ireland the Data Protection Commissioner is a governing body directive from the EU.

“The office of the Data Protection Commissioner is established under the 1988 Data Protection Act.  The Data Protection Amendment Act, 2003, updated the legislation, implementing the provisions of EU Directive 95/46. The Acts set out the general principle that individuals should be in a position to control how data relating to them is used.”

The DPC provides guidelines for data protection and methods. If these measures are in place before a data breach occurs, it can save face for a business reputation and wont be scrutinised for not having these measurements in place to begin with.

The DPC site offers guidelines regarding Data Security both physically and digitally and the guidelines can be viewed here.

https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Guidance-Material-Menu-Page/m/219.htm

An Industrial Paper Shredding Service will provide you with credible Data Protection service please visit our site for more information:

Email us at info@securityinshredding.com

The Disadvantages of Office Shredders

Paper Shredding

Data Breaches and Data Security go hand in hand and a incorporating a confidential shredding service will benefit you and your business significantly.

As a result of people becoming increasingly aware and vigilant of their confidential data and conscious of what readable files are disposed off in their bins, small office shredders are consequently on the rise. Many offices have an office shredder tucked in the corner or next to the printer; but in reality these small devices are putting your employees at risk, draining your time, compromising your security and also shredding your money so to speak.

Whereas if you outsource the destruction of your documents to a certified data destruction professional you are eliminating the length of time an employee has to spend feeding the small office shredder, eliminating a data breach, managing your end of life documents efficiently and appropriately reducing the amount of down time an employee spends in the working day.

Is an office shredder safe?

An office shredder is no shortage of blades, cutting knives and teeth moving at a few thousand RPM and it is usually placed in an easy to access area for people to use it. An office shredder cannot tell the difference between a paper and other items, such as:

  • Stray clothing e.g. ties, blouses/ shirts
  • Jewellery
  • Long sleeves
  • Fingers
  • Hair

People don’t realise that if a piece of paper gets stuck in a shredder; most people go to the power point to turn it off. What if it is battery powered? Would you know the shredder was completely powered off?

It’s easy to see how with no training, such a simple device can be a danger to a first-time user.

Time Consuming

The typical office shredder will boast a shredding power of between 3-5 sheets at a time, sounds acceptable but if one is shredding a 30, 50 or 100 page document will soon become a wearisome and time consuming task. Office shredder Manuals will have illustrated  that staples, paper clips or other tough bindings must be removed prior to shredding. Taking these out one by one and checking through pages and pages of paper for stray staples or clips is more time consuming than one might think.

Confidentiality

Why shred the documents you might ask?; The primary reason for shredding your documents should be to maintain confidentiality and security and ensure zero data breaches occur. Many standard budget shredders will cut paper into roughly 40-50 strips, which may seem like a lot, but it wouldn’t take a smart and determined criminal too long to re-assemble 50 strips of an A4 piece of paper and restore it to a legible condition.

Therefore by employing a registered Data Processor whom is a certified shredding service professional to complete all your data destruction requirements; will not only free up employee time but eliminate risk of a data breach and maintain the high level confidentiality that you require.

Cost

It’s difficult to put a cost figure on the security of your information, which is why a professional, efficient and secure shredding service is always advised. The actual cost of an office shredder may initially appear as a cheap investment in comparison to the cost of the services of a certified, registered shredding service provider but from employing a Data destruction service provider you will have little or no employee down-time, guaranteed destruction of documents and 100% total piece of mind.

The shredding service provider removes the shredded paper material from the clients location and transports the shredded material to the licensed waste recycling facility and off-loads the material as part of the cost.

If you’re thinking of making the change from an office shredder to a registered, certified, professional data destruction service provider, you can contact us for our professional advice and affordable prices.

For information on a confidential shredding service please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

When To Disclose A Data Breach

iCloud security wake-up call, data brach

Secure document destruction methods must be in place to comply with Data Protection laws. A confidential document destruction service will benefit your business and its Data Protection.

Technology has brought us accessibility to a global market and small businesses have benefited greatly from this boom in technology. With a greater number of devices connected to an online service has also meant that a increase in the number of cyber attacks. Small businesses in particular are now being targeted.

A report from the Wall Street Journal has shown that small law firms are targeted the most due to the potential high profile client base they may have. That being said law firms do not usually hold social security information and the information obtained by hackers may not be beneficial to them.

Under American law, law firms are required to inform the public that a breach has occurred.

Data Protection Commissioner

Under Irish law the Data Protection commissioner has Data Breach guidelines for you and your business to follow. If a breach occurs it is paramount that the matter is dealt with swiftly to minimise damage. Data Protection Commissioner data breach guidelines can be found at the link below.

https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Data-Breach-Handling/901.htm

The document informs you on what steps to take if a breach has occurred. With this guide you can easily follow the steps needed to take and the information to provide when informing the Data Protection commissioner.

“Failure to comply with these obligations can result in a criminal prosecution with fines up to €5,000 indictment €250,000 per offence.” 

The document also state “Prevention is better than cure.” Setting up company policies and practices for handling of sensitive data should be implemented immediately. A reputable Shredding Service will also improve Data Security within your company. A shredding service will be able to provide an onsite shredding service. Confidential shredding is paramount to shredding services.

A reputable shredding service will comply with the protocols provided by the Data Protection Commissioner. It is a governing body to help protect your personal data and the data of others.

Please visit our site for more information on a Confidential Shredding Service:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Full Article Wall Street Journal Report:

https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2016/03/30/when-do-law-firms-have-to-disclose-data-breaches/ 

 

The Future Of Data Security

Secure Paper Shredding Hard Drive Shredding WEEE Destruction

Document shredding service are a vital part of Data Protection. Shredding services in Ireland when a clear out shredding is needed. Offsite shredding services can be incorporated into everyday business to comply with Data Protection laws and improving Data Security.

Siliconrepublic an Irish based article site recently posted an interesting article regarding the future of Data security. Data Security is now more than ever vital for businesses to succeed. Technology has continuously improved and grown over the past number of years. The devices used has greatly helped smaller businesses compete with larger companies. With all this growth in technology aspects of the technology have being lost or information about it has become confusing and conflicting.

Data Security with technology will always be a continuous process. Between encryption, mobile devices and cyber warfare means that there will be no end to this process. Security experts can only protect against known breaches. Hackers have a small window of opportunity to work with.

Data Security Small Business

What does this mean for your business. For one, hiring a confidential shredding service that is also reputable and recognised by governing bodies. A shredding service must comply with Data Protection laws. A shredding service implemented within your business will ensure that you are protecting your data and improving data security.

Data Security is more than just electronic devices and digital data. Paper also contains data. Sensitive data in particular must be accessed and handled correctly. Who has access to this data and how this data is destroyed when no longer in use. A shredding service will handle these documents and devices and destroy them in a confidential and secure manor. ISO 9001:2008 is a good mark to look out for before hiring a shredding service for your business.

This type of data is what hackers and criminals try to achieve and will prey on human error to obtain this data. Dumpster diving will occur and if your documents are not shredded or only used a simple office shredder will not securely destroy data. Digital data can be accessed easily if the data is not encrypted or has not being wiped correctly. USB keys should be kept securely in your possession if they contain data. When shredding ask for the DIN level of shredding required to ensure secure data destruction.

Awareness to these methods is paramount to the success of your business and Data Security. If a data breach occurs then your business can be liable and receive a hefy penalty.

Read the full article here:

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/2016/03/24/cybersecurity-future-of-security-hackers

Details for a confdential shredding service please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Data Destruction What Is It?

harddrive destruction, Media Destruction, Confidential Shredding Service

Off site document destruction and or onsite document destruction can be implemented for a purge clear out in business. Secure document shredding services in the Dublin area and throughout the country are necessary to comply with Data Protection laws.

Data destruction is the process of destroying data stored on tapes, hard disks and other forms of electronic media so that it is completely unreadable and cannot be accessed or used for unauthorized purposes. A good data destruction process in your company or business will ensure you are complying with data protection laws. Protecting sensitive data is paramount for a business and if data breaches occur a business or company will receive a hefty penalty if a breach occurs.

On Site Media Destruction Service

Incorporating a on site media destruction service to your daily business will benefit both you and your customers. In today’s market any form of a data leak or breach is a make or break for business and in particular for e-commerce businesses. A reputable confidential shredding service should be sought when the service is needed.

There are a number of reasons for getting your media and a good shredding service will be able to provide most of the following:

 

  • Hard Drive Shredding – Large Quantities

  • Data Erasure

  • Hard Drive Degaussing

  • Hard Drive Crushing

  • Hard Drive Shredding

  • Lockable Bins for Hard Drive Storage

  • Tape Destruction

  • Remote Employee Services

Off Site Media Destruction

Services needed do not always require an on site destruction. Medium to large businesses can avail of off site destruction service where bulk destruction can take place. A good and reputable shredding service would be able to accommodate this.

Knowing weather to go for a on site or off site service will come down to the business owner or manager and enquiring with the shredding service as to which option is recommended and most shredding services will offer free consultation.

Data Destruction Shredding Process

The shredding process of hard drives will occur in a secure environment and is destroyed beyond reconstruction to ensure its security Below is a video description of the shredding process.

 

For more information on Data Destruction and Data Protection or have any enquires about a confidential shredding service please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

 

Data Protection Ireland Today

Data proccesser and data commissioner

Secure document destruction in Ireland can come in the form of an onsite paper shredding service or an off site paper shredding service. Data comes in many forms and The Data protection Act is in place to ensure that this data is protected.

Data Protection is a vital for a business to succeed and remain in business. If customers or users know that your service does not protect your data. It will be a massive loss to business and business reputation. Your business can suffer from a severe penalty for not protecting your data.

An interesting article written by Colm Gorey titled “3 issues defining data protection in Ireland today  The issues discussed are relevant to today’s business. The 3 topics discussed were:

  1. ISO 27018: Cloud computing privacy standard – one year on

  2. Personal data and your right to access it — Ireland vs the UK

  3. Challenges to data protection under the internet of things

The first point talks about the governing of personal data through cloud based systems. Standards have being created to ensure the protection of data and were received well by Data Security experts. The ISO 27018 standard can be read here. Cloud computing has become a major asset to business functionality and knowing what cloud based systems are doing with your data should be investigated and researched when changes if any occur.

The second point refers to Irish and English law. Although both countries have similarities the law for each country does vary and in particular with personal data and access to it. Your business must abide by the rules in place of the country it is based in. A good example of how country laws differ can be read at this link.

Awards of Damages for Data Protection Breaches – UK and Irish Approaches Contrasted

Thirdly the internet of things (IOT) refers to the general use of internet and internet services. Governments and official bodies are trying to develop ideas or frameworks that will regulate the internet of things. What has happened is the EU 28 data protection bodies.

for more information on data protection and a confidential shredding service please visit: https://www.securityinshredding.com/