Every business needs a document-handling procedure to store sensitive data and company information. Everything from team member records to client contracts and financial information must be stored safely to prevent data loss or theft.
This can be done using tried-and-tested file management strategies. These help your business organize and secure your document inventory, whether tangible paperwork or electronic records. These suggestions can support any existing features your business may have in place, such as cyber security and data management to safeguard your files.
Here are five file management tips to keep your company documents safe:
1. Limit Document Access
One of the most effective ways to keep your files safe is limiting access to paper and digital copies of documents within your company. Different levels of team members should be given varying levels of access to corporate data. Access is granted only when necessary to complete an assigned task. Once the job is completed, access to data or documents will be revoked.
To further keep sensitive data safe, your company can benefit from secure printing solutions that prevent unauthorized users from printing or making physical copies. Such tools deter information theft internally and reduce the chance of data attacks externally by limiting administrative access.
2. Destroy Unwanted Documents Correctly
Disposing of business documents after their retention period is another critical safety procedure in file management. It protects data from theft and document tampering by unauthorized personnel and the public. The most secure method to destroy documents is using a paper shredder and bin that should be kept within the office and not accessible to anyone else.
However, if you need to destroy a bulk of paper documents at once, consider hiring a shredding service. They’re experts in large-quantity document destruction and allow you to witness the records destroyed beyond recovery.
Electronic documents can be more complicated to destroy as cybercriminals can still retrieve deleted files. In such cases, your company’s IT department can use wiping programs that overwrite or erase the deleted data.
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3. Store Physical Documents In A Secure Facility
While it might be relatively easier to prevent digital document theft, physical copies are particularly vulnerable because they can’t be protected by technology in the same way. If your business has high-value paper records, you should invest in a secure storage facility either offsite or at your company premises.
Ideally, the storage facility should provide security services such as keeping the documents or records locked up behind biometric access points. Then when copies need to be retrieved, they can be delivered promptly.
For onsite storage of physical records, team members should organize paper files and then keep them in lockable filing cabinets so that no loose papers remain on their desks.
4. Back-Up Your Documents On A Records Management System
Keeping a backup of your documents that need to be archived and kept secure is crucial. The best way to do this is by using a records management system where newly scanned documents and electronic copies can be stored online.
This works similarly to cloud storage, except an IT expert manages your documents in-house. Doing this allows you to retain a large volume of organized document inventory and apply access control policies. You can also use this system to coordinate document movement from scanning to sharing while observing the real-time status of a document’s location.
5. Create A Documents Handling Policy
Team members trained to identify and handle confidential documents are less likely to compromise them and cause an accidental data breach. Therefore, your company can implement a robust document security policy so that all team members know how to manage information using the proper security precautions.
This policy helps maintain workplace efficiency by providing clearance to each staff member on which documents they’re allowed to locate, access, share, and print and which are prohibited based on their role.
Additionally, a document management policy can equip them with skills to avoid falling for social engineering and cyber-attacks that seek to obtain sensitive documents. This is vital if your company is fully remote, where team members can use various networks to work online.
Conclusion
Your company documents can be kept safe using practical yet effective file management tips, which include regulating access to sensitive data and training team members to comply with a record-handling policy. Furthermore, it involves destroying unwanted documents properly and maintaining secure document storage online and onsite.
These reliable methods avert data theft and mishandling and ward off unauthorized document access and data breach attacks. Consequently, your records can be stored securely, and your business can continue handling its operations confidently.
