What happens if there’s a data breach and confidential client information is leaked? As we’ve seen in the news, the outcomes can be devastating. It can damage your company’s reputation, expose sensitive information to the public and lead to other serious consequences. Keeping confidential information secure is essential for businesses of all sizes. There are several ways to protect your data, but with the constant threat of hacking and exploitation, choosing the right security solution is vital. In today’s blog, we’ll look at some of the top security solutions, including commercial shredders and backup and recovery solutions, to help keep your confidential information safe. But before diving into those details, let’s start with the basics: What is confidential information?
Confidential information is data that should be kept private to protect a company and its stakeholders and/or clients. This includes personal information like full names, phone numbers, addresses, emails and credit card numbers, as well as unpublished financial information and trade secrets such as customer lists, supplier lists, processes and inventions. A data breach occurs when this sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, exposing it to unauthorized
access, disclosure or theft. Data breaches can lead to significant financial losses and damage to a businesses’ reputation. Taking the appropriate measures to ensure data confidentiality protects businesses from the negative consequences and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements.
According to Shred-it’s 2023 Data Protection Report, there are four main sources of data breaches: malicious outsiders, spiteful insiders, partners and suppliers and employee errors. The report found that 38 percent of data breaches involved malicious insiders - employees who share confidential information with outside sources. Employee errors were responsible for 50 percent of all reported data breaches. To prevent these breaches, it’s important for businesses to have clear policies on security and privacy. Regular data security training for employees, covering both digital and physical risks, is also imperative.
Many scams, both in-person and online, aim to steal confidential information from businesses. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE), organizations lose about 5 percent of their revenue each year to fraud. To protect your business, it’s important to recognize different scams and stay cautious. Be especially wary of unsolicited emails that demand immediate action or contain spelling mistakes. Also, be careful with emails from unknown senders that include links or attachments.
Your staff needs to know how to handle confidential information carefully. Train them to protect both physical and electronic documents at every stage. Here are some security solutions you should consider:
Implementing a clean desk policy can also help reduce the risk of breaches. When sensitive documents are left out on desks, anyone walking by can easily see them. To keep information secure, make sure all documents are locked up at the end of the day and no paper or confidential information is left on desks. This practice helps protect your data while it’s still in use.
Controlling access to confidential information is key to keeping sensitive data safe. Make sure only the people who really need to see non-public information, documents and files have access. The fewer people who have access, the lower the risk of a data breach. Users should also use strong passwords to access this information and, if possible, set up two-factor authentication for extra security.
Confidential data should never be tossed in the garbage or recycling bin, whether at home or at the office. It’s also risky to rely on employees to decide what’s confidential, as they might not always recognize it. To avoid confusion, set up a clear document disposal policy. This policy should cover both everyday documents and those that need to be kept longer. For everyday documents, a “shred-all” policy is best. This means shredding or placing all documents, from sticky notes to client information, into shredding bins. This approach removes any guesswork and greatly reduces the risk of a security breach. For documents that need to be stored longer, like tax files or employee records, follow your business’s document retention rules. Store these documents securely and shred them properly once they’re no longer needed. Make sure all documents are kept in a locked area and boxes are clearly labelled with their contents and disposal dates. Once the retention period is over, shred the documents promptly using a commercial shredder. Next, we’ll explore some of the leading office shredders available at JBM Office Systems – from models suitable for small offices to those designed for medium and large workgroups.
Not all confidential information can be protected with commercial shredders. Some sensitive data remains at risk, even with this hardware. In recent years, ransomware and phishing have become the most common forms of cybercrime, targeting businesses of all sizes. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks users from accessing their IT systems until a ransom is paid. It’s a serious threat, holding personal and corporate data, financial and healthcare records and other valuable information hostage. Phishing, which often delivers ransomware, tricks people into providing sensitive information like usernames, passwords and credit card details. These phishing attempts usually arrive via emails that look like they come from trusted sources but actually contain malicious content that activates when clicked. Even the most cautious users can be deceived, especially when the emails resemble routine job tasks. To combat ransomware and phishing, businesses need a multi-pronged approach. A key part of this strategy is regularly backing up data with an effective backup and recovery solution. Storing these backups securely offsite or in the cloud ensures that, even if your data is compromised, you can restore it from a secure backup.
Datto SIRIS sets itself apart from traditional backup and recovery solutions by taking a cloud-first approach. It offers an all-in-one solution that seamlessly integrates local backup and disaster recovery with a secure, cloud-based system. Managed through the Datto Cloud – a single, secure portal – SIRIS makes it easy to view, manage and recover data. The Datto Cloud, which is purpose-built for backup and recovery, provides flexibility and multiple layers of protection to ensure your data remains safe and recoverable. Whether you’re protecting data on physical servers or virtual machines running Windows Server or Linux, SIRIS has you covered. Organizations can deploy SIRIS as a complete appliance from Datto or as software integrated into their existing hardware, ensuring a critical step toward data safety and recoverability. As an all-in-one business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution, SIRIS offers several benefits. Instant Virtualization allows you to recover a system in seconds, whether in the Datto Cloud, on local hardware, or using a SIRIS appliance. It also provides various recovery options, such as file restore, rapid rollback to reverse changes caused by ransomware, image export, full virtual server restoration and bare metal recovery for re-imaging a server on new hardware.
With Datto SIRIS, reliability issues that could disrupt productivity and lead to downtime are a thing of the past. Datto’s Advanced Backup Verification, featuring patented Screenshot Verification, automatically ensures that backups will boot with all data intact and free of ransomware, giving you peace of mind. Security is at the core of SIRIS, with protections extending from login to the cloud. These include two-factor authentication for the Datto Backup Portal, a hardened backup appliance and backup copies stored in the resilient Datto Cloud, safeguarding them from ransomware attacks. Additionally, Cloud Deletion Defense helps recover backup snapshots that were deleted accidentally or maliciously. To top it off, SIRIS is backed by a team of in-house security professionals dedicated to keeping your data safe. Learn more about enhancing your business recovery with Datto SIRIS.
Neglecting your company’s security processes can lead to serious consequences, including damage to your reputation and the exposure of sensitive information. Protecting confidential information is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Our top commercial shredders, along with our backup and recovery solutions, can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and minimize the chance of downtime. Contact us today to learn more about these tools and how they can benefit your small, medium or large business.
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