Remote working has become the new norm for many of us. This brings with it the threat of data breaches. Employees are taking their work outside of the office and this brings a whole new range of risks with it.

• Remote Working Security Policy

First and foremost, policies need to be updated to include remote working, including dealing with confidentiality and digital security. To begin with remote working seemed like a temporary solution however it is fast becoming a fixture in the lives of Irish employees and it is set to continue for many regardless of the restrictions in place.

• IT Security

Preferably an employee should have separate devices for work and personal use. This is not always an option, if an employer is relying on the employee to use their own devices then they need to ensure that their security protocols are up to date.

• Printed Documentation

As we know having a regularly scheduled shredding service is of great benefit to a business. With employees scattered here and there, now there is a higher risk of documents being disposed of incorrectly. Carting documents to a location to be destroyed is not particularly secure either. We currently collect from home offices and households and it is so simple to set up. Just order your bags and then we will schedule a collection.

• Staff Training

Training employees in GDPR is essential and with the new expectations that come with remote working their training needs to be customised to suit this new way of working. Employers should be in regular communication with their team members to review policies and smooth over any issues that arise. Regular meetings allow a platform for free communication between all staff members.

• Clean desk policy

Preferably an employee should have an office space or isolated room in which they can work. However due to living situations being unpredictable there are a few things your employee can be encouraged to do. Try not to access any data when someone else outside of the company is in the room, always clear your desk/workspace even if just going for a cup of tea. The device being used for work should be password protected. If documents need to be printed, they should be securely locked away.

Covid 19 has triggered the worldwide stock markets to crash, which means you will be affected regardless of whether you get the virus or not. It has infected us all; it has changed the way we live and now the world feels smaller than ever. It is a dire situation, however how we deal with it can mean the difference between utter despair and hope for the future. The sheer community that is now finally visible among the people of the world is an optimistic result to come from this. While we are all keeping our distance physically, we have never been more connected.

As an entrepreneur there are many choices you must now make, should I stay running as normal? How can I implement procedures to reduce risk to my employees and clients? Will my business survive this? There are decisions to be made which may seem impossible but there are options, there are possibilities.

Adapt

Changes need to be made in how we work and how we conduct our day to day business. Working from home, while not always possible, can be an option for many people. If your business is very computer based and relies heavily on this regardless of what is going on in the world, is it possible to maximise this to your benefit and the benefit of your team. Can you remove physical interaction entirely? We now have so many options for conducting business online, from apps for meetings to document editing software that allows collaboration across the seas if necessary. Digital data can be destroyed in a similar way to our paper documentation. We have a hard-drive shredding service which is available in order to remain GDPR compliant regardless of the method you use to conduct your business; digital or paper.

Procedures

Not everyone can work from home and not everyone can remove paper or physical contact from their company’s daily activity. You still have power to put procedures in place which ensure safety among your employees and consumers. Posters informing all who enter the premises of best practice for avoiding infection i.e. Hand-washing techniques, sanitising work stations regularly, keeping distance and respecting social distancing. Providing anti-bacterial hand wash and sanitisers by sinks and at work stations if possible.  Ensure that all employees are respecting these procedures explicitly. If you are a large organisation with enormous traffic, cleaning regularly will be required. Allow for a slightly slower pace since all these things will take extra time and require diligence. If an employee is unwell ensure they are aware that they must stay home regardless of how minor it seems, this virus appears in a variety of ways and some may not think they have much wrong with them. Communicate policies in a clear and calm manner, your employees are just as anxious about this situation as you are and adding to the fear will not be beneficial in the long run to you or them.

Reports

This virus is rapidly changing our economy daily and it will be the same for anyone trying to keep a business running through this time. Daily reports are a necessity in order to keep on top on the rapidly altering situation. These reports will inform your next step. We have to all take this one day at a time and be ever changing in order to keep up.

Future

This virus attacking the world right now is a temporary situation, however the impact of this will be visible for many years to come. In most cases your business will be permanently affected. You will need to plan ahead and prepare for the future. In general adapting is how we will get through this. Humans are designed to adapt.

Shredding your own documents is all well and good however there are many negatives to this which may make you reconsider. Bulky paper shredders with fed up employees shredding for hours, wasting time and money and possibly raising their stress levels to the point where their loyalty may be tested to the extreme. Then the paper gets stuck or some other maintenance issue arises. The shredder is left to the side until someone can get around to having it repaired and the paper begins to pile up and up.

Cost

Personal paper shredding costs your company more money. You will have to fork out for upkeep and repair, which doesn’t even take account of the employee you will have to pay to operate it. This employee will have to be someone you trust completely. There is no need to even consider procurement fee, equipment upgrades, electricity consumption, labour etc with a contracted shredding company.

Certification for Compliance.

To make in-house paper shredding a policy within your business, you will need to have a safe and accurate document destruction strategy. Additionally, you must record the removal and destruction of records in question, otherwise you and your operator become liable. A contracted shredding company takes on all of these associated risks so you and your team don’t have to.

Reduce risk of employment fraud.

A business seldom hires a specific team or employee to feed the shredder and ensure the destruction of the documents. The operator is typically an employee who works unaccompanied and there is no supervision in place. An untrustworthy employee can be a risk when they see the possibility of a lucrative way of making money in selling personal and confidential information. In-house shredding increases the risk of employment fraud unless you put safety measures in place. With outsourced shredding, destruction of documentation is always observed and documented from the moment the documents are lugged from the location to the time they are securely destroyed.

Correct Disposal of Data.

In-house shredding usually translates to materials ending up in normal waste. When the shredder bag gets full or if the shredder breaks down, sometimes the temptation to throw things in the normal rubbish can be too high. With outsourced shredding services there will be secure procedures put in place in order to ensure something like this will never happen. The paper is securely destroyed and disposed of, eradicating any possibility of data being salvaged from the waste.

It is clear that contracting outside of your company is safer than in-house shredding. When a corporation does this, they are eliminating the risks of data being released into the wrong hands.

We here at Security in Shredding were absolutely delighted with the turn out for our free shred event which took place on Saturday the 1st February. Our team shredded in excess of 5000 Kgs of sensitive data and 60 Hard drives.

It was a very positive experience over all, regardless of the weather. It gave us the opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of complying with GDPR and what it is to have piece of mind that your data is securely disposed of.

We want to thank everyone for their support in particular Limerick City and County Council for facilitating such an event, Live 95 FM for their interview and the Limerick Leader for their article.

We look forward to next year to our next free shred event.

On the first of February 2020 there will be a free confidential paper shredding event taking place at Mungret Recycling Centre, Bunlicky, Co. Limerick to celebrate Data Protection Day. The one-day event takes place from 11am until 3.30pm.

Security in Shredding in conjunction with Limerick City and County council are facilitating the ‘Free Shred Event’ to celebrate European Data Protection Day 2020. We wish to promote awareness of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and encourage good waste management practices.

Security in Shredding staff will be onsite to destroy up to four hard-drives per individual attendee free of charge in addition to up to four bags of confidential documents free of charge. We are the first Irish Data Processor to design and introduce a mobile hard-drive shredding technology.

Householders and Small to Medium Enterprises are encouraged to bring a maximum of four bin bags of confidential paper material. Confidential material can include personal information, bills, customer records, insurance records and income statements, to be shredded on site on the day.

Albert Kelly, General Manager of Security in Shredding said: “It is an event we have been running in conjunction with Limerick County & City Council for the past five years to celebrate European Data Protection Day and we are delighted to provide such a great facility to businesses in the region. Not only are we creating awareness of The GDPR Legislation, providing a facility to securely destroy both paper and Hard-Drives for business, but we are also protecting the environment. We are thrilled to have built such a great relationship with Limerick County & City Council for the event and we will continue with the event into the future”.