Monthly Archives: March 2016

Data Destruction What Is It?

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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 classification and identification

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Security In Shredding on site service, Onsite shredding service

Confidential shredding in Cork and throughout the country can incorporate a off site document shredding service to promote good business practice.

Internal Data classification and identification is when an Organisation tags their data so it can be managed effectively, securely processes, found quickly and destroyed appropriately.

It is a beneficial exercise for many Organisations as it helps to de-duplicate data stored on devices, this de-duplication vastly speeds ups data searches while also saves upon revenue in the form of storage capacity and back-up requirements for a given Organisation.

This exercise is also required for Organisations who need to meet legal and regulatory requirements for destroying the information beyond reconstruction, not holding information longer than necessary in addition to enabling an Organisation to retrieve specific information within a set timeframe.

Data strategies vary significantly from one organisation to another for many reasons. For example, many may generate different types and volumes of data that are subject to differing legislative requirement and responsibilities. The balance of information type can vary from one user to the next between e-mail correspondence, images, video files, office documents, customer and product information, financial data just to name a few.

It may seem a good idea to tag and classify everything within your Company database however experts here and abroad advise against this due to high costs and success rates within Organisations. Certified database technology is available for Organisations however; this method seems to work best for Governments with an allocated budget for the activity.

Alternatively, it is advised that Organisations can choose certain types of data to classify into the main segments of your business, for example; account data, personal data and commercially valuable data.

It is advised that an Organisation’s data is to be classified in line with their confidentiality requirements. It is important to carry out an information audit at this stage which in turn will give you an accurate view of the nature of the data.

It is essential for an Organisation to ensure that the data it is classifying is of good quality, “Common pitfalls for Organisations is that too much rubbish is allowed to accumulate, from duplication to copies of office party photos to personal letters to bank managers”, storage cleansing technologies are extremely useful at this stage to eliminate obsolete, trivial or redundant content.

Once the classification system is up and running it is important that management and staff take part in periodic reviews as it is not set in stone and business developments can translate to design changes in data classification.

Once the data has been classified an Organisation is empowered with the ability to tailor procedures for specific data in order to maintain regulatory compliance.

Secure Destruction of Sensitive data.

When destroying information whether it be hard paper data or digital data on data carriers it is essential for Organisations to ensure that they comply with regulations and are not proving to be negligent in their processes. For this reason, we have constructed three different protection classes for data that requires specific attention to ensure that the material has been destroyed appropriately.

 

Protection Class

 Risk

 

 Protection 1:Normal security requirement for internal data Unauthorised publication or dissemination would have a limited negative impact on the company. Protection of personal data must be ensured. There would otherwise be a risk to the position and financial situation of the affected persons.
  Protection 2:High security requirement for confidential data
Unauthorised dissemination would have a considerable effect on the company and could infringe legal obligations or laws. A personal data data-breach would result in considerable risk to the social standing and financial situation of the affected persons.
  Protection 3:Very high protection requirements for particularly confidential and secret data. Unauthorised dissemination would have serous terminal consequences for the Company and infringe upon trade confidentiality, place a data subject at risk of safety or freedom, break contracts and legal law.

It is essential that the confidentiality of personal data is maintained.

 

Destruction Tips;

Protection Class 1:

Destruction activities must be carried out in line with a detailed procedure, all staff carrying out destruction activities are to be trained. Alternatively, destruction processes are to be implemented and provided through a data processing firm receiving all data processing certificates for completion of destruction. All data is to be destroyed to shred No. 3 of EN 15713.

Protection Class 2:

Destruction processes of data in protection class No. 2 are to be implemented and provided through a data processing firm receiving all data processing certificates for completion of destruction. All data is to be destroyed to a minimum of shred No. 3 of EN 15713. The data processor must be registered for their services.

Protection Class 3:

Destruction processes of data in protection class No. 3 are to be implemented and provided through a certified data processing firm receiving all data processing certificates for completion of destruction. All data is to be destroyed to a minimum of shred No. 5 of EN 15713. The vendor must be independently certified to destroy paper and digital data beyond reconstruction and they must be registered for their services with the policing authority in the relevant Country.

Visit: https://www.securityinshredding.com/ for more information on a confidential shredding service.

Data Protection Ireland Today

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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/

 

 

Paper Vs Digital Data

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Paper Data vs Digital Data

Paper Data & Digital Data are both equally as important to protect from data breaches. A Paper Shredding Service should provide a Din 66399 Standard when shredding documents. This ensures that documents are destroyed beyond repair. While this deals with paper data and documents. Your digital data is just as vital to protect. 

We now live in a digital age. With the increase in usage of electronic devices and data is accessed and viewed digitally. This has caused a decrease in print media. Forbes magazine released a interesting article about the benefits of print media.

Over the past decade media has switched to digital based as people now access information through digital media. While there wont be a switch back to print media recent neuroscience research has shed new light on this form of media.

“Direct mail requires 21% less cognitive effort to process than digital media (5.15 vs. 6.37), suggesting that it is both easier to understand and more memorable. Post-exposure memory tests validated what the cognitive load test revealed about direct mail’s memory encoding capabilities. When asked to cite the brand (company name) of an advertisement they had just seen, recall was 70% higher among participants who were exposed to a direct mail piece (75%) than a digital ad (44%).

load-recall

The study continues and explains how paper causes an emotional response to the brain:

  • Physical material is more “real” to the brain. It has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks.
  • Physical material involves more emotional processing, which is important for memory and brand associations.
  • Physical materials produced more brain responses connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads.

Your recall is better from paper media. So don’t throw out the printer just yet. Accessibility of data may be easier digitally but data will be read and learned better from paper. Whatever method you choose it is important to know that the data needs to be protected.

Data protection laws are in place for businesses that contain sensitive data. With paper a confidential shredding service should be implemented for your business to dispose of sensitive data in a secure manor.

For information on a confidential shredding service please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Read the Forbes full article here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2015/09/16/paper-vs-digital/#5d5ee8301aa2

 

Data Protection A Human Right

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Amnesty International Data Protection a Human Right

Confidential document destruction services are vital part of business data protection. paper shredders / shredding services in Ireland have governing bodies in place to enforce and ensure people are complying with Data Protections laws.

“Encryption is a basic prerequisite for privacy and free speech in the digital age. Banning encryption is like banning envelopes and curtains. It takes away a basic tool for keeping your private life private,” said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Global Issues.

It can be hard to comprehend the benefit of encryption when using a device. What happens in the background on devices and applications can even confuse even the most informed individual. The above statement from Elsayed does put it into perspective. With a major organisation such a Amnesty international in support for data protection, ensuring your business protects its data needs to be paramount.

The Data Protection Act is an EU standard that ensures that the access and movement of personal data is protected accordingly. These standards are in place to protect your personal information. Online usage has grown and is still growing. Access to online services and devices to use it are widely available in particular mobile devices are now becoming the no.1 method of transactions for e-commerce sites.

Using these sites or services requires and stores personal data and this data is sensitive and businesses must ensure that this data is protected. If a business does not secure its data it can be ruin a companies reputation and not to mention the penalties for a data breach from unsecured data.

There are many ways to store and display data. Weather it is electronically or paper, if it contains sensitive data it needs to be stored and destroyed securely. A document destruction service should be sought when destroying documents. A simple office shredder will not securely destroy your documents.

Media devices such as hard drives if being replaced or recycled should be destroyed if they contain sensitive data. Wiping the drive or formatting the drive does not remove the data entirely and can be retrieved.

A Din 66399 Standard is a standard set for paper shredding. This standard ensures the highest security when shredding documents and devices. When hiring a reputable shredding service this standard should be sought after.

For more information on a confidential shredding service please visit:  https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Read Amnesty International full report here:

https://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/encryption-a-matter-of-human-rights

Dangers Of Data Breaches For Small Businesses

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Heartbleed Data Theft

Secure document shredding in Dublin and throughout the country are services needed to ensure your business is complying with Data Protection laws. These laws are in place to ensure businesses that possess sensitive data are protecting against vulnerabilities both physically and digitally.

Cyber criminals will target small businesses. In the UK the minister for the digital economy Ed Vaizey outlined (2015) that a major security breach for a small business in the UK could cost as much as £310,800. This figure also applies to Irish businesses and any small business in operation.

Dataprotection.ie have detailed descriptions on how to protect your business and improve its security. The site has guidelines to improve your business security. Researching online can be difficult because you will read conflicting reports and incorrect information. The data protection site provides you with useful and up to date information from a governing body to help improve your business security and data protection.

On the site is a guideline to improve your data security. It covers the law to software and IT support to use. With a little bit of know how and awareness to possible threats will benefit you and your business greatly.

There are 19 steps in total on the guideline page which can be read in full at data security guideline page, below are a steps from said list.

1. Install an Anti Virus Software

It is a necessity for any electronic device that transfers data. Anti Virus software protects more than just your computer, it also protects your emails and personal details when online. Malware is a big threat to computers and using a reputable ant virus will benefit.

Remember to update the anti virus software regularly as anti virus software can only protect against known viruses.

2. Firewalls

Firewalls are a essential form of protection where there is external connection. Always on internet is now a common practice for businesses. This makes a properly configured firewall a good form of security.

3. Wireless networks

When using a wireless network in your own business network make sure that proper encryption is setup on the wireless network. Be aware when using public networks such hotels and airports can potentially a risk. Use it if necessary and if you are transferring personal data make sure to be in a secure session on the device.

4. Human Factor

Is often over looked and is often used to breach a business. For example cyber criminals have accessed user accounts by using passwords such as “123456” and or “password.” Sounds crazy but happens more often than you would think. Use a more cryptic password. What the password contains will help its strength but the more characters used the greater the strength.

Also be aware of printed documents that may contain sensitive data and if not disposed properly can be accessed. Having a reputable Shredding Service dispose of your documents securely and safely.

For more information on a secure shredding visit: https://www.securityinshredding.com/  for more information.

 

Data Processors And Data Commissioner

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Data Protection Commissioner

Mobile Paper shredding throughout Ireland and the companies that provide confidential document destruction are governed by Data Protection laws and the Data Protection commissioner. This can be broken down into two parts.

Data Processors

Security in Shredding are registered Data Processors with the Data Protection Commissioners Office. So what is a Data Processor one may ask; a Data Processor is a company, organisation or person who processes data on behalf of a Data Controller. “This does not include employees who process data in the course of their employment.”

“Cloud providers are also generally Data Processors.”

“It is possible for one company or person to be both a data controller and a data processor, in respect of distinct sets of personal data. For example, a payroll company would be the data controller in respect of the data about its own staff, but would be the data processor in respect of the staff payroll data it is processing for its client companies.”

“A data processor is distinct from the data controller for whom they are processing the personal data. An employee of a data controller, or a section or unit within a company which is processing personal data for the company as a whole, is not a “data processor.” However, someone who is not employed by the data controller, but is contracted to provide a particular data processing service (such as a Security in Shredding providing and conducting a confidential secure data destruction service) would be a data processor.

Responsibilities of data processors

The Data Processor must only process personal data on the instructions of the Data Controller, for example, the Client (the Data Controller) schedules an on-site service delivery where by Security in Shredding (the Data Processor) arrives on-site to conduct on-site shredding of the clearly identified material for destruction. The responsibilities concern the necessity to keep personal data secure from unauthorised access, disclosure, or destruction unless confirmation is received prior to doing so.

“In addition all data processors, whose business consists wholly or partly in processing personal data on behalf of data controllers who are required to register, are also required to register with the Data Protection Commissioner as a data processor.”

For further information about Data Processors please click on any of the following website addresses;

www.securityinshredding.com

www.dataprotection.ie

www.aurthercox.com

Also available in the Limerick area and please visit:

www.securityinshredding.com/limerick-shredding-services.php

The Importance Of Uniforms In An Office

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Security in Shredding Logo. 2014.

Onsite paper destruction and off site paper destruction in Ireland and in general should incorporate a uniform for a number of reasons.

Uniforms for Corporate Branding

Having a distinctive uniforms in the colours associated with the company can assist in the establishment of an impression in the mind of the consumer. Security in Shredding’s uniforms identifies its employee’s as individuals who are associated with it and its service’s, and it helps to brand the company by distinguishing it from the competition. Consistency in employee’s appearance can create a positive impression on the customer and contribute to the projection of the Security in Shredding’s corporate image.

Uniforms for Portraying Competence

Uniforms can enable customers to identify employees eliminating the possibility of a customer mistakenly asking a member of the public for help. Employees wearing a uniform encourage confidence in the client by portraying  the individual is a professional with service knowledge and a eagerness to help. A uniform puts the force of the corporate reputation behind the individual, making him look reliable and trustworthy as a company representative.

Uniforms to Promote Security

Just as a Gardaí or Army uniform identifies an officer, Security in Shredding’s uniform identifies its employee’s who are out onsite conducting a service call or delivery to a client’s premises.

Uniforms to Eliminate Dress Codes

Having a compulsory requirement for Security in Shredding’s employees to wear its uniform eliminates the need for creating and enforcing a dress code. Enforcing a dress code can lead to hard feelings on the part of employees who are told that their attire is not appropriate for the workplace.

Overall it is important to Security in Shredding that its employees are always dressed in uniform for their job roles and are neat and tidy at all times.

At Security In Shredding we apply these methods to our staff on with all onsite calls for both yours and our benefit.

For more information about Security In Shredding please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/

Data Protection And Data Encryption

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secure data

Industrial paper shredding of private documents should be destroyed by a secure paper shredding service. Shredding paper is among one method of Data Protection.

In light of the recent event involving the F.B.I and Apple involving Apple’s security feature on the iPhone 6’s data encryption and fail-safes. With the iPhone once a passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times, the phone is then locked and the data cannot be retrieved by anyone other than the owner. Apple do not have access to the user’s phone. Any current mobile or electronic device will have encryption available.

Now more than ever companies and organisations need to be aware of the devices they use and what security and encryption they are using. Encryption protects your data on devices. It essentially scrambles data from anyone trying to access the data. A password or code is usually the only way to view the data.

It is worth knowing what encryption if any do software programmes use. Unencrypted data can be accessed by people with a little bit of know how. Data Protection is vital part of business as data breaches will have a hefty penalty if a breach occurs they occur.

Any media device your organisation uses, that is being replaced should be destroyed by a shredding service. WEEE Ireland is a recycling service for electronic devices and batteries. All digital data stored on a device should be destroyed if the device is no longer in use. A reputable shredding service will destroy these devices in the correct manner.

Information on WEEE Recycling https://www.weeeireland.ie/

Simple things to remember when using electronic devices can massively improve on your security. These methods are often overlooked and hackers and criminals will prey on these oversights as the vast majority of electronic breaches can be broken down to human error. The following methods can improve your data security:

  1. Passcode on your mobile and electronic device
  2. Ensure that software used has encryption on data
  3. Use various passcodes on your devices to ensure security
  4. Destroy your devices when no longer needed

For more information on media destruction visit https://www.securityinshredding.com/

For information on device destruction visit https://www.securityinshredding.com/it-media-destruction.php

Choosing A Shredding Service Dublin Area

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Importance of Paper Shredding for Dublin

Secure document shredding services are available throughout Dublin and greater Dublin area. Onsite paper shredding services in Dublin are available to benefit you and ensure your documents are securely dealt with.

Data protection and Data destruction methods are now mandatory for all businesses. The Data Protection Act requires you to have these methods in place or you could be liable for any data breaches if they occur. Sensitive or personal data that is not secured is often the cause of identity theft. It can easily be done if documents are not securely destroyed.

Before choosing a shredding service, it is worth researching the shredding service before using them.

What to look for when choosing a shredding service:

A Compliant Secure Shredding Service

Ensuring that the shredding service is both professional and secure in its business document destruction. The Din 66399 and EN 15713 standard should be sought when choosing your shredding service. This is a European standard and shredding companies must comply by these standards.

What to Shred

If your business uses and or posses a person’s information, then a shredding service is required and should be implemented by all organisations.

The link details the kind of information that needs to be shredded.

What To Shred

On Site Document Destruction Service.

A reputable shredding service will be able to call out to your premises regardless of location. The on site call out can save you and your organisation on time and effort and the document destruction can also be supervised by a member of staff to ensure documents are being destroyed in a professional manner.

Shredding Volumes

It is also worth researching the volumes of paper a shredding company can handle for your business. Your business or organisation may have a large quantity of documents with your own and other sensitive information that you don’t want accessible to people outside of the company.

References

Enquiring with other companies that use a shredding service in their business is worth looking into. It is important to know how the shredding service works and if it will apply to your own organisation. if the shredding company has satisfied customers is worth researching before committing to the service.

For more information on secure document and bulk paper shredding please visit:

https://www.securityinshredding.com/