Tag Archives: Data Security

Managing Cyber Security when Working Remotely

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Currently we are all being encouraged to work from home. While that is not always possible, for those that can there are important points to consider when working remotely in order to securely manage data. Here are 8 strategies I found particularly useful.

Working Remotely
  1. Keep personal and work separate and stick to your own devices.
    Try to have separate devices for your work and personal life. Having a dedicated work device is much more secure for the company. While not always possible best practice would be for the company to supply the required devices.
  2. Have a Cyber security policy.
    Have a clear expectation for cyber security when working from home. If the company has their own devices this can be easier to control as they will be responsible for virus protection software and how files are encrypted etc. This is not always possible therefore it is necessary to check the state of the device an employee will be using. Are you assured that their virus protection is up to the standard necessary?
  3. Do not open unfamiliar emails, files or links.
    Opening things from unfamiliar sources can be catastrophic when working from home. Your clients and employees are instantly put at risk and there is a multitude of methods that can be used to steal data from them.
  4. Encrypt your data.
    Encrypting data means that if a person doesn’t have the correct passcode then they cannot read the data. When working from home, data will regularly be sent back and forth between employees, if it is encrypted it is less likely to be leaked.
  5. Have a secure password.
    Your password cannot be simple. It needs to consist of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. It is best if the password has no connection to the person or company e.g. shredding1 would not be the best choice of password for me.
  6. Keep up with the updates.
    Regularly let the computer do updates. Updates are vital for ironing out glitches and security risks that have been identified.
  7. Do not connect to a public/open network.
    If you require internet and you are out and about away from home and work then using your phone as a hotspot is a better solution than connecting to an open network. Connecting to an open network can allow anyone on that network to access your data.
  8. Back up data regularly.
    Some viruses are destructive and may not even steal any information. There are viruses that allow files to duplicate until your pc is so packed that you can’t even turn it on. Others aim to wipe your entire hard drive. Always back up your data to a secure drive. Either an external hard drive or a cloud-based file system that the company uses.

Should the worst happen, and the data is compromised it is important to report it to the relevant authority within your company.

Reducing the Risk of Human Error

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Author: Videoplasty.com Corporate Woman Being Stressed at Work.svg from Wikimedia Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

Human error is a huge threat to any industry. It exists in all walks of life from the medical to the legal and service professions. Avoiding this one hundred percent of the time is unavoidable because at the end of the day we are all human, but there are strategies that we can put in place to limit it at all costs including the vital step of confidential shredding.

1.      Have centralised control

Don’t allow everyone and anyone easy access to your documents within the company. Have a specific information security officer who will be responsible for giving access to employees who request it.

2.      Train your Employees

Staff Training

There should be a standardised practice in place in which your employees are fully trained in. It is important that they understand the necessity for the secure disposal of documentation. Your policy should specifically address what needs to be disposed of and when it needs to be disposed.

3.      Locking Documents away

Anything that is to be kept needs to be kept in a secure filing cabinet or drawer. If the Employee has work to do the following day, documents need to be locked up and secured sufficiently. A general rule for your employees should be to never leave documents in plain sight.

4.      Email Correspondence

Sending Email

Accidentally emailing confidential information to recipients in error is such an easy mistake to make. It is important that your employees are fully alert and double check everything before they send. Always encourage your employees to recheck their recipients and ask themselves before they send ‘is this going to the right person/people?’ This should be included in their training and emphasised.  

Taking all these steps and shredding any data devices or documentation that is no longer required will ensure that human error is minimised as much as possible.

8 Rules To Ensure Data Protection In Your Business

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Data protection service AND DATA DESTRUCTION

8 Important Rules To Help Ensure Data Protection

“You must…

  1. Obtain and process information fairly
  2. Keep it only for one or more specified, explicit and lawful purposes
  3. Use and disclose it only in ways compatible with these purposes
  4. Keep it safe and secure
  5. Keep it accurate, complete and up-to-date
  6. Ensure that it is adequate, relevant and not excessive
  7. Retain it for no longer than is necessary for the purpose or purposes
  8. Give a copy of his/her personal data to an individual, on request”

“According to the results of our National Data Protection Survey – more than half of Irish companies say that they have suffered a data breach in the last 12 months.

The results also show that data breaches, hacking attacks and employee negligence have all risen in the last year in Irish organisations.

  • One in three Irish companies have no corporate data breach policy and almost half are poorly trained for data breaches.
  • Only two in five Irish firms have any internal sanctions for non-compliance with data protection rules.
  • Most Irish companies have no guidelines on transferring data outside the country.

secure data & data protection

The survey has shown that Irish companies’ biggest threat continues to be “negligent employees”, with one in five singling out inept staff as the biggest issue they face in keeping sensitive data secure.

14% claimed hackers are the second biggest threat, while 12% said that staff losing unsecured phones, laptops or USB keys would be the third biggest threat.

Two out of three companies claimed to have implemented data breach policies in some or all aspects of their business even though one third of employees say they are not adequately familiar with them.

confidential shredding, clean desk policy

Data Protection training and awareness programs are the best way to improve the acknowledgement of best practice in the area.

To ensure your organisation doesn’t fall victim to a data breach, ensure your staff are trained on the subject.”

For more information on Data Security and data protection, email on of our staff at:

info@securityinshredding.com

Looking For On Site Document Shredding In Limerick Or Galway

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Security In Shredding on site service

Running and maintaining a business requires content and data. this is displayed through paper and digital data. Ensuring data confidentiality is paramount to business success. Shredding or destroying your documents is one method of data destruction.

Not Just Any Aul Shredder

Shredding documents does improve data security. A simple office shredder shreds paper but this can be reconstructed. Industrial paper shredding specialists are available to handle all your data destruction needs.

Reputable document destruction companies operate within data protection laws and the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC.) A reputable paper destruction will shred all your documents to a level beyond reconstruction. A Din 66399 Standard is used by shredding companies and ensure a high level of quality shredding.

What Is Din 66399

At Security in Shredding we are experts in the Data Destruction Industry and we are happy to explain the new DIN 66399 shredding standard to our clients as their knowledge on it and the benefits from it is limited.

The modern DIN 66399 replaces the DIN 32757 and for the first time divides data destruction into three separate protection classes and seven security levels in total.

Secure data destruction

Call Us & We Will come To You

Any and all paper data can be shredded and destroy your documents confidentially and securely with our specialised trucks. Our On site Shredding is available for scheduled services or on call service. We regularly operate throughout Ireland and in Limerick and Galway regions.

  • We provide lockable bins and our trained staff will handle these bins from your premises to the truck.
  • The secure receptacle is automatically lifted by our mobile shredding technology and is constantly under surveillance and watched through our on-board monitor.
  • Our mobile shredding unit destroys the client’s material on site at their premises.

Our specialised trucks can handle 1 X 240 Litre receptacle per minute. This will require minimal amount of time to shred your documents providing an efficient and excellent service. The service is also environmentally friendly.

What Can We Shred?

Clients will ask us what can be shredded? there are a number of documents and document types that can be easily shredded by us. “Lever arch files,” “older files,” and or “archive files” are often asked if they can be shredded. They can be shredded.

We have a list of recommended documents to shred, view our what to shred list  of recommended documents to destroy.

For more information on our services please visit our site or email us an enquiry at: info@securityinshredding.com

Confidential Paper Shredding In Limerick & Galway

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Security in Shredding Confidential Paper Shredding

Why Should I Shred My Paper Documents?

Does your business or organisation use paper on a daily basis? Does this paper contain data of personal details? These are simple questions but if answered yes then you are required by law (both Irish and EU law) to ensure that your sensitive data is destroyed correctly.

If a data breach occurs, it will be your business or organisation that suffers with a hefty penalty or fine for the breach. Your current shredding company may not be liable for the breach. Ultimately it comes down to you to protect your data.

More than just a fine but the representation loss from a data breach can result in a severe loss of business if customers have no confidence with how their details are maintained in a secure manner.

How Do I Choose a Confidential Paper Shredding Company?

Any reputable shredding company will comply with Irish and EU data protection laws. Choose a shredding company that has Din 66399 Standard which is an EU directive and is used by Security in Shredding trucks when on site shredding paper documents.

A confidential shredding company that provides a Din level 6 shred, will destroy documents beyond recognition. Avoid using generic office shredders as they do NOT provide adequate data destruction. The paper shredded can be restored which is a huge data breach risk if continued.

Protecting your data is paramount for business success and recent changes to data protection laws

Choose A Paper Shredding Company Right For You

Security In Shredding on site service

When choosing your paper shredding company you have options to what service you desire. At Security in shredding we offer On Site Shredding in your premises. With this service we can provide lockable bins and our trained staff will handle and destroy your paper documents on site with our specialised truck.

This service can be done on a scheduled basis or an on call basis. We also provide clear out shredding (purge clear out) for large scale document shredding to remove clutter or unwanted documents from your office.

Off Site Shredding

If On Site shredding does not appeal or work for you then Off Site Shredding services are also available. This consists of bag collection service. Your paper to be shredded will be stored in lockable sealed bags which are provided by us. Collected by our trained staff and put into our secure vans and shredded at our location.

Once shredding has being completed, we provide you with a certificate of completion ensuring the paper shredding process has being completed. Giving you piece of mind that your paper documents were destroyed confidentially.

Shredding Limerick & Shredding Galway

For any and all your confidential shredding needs in the Limerick and Galway areas. Security In shredding offers a top quality and secure service. We comply by the Irish and EU laws and practices, to ensure that your data is protected when paper is being shredded.

For more information on our confidential shredding Limerick and confidential shredding Galway email us at: info@securityinshredding.com 

Alternatively visit our site for more information on our shredding services. www.securityinshredding.com

 

Putting Costs Over Protection Does More Harm Than Good

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Data proccesser and data commissioner

Data protection and your data protection strategy is ultimately down to you and your team to install and maintain. A confidential shredding specialist will help you with your data protection and destruction methods.

How your documents are handled and accessed must be established and in a format that is acceptable to your business or organisations practices.

A recent report from the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC Annual Report 2015) Ms Dixon says despite claims to the contrary, there is no inherent conflict between her office being able to hear complaints from individuals on the one hand and provide guidance to organisations who may perhaps be infringing people’s rights on the other.

Helen Dixon also said her office does not have the resources to replace the requirement for organisations to procure their own expert advice and build their own capacity when it comes to being data protection compliant

 

Digital Data just as vulnerable as Paper data

2015 saw email queries to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner rise by 6% to 14,427, with an additional 16,713 phone enquiries and 885 postal requests for information.

In total, 932 complaints were opened, down 28 on 2014.

A record number of decisions under the data protection acts were made by Ms Dixon’s office , with CCTV in the workplace, direct marketing by SMS, spam emails and banks failing to keep personal contact information up to date the main problem for complainants.

62% of complaints focused on the right of people to access personal data held by others about them, with 11% centred on electronic direct marketing.

23 complaints were received from individuals who were unhappy at search engines’ refusal to delete search results about them under the “Right to be Forgotten” principle, nine fewer than in 2014.

The commission was also notified of 2,317 valid data security breaches in 2015, and increase of 129 year-on-year, with over half being unauthorised disclosures like postal and electronic communications.

Out Source Your Data Destruction

The article contains further details link is above. Protecting your data can be done with a few simple steps and a little bit of know how. Fore more information on data protection methods and confidential shredding, please visit our site.

Also email us for any questions or queries at: info@securityinshredding.com 

8 Interesting Facts, You Must Know About Data Destruction

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Security in Shredding Logo. 2014.

Protecting your confidential data comes in many forms. Confidential shredding is one form of data protection for businesses in Limerick and or Galway.

Maybe the business of shredding services won’t appeal to everyone. But if you ask the number of companies availing of paper shredding limerick, you would be seriously surprised by knowing the benefits and the business profits they are making from utilising a professional data shredding service.

Well, as I will explain to you, shredding companies destruct the information from company’s paper & electronic waste and recycle the same for their re usability in making newspaper, egg cartons and kitchen roll. After running some R&D, I have gathered some of the interesting facts you must know about shredding.

  • When 1 ton of paper waste is recycled, it actually saves 17 trees, 7000 Gallons of water and 4000 KW of energy. Also must be mentioned the land they accommodate to do so. The 17 trees are enough to consume 250 lbs of CO Way to Go!!

 

  • In 1988, when US top court quoted that any personal waste once thrown in the public bins will be under government authorities. Home shredding machines took a steep growth in sales.

 

  • Want to be one of the confidential shredding specialists? Well, to destruct anything you need to be certified to do so in line with European and Irish Standards. Simply providing a certificate of destruction is no longer good enough as any Company can simply construct a cert of destruction.

 

  • Some of the advanced machines are capable converting your A4 size paper into 100s of tiny pieces up to a minimum size of 3mm!! Within The EN 15713 shredding standard there are shred sizes, the most professional and secure shredding providers can offer various shred sizes from No. 1 right up to No. 8.

 

  • In 1979, The US embassy was attacked by some Iranian revolutionaries in order to retrieve their identity documents. As the documents were shredded in strips only, it was easy to retrieve info from them. These urged the need of cross cut shredders and were developed instantly after.

 

  • With the rise in technology, standard cross cut shredders can be reconstructed, it is advised that Shred Size No. 6 (320 mm squared particles) is the ideal shred for security and beyond reconstruction.

 

  • Last but not the least; Abbot Augustus Lowe founded the first ever shredding machine in 1909. Though it wasn’t massive, the latest of our shredders work on the derived principles of that machine.

Thought provoking info for Confidential Shredding Specialists and Paper Shredding Service users. For more information on our confidential shredding service, please email us at : info@securityinshredding.com

Mobile Devices – Dangers & Destruction Method

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apple-iphone-smartphone-desk

At Security In Shredding protecting your data is essential for businesses and organisations to succeed. Our On Site shredding services are available throughout the Limerick and Galway regions.

It is perceived that one’s personal information held on Smart Technology Devices (wireless technology) is deleted when being sold or sent for recycling, but in fact sensitive data for example your banking details, passwords, contact information and much more are stored on hand held devices and when such information is not removed effectively it will end up in the hands of the end user.

Even though you take careful precautions regarding deleting information on PC’s or laptops, many neglect to implement these precautions with their hand held devices.With this in mind the percentage of the international population using Smart technologies is continuously increasing.

More Smartphones Than People Today

The increase in the use of Smartphones coupled with the lack of user knowledge in relation to Data Protection has made them attractive targets for attackers to obtain by means of second-hand sales via internet sites and recycled phones etc. The number in addition to the sophistication of the attacks made on mobile devices are increasing and measures to counteract these attacks are slow to catch up.

Smart technologies have not kept up in the security technology pace as with other traditional computer security. There are little or no firewalls, antivirus etc. available for the user to use to increase privacy controls. A huge percentage of Smart technology users, use social networking sites and upload a wealth of personal information on such sites. As stated in my previous posts, “Data is worth money in today’s environment”.

“A recent study by life assistance company CPP found that 54% of second-hand phones contained personal data. During the research it purchased 35 mobiles and found personal information such as text messages, emails and even bank details on 19 of them. In addition, 50 SIM cards were purchased, with 27 containing similar information, and this is despite 81% of users claiming that they delete all personal data.”

Bullguard Article on Smart Technologies

It is imperative that everybody understands the dangers associated with assuming ones personal data is removed from his/her device. The only way one has true and complete piece of mind is to shred the device. There are many services available to the public in relation to Professional Data Destruction, and Knowledge is Key to your personal data security.

If you have any queries regarding Data Protection, please do not hesitate to contact Security In Shredding as we are more than happy to provide free expert advise.

Email us at: info@securityinshredding.com

Limerick & Galway Businesses The BYOD Risks & Gains

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BYOD policy

A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy has a number of benefits for your business or organisation. Businesses in Limerick & Galway along with a confidential shredding policy. Electronic devices have security features enabled as standard and having staff use their own devices can be a cost effective method for day to day business.

People will tend to look after their own devices better. While this is another benefit there are risks involved and it is worth knowing the risks involved if you decide to incorporate such a policy.

Ownership

Many of these issues arise because of the main characteristic of BYOD that the employee owns and to some extent maintains and supports the device. As a result, the you will have much less control over the device in comparison to a device owned by your business.

An employer will need to address these BYOD issues before enabling employees to bring their own devices to work. These issues include, for example, ensuring that work data will not be merged with an employee’s personal data, that non-employees, such as family members who use the device, do not access work data and, for example, what happens when an employee loses a device or resigns.

In seeking to implement a BYOD solution it is important to identify business objectives and benefits as well as taking into account security, audit and data protection requirements. Department heads such as IT, HR and managers should develop a BYOD policy covering security issues and terms of use.

For more information on data protection and guidance on digital data protection visit the Data Protection Commissioner site for a detailed guide.

BYOD business policy

If your business decides to use a BYOD policy, then informing your employees of the separation of data between business and personal data.

Data security is a prime concern for employers and importantly BYOD should not introduce vulnerabilities into existing secure environments.

Employers should also consider the use of a sandbox or ring-fencing of data, such as by keeping data contained within a specific app, as well as ensuring that, if the device is lost, the data on it is kept confidential and retained via a backup facility.

In terms of legal risk, losing employee or client data could result in the company breaching the Data Protection Act which could leave the company vulnerable to legal claims brought by the employee or client in question or a fine imposed by the DPC.

To address the data protection and security breach risks, the DPC guidance recommends companies consider the following:

  • Which type of corporate data can be processed on personal devices
  • How to encrypt and secure access to the corporate data
  • How the corporate data should be stored on the personal devices
  • How and when the corporate data should be deleted from the personal devices
  • How the data should be transferred from the personal device to the company servers

Security

The DPC also recommends installing antivirus software on personal devices, providing technical support to the employees on their personal devices when they are used for business purposes and having in place a “BYOD Acceptable Use Policy” providing guidance to users on how they can use their own devices to process corporate and personal data. It should also be clear to employees that they can only process corporate personal data for corporate purposes.

The DPC also highlights the BYOD risks associated with increased monitoring at work by the technical measures that the company could put in place in order to ensure the security of the company data processed by the employees on their personal devices.

Ensuring fail safes are in place, in the unlikely event of theft or loss. Enabling geo-location, remote access, two step verification. A reputable anti-virus software can provide for such an event. Remembering prevention is better than cure.

Confidential Shredding Limerick & Galway

At Security In Shredding, data protection is paramount to our day to day operation. Confidential shredding services regularly destroy any and all unwanted documents your business may have accumulated.

Ensuring that data security is being maintained is important for you and for our us. For more information on our shredding services you can,

Email us at: info@securityinshredding.com

Fight Identity Theft With The Help Of Confidential Shredding Specialists

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Paper Shredding, Secure DestructionConfidential Shredding in Limerick & Galway is one way of ensuring, a person’s identity is of serious security among the working class because it is responsible for significantly important aspects of people’s lives. Due to modernisation, social media sites are becoming main sources for displaying information. But other than that, documents are one of the most rampant modes of identity display to malicious people and it may be disclosed to a third party causing you business harms.

The only solution to get rid of this problem is to destroy these documents if they are no longer in use of concerned authorities. Although there are many ways to destroy these documents but the best way is document destruction from confidential shredding specialists. Other than that, these two amazing tips are definitely going to help you in winning the fight against identity theft.

  • Ensure that you have hired a certified company to shred your important documents

Most of the entrepreneurs and corporate people have to deal with large volumes of documents. Hence, it’s recommended that they must hire shredder for the secure handling of sensitive documents that are no longer required for use. In order to ensure maximum security, it is better to hire a destruction company that is certified and works with compliance of all national standards for secure destruction. The only reason behind this fact is that the approved shredding companies are recognised for their genuine, professional and compliant work for their clients through their confidential destruction services.

  • For extremely sensitive documents, on-site shredding is suggested

The way from where identity crime starts is personal documents and data. It’s not obligatory that identity would be physical only; it can be in the form of a signature also. Your signature is embraced on various papers such as property documents, wills, shares, bank forms, medical claim documents, etc. and a breach can copy your signature which may empty your pockets. Due to this reason, it’s very significant to always be alert on how to handle such documents that are no longer required in order to stay away from such cases.

  • Select a technically configured destruction service

About the shredding service, every individual has the same perspective that it should be a time confined service provider. Once called, they should arrive at their location within the promised time. With a remarkable response time, security in shredding provides mobile services and are confidential shredding specialists that enables you to verify your data destruction process with the help of on-board monitor screen showing the destruction.