Imagine all your financial and client files vanishing into thin air. How would that impact your employees? Could you remain profitable? Would your customers stay loyal to your business? Nothing is a given when you lose your data. Fortunately, these tried and true strategies will minimize the chances of it happening to you.

Backup and Data Storage

A backup plan is the most important part of your business data protection strategy. It ensures that your data can be recovered if stolen or damaged. Depending on your information technology infrastructure and budget, you have two options for backing up your data:

• Online cloud backup
• Offline backup

Cloud backup offers an automated backup solution; your data is backed up and transferred to a secure, digital data center. Offline backup is the manual process of copying your data to a tape or hard drive. It is a cost-effective strategy for protecting a large volume of data. However, it should always be supplemented with a reliable and secure offsite media storage solution.

Whether you choose a cloud, offline or hybrid solution, be sure to implement a regular schedule for backing up the data across your enterprise, including information stored on all devices such as:

• Network servers
• Desktop computers
• Laptops and mobile devices

Secure Shredding

Data loss can happen any time during the information life cycle. A secure shredding and destruction program protects your data when it’s most vulnerable: during disposal. Professional shredding services offer a reliable and risk reducing method for the final disposition of hard copy paper and electronic records. Security containers are strategically placed throughout your office, eliminating negligent in-house information disposal habits. They are collected weekly, monthly or quarterly for secure, NAID AAA Certified destruction.

Chain of custody procedures are consistently followed during collection, transfer and destruction, all the way through final recycling. Our facility is under video surveillance. A Certificate of Destruction records what was destroyed, when and how. It supports your audit and due-diligence files but does not by itself establish legal compliance.

Take a proactive approach to data loss prevention by implementing the strategies described here.

Richards & Richards provides secure shredding, hard drive and media destruction, electronics recycling and product destruction for businesses throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.