With more and more of our business operations moving to digital spaces, document management security is of ever-increasing importance. Keeping your sensitive data files under digital lock and key means your customers can trust your company to value their information the same way you value your personal information.

Trust breeds customer loyalty, brand recognition, business longevity, and prosperity in the long run. Outsourcing your document management security to industry experts like River City Data is a wise business decision.

Today, contact River City Data for a free estimate on securing your data with leading-edge systems that place your company and client documents in a virtual Fort Knox. 

Essential Components for Document Management Security

When a company data breach occurs, the consequences can add up financially and with irreparable damage to hard-won reputations. According to IBM.com, the average cost of a data breach in 2020 totals up to $3.92 million.

Between customer loss, loss mitigation, reputation management, data security improvement, and gaining back the invaluable trust you’ve garnered, it’s better to avoid data breaches from day one.

The building blocks of document management security may seem like common sense, but it’s beneficial to regularly evaluate your adherence to the data security basics. Here’s what you should look for each year as you evaluate your document security protocols.

 

1. Encrypt your files.

Sending files in secure forms means using an encrypted link when sending or receiving digital documents. Employing an SSL (secure socket layer) when sending, archiving, or receiving data means that your information is impervious to hackers. 

Though SSL can utilize symmetric and asymmetric encryption methods, asymmetric encryption is the best choice for sending documents worldwide. Asymmetric encryption requires a public key for encryption on the sender side, but a private key for description on the receiver side.

Of course, determining which files to encrypt is a matter between you and your regulatory organizations. Businesses such as medical clinics, dental offices, governmental agencies, and anyone else receiving and storing sensitive customer, client, or patient data must comply with HIPAA practices, for example. File encryption for archiving is paramount for these businesses.

 

2. Limit file access. 

Placing limits on who can see certain files within your company is a boots-on-the-ground way to ensure data security. Knowing who has access to your company documents at all times should be part of every yearly data security evaluation. 

In times of employment turn-over, staffing growth, or physical location changes, data access must be one of the first items you check to keep your documents secure. In effect, if an employee doesn’t require access to certain documents, they shouldn’t have it. 

Using authentication pages as a way to limit who sees a document is crucial on all hardware within your company purview. This hardware could include:

• • Printers
  • Laptops
  • Desktops
  • Mobile phones
  • Scanners

 

3. Know what and when to archive. 

Keeping a glut of old data in your system is an invitation for disorganization and a potential breach, especially with large paper document collections. 

When you digitally archive and index data, you can improve your data organization and access as well as improving your system security. In addition to adding security layers to your historical documents, you’ll also save space by moving them to a secure server, which you can outsource. 

Further, accessing archived data is simple with leading-edge tools like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and innovative indexing methodology. You can also set reminders to purge your archives periodically of old files you no longer need to hold.

4. Staff education is crucial. 

Every new employee onboarding process should include extensive training on document security, especially in healthcare, government, finance, and legal sectors. 

Providing clarity as to who should have data access, what the authentication process is, and how to legitimately access needed information helps you ensure good data management and helps your employees succeed from day one.

 

5. Have reliable backups. 

Duplicating and archiving information on secure servers with encrypted access can save your company valuable time and money in the event of a natural disaster, fire, or other physical catastrophe. 

Of course, backing up your data off-site with a data management company you trust is essential to uninterrupted business operation, no matter the calamity that may occur.

 

Advantages of Outsourcing Document Security Management

Most company owners understand the importance of document security. However, the number of breaches that occur each year suggest that implementing reliable security strategies in-house can be challenging.

 

Outsourcing elements of your data security can only add to your good document management practices. Here’s what a reliable data conversion and storage partner can do for your organization.

 

• Save on space and equipment. Kitting out your office space to provide extensive and secure document storage can put a massive drain on your budget and physical footprint. Outsourcing your data archiving and converting your paper documents to digital formats frees up your filing cabinets as well as several budget lines. With SSL encryption, and plenty of storage space on our dedicated, secure servers, River City Data helps you streamline and secure your data in archives you can easily access based on indexing criteria you create.
• Provide reliable data backups. With offsite, secure data storage and simple indexing, your documents remain physically safe should a disaster strike your business. Even if a building water pipe bursts, jeopardizing your files, you can relax knowing you’ve stored your data well out of harm’s way.
• Ensure document management security. Enabling document access via SSL means that anything you transmit between your document storage partner and your devices is secure. Of course, adhering to the practices listed above helps add layers of safety to your sensitive or privacy-protected data once it hits your laptop, PC, or other company hardware.

 

Trust River City Data for Reliable Document Security

In addition to using SSL when we send, receive, or store data, our team is also certified in HIPAA protocol. Our clients understand their privacy is our top priority, as well as providing unparalleled quality document conversions and storage upon which you can depend.

Contact us today to set up a free estimate. We customize our document management security strategy to your unique needs and challenges. Our clients enjoy our world-class know-how and experience, alongside our small-town values and accessibility. We look forward to keeping your data safe, today and in the future.