DOCUMENT & DATA MANAGEMENT
IS YOUR DATA IN SAFE HANDS?
With so many businesses focusing on cyber security, is traditional document and data management is being
overlooked? Where do the risks lie? And what more can Facilities Managers do to ensure sensitive information remains in safe hands? Dan Fairest, Business
Development Manager at confidential waste shredding specialist UNTHA UK, investigates.
There’s no disputing that data security was a hot topic throughout 2015. The media seemed to be dominated by stories of high profile breaches,
with British Gas and Talk Talk just two of the brands to have suffered blows. The Telegraph also reported that Marks & Spencer had to temporarily suspend its website following complaints that some visitors could see other customers’ details when they logged in to their own account.
Cyber-attacks were seemingly rife, which, for many businesses, brought digital security concerns to a whole new level. But with so much recent focus on online and electronic fraud, does this mean the secure handling of traditional confidential documents and data is being overlooked?
Online research carried out by UNTHA UK last year revealed that, when it comes to the unsecure destruction of confidential waste, participants’ biggest fear was identity theft, which tallied 67% of the votes. This is perhaps unsurprising, with so many of us using the internet, mobile devices and unsecure wifi connections on a daily basis; the dangers are actually multifaceted, especially for businesses.
The leak of sensitive or secret information at either a company or employee level could have a devastating reputational impact. And the financial implications are also
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staggering – organisations can face fines of up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998, something that 60% of respondents in another UNTHA poll, did not know. Facilities managers therefore have an opportunity to heighten the role they play here, by providing clients with another value- adding service.
FM’s document and data considerations should no longer be just about finding space for servers or archive rooms, or ensuring robust network connectivity throughout a building. FMs can also put robust plans in place to ensure the effective storage, handling and destruction of confidential documents and data. These materials can include everything from private paperwork such as bank statements or employee records, through to cheques, stamps and branded print material, as well as information stored electronically on hard drives, CDs and USB sticks.
The robust management of this process should remain paramount, but there are environmental factors to take into account too. Where possible, these ‘wastes’ should be handled responsibly and with utmost respect for the waste hierarchy, which was transposed into UK law through The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. In practice, this means confidential paper ‘waste’, for example, should be processed so that the material fibre is preserved – thus protecting its recyclate quality.
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