Since the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic, many organisations have introduced a work-from-home policy for a sizeable proportion of their employees. There is no denying the fact that this model has yielded excellent results for most of them. However, with so many employees working from their home, a new concern has emerged in the form of dealing with the sensitive documents and information handled by the employees.
While working from home, we often assume that there is no need to worry about a breach because none else has access to any of the sensitive information. It is true that the risk of data abuse is significantly lower while working from a home office. However, regardless of how minor it is, the risk of breach still exists. Therefore, you still need to destroy all your sensitive documents, and that’s why you need a document shredder for home office.
Importance of Secure Storage and Disposal of Documents
Regardless of their size, location, or type, document protection is essential for all businesses. In fact, it has been observed that relatively smaller businesses are significantly more susceptible to cyber threats. These businesses become easy targets for the hackers because they don’t put a lot of fund or effort in improving their security.
It is true that nowadays most of the data theft takes place online. However, unfortunately, offline theft is still not a thing of the past. In spite of the global drive to go digital, there are many documents that still need to remain in their physical form. It is highly recommended to dispose all such copies after their safe-keeping period.
Ensuring Data Safety in Home Offices
You may have spent generously to set up a highly functional home office with furniture, computer, scanner, and even a home shredder. However, please remember that ensuring document safety in your home office is not just about a document shredder. A tidy workspace will surely help you keep track of your important documents, but will not keep it safe. If you are really, serious about document security, several safety measures must be implemented.
- Before determining whether you need a home shredder, take time to access the potential risks faced by your home office. This involves taking a look at the type of data handled and stored by you in the office. Please remember that any document bearing personal information deserves extra care and warrants shredding. The amount of documents is also important here. If you store just a few physical copies, the risk is considerably lower compared to storing hundreds of them in you workspace.
- As far as safe handling of data is concerned, working on several tasks at a time is not recommended. It is much easier to remain organised while doing things one by one. When you have fewer papers on your desk, you will find it easier to stay focused and are less likely to lose track of them.
- Never leave any confidential data unattended. Put away all papers and files as soon as your assignments are finished. This will minimise the chance of documents getting mixed up and misplaced.
- There are many business documents that need to be stored for a certain period of time. Improve your storage facility if you have such documentation in your own home office. If storage of physical documents is not mandatory, shred the originals after making digital copies.
While you may consider your home office is safe enough for the storage of sensitive documents, the reality is exactly the opposite. No matter how safe your home is, the risk of a data breach can’t be ruled out.
At Mastershred, we offer a wide range of document shredders suitable for home offices to large workspaces. Contact us today to discuss your document shredding requirements.