It is important for every organization to have a proper records retention policy in place that outlines the retention and destruction period for those records that contain sensitive material. Storing documents away forever or hanging onto files that don’t necessarily require storage, can lead to unnecessary stress, mess, and other organizational issues that can easily be avoided.

Why is this the Case?

To start, if a company faces a legal issue, rummaging through endless piles of documents to locate a certain document when there is a time restriction, is not overly productive, and can quickly lead to frustration since it’s not always a quick and simple task to get done. Furthermore, the fees associated with in-house document storage and maintaining unnecessary files is an expense that simply isn’t worth it. It could actually result in costing you more money down the road not to mention headache and stress. Remember; if a break-in, natural disaster or theft were to occur, your information would be quickly vulnerable to exposure and/or harm.

Saving documents beyond a necessary time frame can also contribute to certain risks just as much as failing to store records for the indicated time frame can; this is exactly why you should have this information ahead of time so you know what you’re working with and what should be stored and shred. Of course, some files require storage for a set duration by law; such as those related to taxes and employees. Depending on your job role and industry, you might also face unique regulations relating to records retention. It’s vital to also be made aware that if your business is ever involved in a legal case, you are responsible by law to safely store records that may be of use to the specific problem at hand.

What Does a Record Retention Policy Involve?

To implement an effective and secure records retention policy, it is in your best interest to categorize all business documents into 3 separate sections:

The “Must Store” Records

These files refer to ones you are legally mandated to store, and it also includes documents requiring storage that apply specifically to your line of business. You should also be sure to include records that relate directly to a possible legal dispute. For security and compliance purposes, these should be stored for the length of time required by law or regulation, or until they are no longer applicable to the legal matter.

The “Want to Store” Records

Anything that you feel is valuable to your business or staff such as administrative or marketing documentation, falls under this category. These documents do not need to be stored because of legal obligations, but rather out of a convenience and general desire to keep them. Your records retention policy should preferably provide the time period for which these documents should be retained, or at least periodically review to determine relevance and whether they continue to be valuable to your business.

The “Securely Shred” Records

The last group entails anything not previously mentioned above. It is important that you are proactive in securely shredding any hard copy documents and electronic files that have reached the end of their lifecycle or are not being used for any business purpose; storing these can pose red flags for your security, as information can easily be lost or stolen, which leaves you responsible should there be a fraudulent crime that occurs as a result.

A-1 Shredding offers document shredding services and electronic media destruction that will help your business remain in compliance with critical privacy legislation, while you remain protected from the threats of information theft and fraud. Our team of specialists are pleased to work with you in developing your records retention policy if you don’t currently have one.

The Burlington Town Clerk office is sponsoring a FREE Paper Shredding for the residents of Burlington, MA. An ID with a Burlington address is required. Bring your old tax returns, bank/credit card statements, ATM receipts, used airline tickets and/or medical bills. Shred your personal information to protect your identity. A1 DATASHRED will shred your documents.

Please note that this is event is based on first come, first served, or until the truck is full to capacity. Limit 2 paper size boxes per household or equivalent.

If you have any questions, please call us at the Clerk’s office at 781-270-1660.

http://www.burlington.org/news_detail_T1_R133.php

In recent years, it has become evident that sustainability has become an area of interest for consumers and businesses, and many business owners are adopting new ways in which they can reduce their overall carbon footprint.  Not only do more and more businesses take this into consideration, consumers are looking for this important quality prior to purchasing services and/or goods. Employees are also seeking job opportunities with companies who place a major emphasis on sustainability as well. The importance of having clean water and air is a clear one of course, and more and more consumers and businesses are starting to see that behaving in environmentally friendly ways not only helps to achieve this but can also bring about many other benefits as well.

Maintaining a sustainable workplace comes with so many incredible advantages. Here are just a few reasons your team should seriously consider whether it could improve its sustainability efforts internally.

Appealing to Top Talent

There are many components of a job that can make or break whether it will appeal to certain employees, but one of the most attractive factors for top-talent employees are what the company values. These top-tier employees are typically drawn towards businesses who reflect similar values, and for many nowadays this can refer to a high stance on improved sustainability.

Attractive Quality to Millennial’s Seeking Sustainable Careers

As stated by recruiter.com, 90% of millennials consider sustainability to be a top factor in employment related decisions. Given that millennial’s are joining the workforce at rapid pace, this will become a top employment factor for several new and young individuals seeking to start their career following school. With this in mind, if you’re hoping to appeal to young and eager talent, ensuring you’ve adopted and are maintaining sustainable policies in your workplace, will contribute to gaining this group of talented and green conscious individuals.

Amplified Market Value

According to the Economist, studies reveal that there is a positive association between a company’s corporate social responsibility efforts and their stock price. Social media platforms are increasingly being used to publicly share the good and the bad when it comes to customer service performance provided by an organization. With this in mind, public image has become more crucial than ever before for the success of businesses.

Another potential reason for this trend is the operational assistance and productivity that is gained when using a sustainable approach in everyday business. For instance, internet teleconferencing is a simple, effective and easy way to communicate with clients and other partners across the world, all in real time.  This allows for growth opportunities that otherwise may not be available. No need for traveling by car to discuss ideas, plans, or concerns when it can all be done from a computer. This incredible avenue of communication means huge travel expense savings for companies that operate on an international level. Lower fuel consumption levels and more efficient discussions; it’s a win-win scenario for all.

Save on Costs Over Time

As a business owner you will realize quickly how much money you save when you swap out certain solutions for sustainable ones. For instance, LED lighting doesn’t use nearly as much electricity as standard halogen or fluorescent, and bulb duration time lasts much longer before burning out. What does this mean for your business? You can benefit from substantial savings when it comes to how much you’re spending on lighting. Due to the fact that LED bulbs are also becoming cheaper, this also means you’ll save on maintaining lighting systems as well.

A1 DATASHRED Can Provide You with Sustainable Services

Have old hard drives kicking around? Do not toss these in the recycling bin or garbage can. For one, there are toxins that can enter our landfills and pollute our environment causing harm to animals and people, but secondly there are numerous sensitive files stored on one hard drive alone; if someone were to access it without your knowledge, they could do some serious damage including information theft.

A1 DATASHRED provides hard drive destruction services as well as electronic waste recycling services, to help your business remain green.  Looking for document shredding services? Our on-site and off-site document shredding services reflect the highest industry standards and ensure your information stays safe. Not only that, all paper particles leftover from the shredding process are collected for proper recycling. Don’t throw confidential documents away without shredding them first; doing so will put your identity at risk

Looking for more ways to make your business “green?”

Lowell Five Bank is sponsoring a paper shredding for their customers.  Bring your old tax returns, bank/credit card statements, ATM receipts, used airline tickets and/or medical bills. Bring up to 5 standard size copy boxes (12x15x10) of unneeded personal and financial information to the Dracut Branch.  A1 Datashred will have a mobile shredding truck and you can watch your documents be shredded onsite.  Shred your personal information to protect your identity. A1 Datashred will destroy paper information.

The Town of Dedham, MA is having a recycling event on Saturday, May 18, 2019, 8am to 12pm. Bring your medical bills, old tax returns, and or bank statements to be shredded in a secure manner. There will be a mobile shredding truck, so you can see the document destroyed right in front of your eyes. Protect your identity by shredding your personal information. A1 Datashred will destroy paper information.

For more information click here: http://www.dedham-ma.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/3402/1016

The City of Billerica is holding a Document Shredding event Open to Billerica Residents Only. The cost is $10/box (12x15x10).  Bring your files, documents and any paper documents that you would like to dispose of in a secure manner. There will be a mobile shredding truck, so you can see the document destroyed right in front of your eyes. Protect your identity by shredding your personal information.

A1 DATASHRED will destroy paper information.  Sponsored by the Town of Billerica, MA, Neighborhood Brigade and the Billerica Alliance.

Shredding sensitive documents when you are no longer referring to them is smart and ultimately a great step towards protecting your privacy. With that said, however, the growth of the digital age has required us to shift our attention towards more than just paper. Computer hacking and dumpster diving are becoming increasingly more prevalent, as the ability to steal sensitive information from recycled or disposed-of electronic devices is real and can be very damaging to those affected by it. These items include old cell phones, computers and most importantly, hard drives. You may be surprised to learn that many files can be retrieved from an old device even if it was previously “wiped clean.” Is it time to think about how you’ve been handling the disposal of your electronic data? Are you doing it safely?

Do you have plans to update your entire computer system or even just one computer in your office? Throwing out a defective electronic device will always leave room for a data breach if done incorrectly. Thankfully there is the perfect solution for this, and we guarantee a positive outcome for our clients! A1 DATASHRED is pleased to offer hard drive destruction services in addition to our standard document shredding solutions. How exactly does this work? It’s simple: we destroy hard drives, mobile devices, computers and more just as if they were documents and best of all, its completed right on-site at your location so you aren’t forced to transfer electronic parts off your property.

Importance of Professional Hard Drive Destruction

Hard drives are designed to store thousands of fragments of recoverable information even after you think you’ve “deleted” or wiped the drive clean. This is exactly what allows information recovery businesses to operate; that file you thought was deleted ages ago might still exist on a hard drive in a less visible, albeit recoverable form.

Technological advancements in data recovery have sparked a new ability for hackers and dumpster divers to recover vast amounts of information from hard drives that are simply tossed away. This is primarily in part to:

• Evolving and accessible data recovery techniques and technologies that continue to grow and evolve.
• The near-impossibility of completely wiping electronic components so that they are rendered 100% free from data.

Convenient, Fast, and Secure Hard Drive Destruction On-site at Your Location

• We come to you, so you don’t have to be removed from your work day! Our team of professionals will arrive on-site on your scheduled service date with our mobile shred trucks, completely equipped with the necessary equipment to destroy your hard drives once and for all. You can even witness the shredding take place in person if you wish!

This hard drive destruction service can be completed in an extremely timely, efficient and affordable manner. Services can be scheduled routinely or on a purge-basis depending on your particular needs. Following the destruction of your hard drives, we send the scrap to trusted recycling partners. This process is of course environmentally responsible as well!

A1 DATASHRED ensures our approach reflects key industry standards listed under HIPAA, HITECH, FACTA and more. If you’d like to speak to us about the additional benefits of hard drive destruction for your business, get in touch with us today!

We are happy to meet with you to discuss your unique needs and propose our professional advice as to what we think would work for your business.

Get in touch with us today or call 1-888-95-SHRED

It’s not unheard of for organizations to lack security measures due to the simple fact that they think it isn’t needed given the size of their business. Unfortunately, however, it can be the exact opposite. In fact, criminals often go after small companies as their primary targets KNOWING security isn’t always a priority for them.

With that said, this shouldn’t be the only reason you begin improving your internal security measures. A work culture that is clutter-free and means you don’t have to worry about the risks of a data breach which can be extremely devastating and costly if you’re affected. Experiencing a data breach can be stressful, not to mention damage your reputation. Small start-up companies can be far more vulnerable to this type of damage since in many of circumstances they are still focused on establishing a positive image in the community, and are in the middle of growing their customer base.

Both data breach and information theft can be difficult to recover from so it is especially important that you are taking the proper steps to prevent such outcomes if and whenever possible.

Key Security Practices We Suggest for a Start-up Business in Boston:

• Understand Your Legal Obligations
  Always do thorough research on the state and federal privacy laws that are applicable to your small business. Why? In essence, you are legally mandated to ensure private information is kept entirely protected from exposure, as a business owner.
• Design a Specific Security Policy
  Put some time aside to create a security policy for your team that explains the need for securing sensitive paperwork both in and outside of the workplace. Remember to supply specific guidelines for your mobile workforce as well, in this policy.
• Practice Secure Document Management
  Focus on collecting and storing information that is vital to your business only, and make sure you have full control over who can access these documents. In case of unexpected theft or natural disaster, it is in your best interest to have the proper means in place for effective data backup as well. Keep an organized and up-to-date inventory that also covers any and all documents considered private. This should be the case for both hard copy and electronic records.
• Turn to IT Protection
  For the best security, you should consider using the latest anti-spam software to keep yourself protected from cyber-crime, while allowing you to identity any dangerous malware or viruses.
• Educate and Train Your Employees Appropriately
  Make sure you are supplying employees with regular training when it comes to security updates and tips in staying protected.
• Amp Up Internal Security Measures
  We urge you to customize a policy that requests those who are visiting your office to sign-in prior to entering the rest of your building. Make a point to place locked collection bins throughout your office, as this allows your team to quickly and easily dispose of documents that will be collected for secure destruction, while also keeping their contents out of site from unauthorized eyes. A Clean Desk Policy is an ideal approach in reminding your staff how critical it is to secure sensitive information at all times; whether during storage or prior to disposal.
• Carry Out Risk Assessments
  Conduct a Security Risk Assessment schedule to determine whether or not there are security gaps in your company, and where attention is needed. You may also do this to determine where improvements can be made.
• Professional Document Shredding
  Hire an experienced and reputable company in Boston to look after the secure disposal of your sensitive documents. A1 DATASHRED provides several document shredding solutions to meet your budget and specific needs. Get in touch with our professional team to find out more surrounding our document shredding services and how they can be of help to your start-up business.

Call 1-888-95-SHRED