There are many things which, as a business owner, you should be aware of when it comes to documentation. After, no matter which industry you work in there will still be a use for physical documentation. Yes, over the past few years, the has been a general transition from paper documents to online versions. Though, there is no doubt that having business conversations over physical documents still has its benefits and merits. So, what do you need to do in your business if you still want to have physical documents in your office? Well, in this blog we will talk you through this subject to try and clear a few important factors up.
Printing has been around for some time and even before large-scale printers and eventually small personal printers became available, humans were writing their most important pieces of information down. After all, this made for an easy and simple system for storing our most treasured personal information.
Business documentation
The fact is that most of these documents which you will use are likely to carry sensitive and sometimes incredibly private information. When this kind of information is in question, safety is one of the most important factors to consider. Of course, there are dangers when it comes to online documentation, and securing your information in the digital sphere can be equally challenging. Though you should ensure that your physical documents are all extremely secure so you can protect your businesses information. As it can be extremely easy to misplace items or documents and this can prove disastrous.
So, what are a few documents which you should keep secure? In this next section, we will run through a few of the main documents which you should look to keep safe in your business. We will talk through some of the more obvious items as well as perhaps a few of the lesser-known pieces of paperwork. We’re sure that after reading this section you will have a far better understanding of what items of paperwork you should look out for as well as how you can keep themes safe. So, if you want to find out more about this and much more then keep reading this article.
Customer lists
There are a variety of different things which you will need to keep in mind when running a business, but certainly one of the most important things is your customer list. Not every company will have a customer list, but those who do will likely hold a great deal of information on them. Aside from covering the company’s names, the list will also feature the contact details and potentially even the names of the key figures within the company. As you might expect, this is incredibly important to keep safe, which is why should keep extra care of your customer lists when running a business.
Financial statements
It really is part and parcel of running a business that you will need to print and work with financial statements from time to time. Though the trick here with this is to only keep the relevant documents and the items that are recent. After all, the more of these statements you have, the more chance you risk losing or misplacing them. This kind of incident can be very worrying indeed, as if these documents fall into the wrong hands it could prove disastrous. It is then very important that you keep your business financial records and statements secure at all times.
Supplier lists
Almost every service-based business will have some sort of supplier list. No matter how large or small this list is it will still hold a variety of sensitive information that you should keep secure. After all, if this kind of information is leaked or finds itself in the wrong hands then it could spell disaster for both your company and the partners you work with. There are, of course, many ways for you to keep these items safe but the important thing is that you ensure only authorised people only can view them. So, what are the other documents which you should keep safe?
Operations manuals
While on the face of it, operations manuals may not seem like an essential thing to keep secure. Once you look a little deeper though, you will realise that they should be kept confidential at all times. Operations manuals will often set out how you and your company will carry out business and if this kind of information falls into the wrong hands, then you will stand the chance of losing your unique traits. What’s more, these manuals may also hold some key information about the company that should always remain confidential to the outside world. Keeping these documents secure will help you to protect your business.
Contracts
Contracts are unquestionably one of the main things which you should look to keep secure and away from people who do not have the clearance to view them. When it comes to employee contracts, these documents will hold their private information, such as their address and next of kin information. This kind of document is never meant to be viewed by people and you should always try to keep these secure. The same goes for business contracts. Often these will hold private information about the company you are working with and the deal which you both have with each other.
How to keep information private
There are a wide range of ways to keep your information from reaching unwanted eyes and you should try to keep your most sensitive things this confidential. Essentially, maintaining privacy is all about safeguarding your right to withhold information to whomever you choose. Of course, there are a few occasions when you might have to give some information to a person or party. However, this decision should always be yours and keeping your data confidential at all times will mean you always have the power in your hands. So, the trick is to keep information away from people and stop anyone from being able to download, decode, or read your data.
Internet drives
The internet is, of course, where most businesses carry out their trading these days and where most people store their data. Of course, this relatively new technology means that we now have far easier access to a wide range of information. What’s more, can now store this information in one easy-to-access pace. Now, while this may all sound incredibly positive over recent years, there has been a small problem developing. Criminals will always find a way to exploit a platform and they have done just that with the internet. Now many hackers have built a career around stealing people’s private information online.
Hard copies
Hard copies are the old-fashioned way when it comes to storing information or data and while the method is far less popular than it used to be it is still hanging on. The great thing about printing information and storing it in the physical format is it is much easier to keep hold of. While items on the internet can move or become lost in a myriad of binary data a sheet of paper stays exactly where it has been left which makes it far easier to keep track of. So what are the best ways to store your paper documents and how will you know that they are safe? Keep reading this blog to find out more information.
Safes
Safes are one of the oldest forms of keeping people’s personal information safe from unwanted eyes and attention. There are now thousands and thousands of safes around the world and many people trust them to keep their personal information safe and secure. There is no question that they are a great way of keeping items secure and you should certainly have a safe for your business or home.
Security shredding
Confidential document shredding or secure paper shredding, as it is sometimes known, is undoubtedly of the most secure ways of protecting your information from people or other businesses. After all, once you have shredded a document, there is no chance anyone can ever see it again if it is the only copy in existence. So, when it comes to highly secret and confidential information, nothing is better than secure shredding.
If you need any more advice on secure paper shredding, then make sure you contact us today. We have many years of experience in the industry and can certainly help you with any questions you might have.
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