The ITV series ‘Cleaning Up’, may not be everyone’s ideal viewing but the under lying topic is one that should concern us all – protecting company data. It’s a little farfetched (it is fiction with some artistic license after all!) but the fact remains that we all need to be extra careful with data at all times. It’s unlikely that you have homemade listening devices hidden in your air conditioning and your cleaners are unlikely to be the devious criminals and fraudsters portrayed in the program but checking on the management and protection of company data is a worthwhile exercise. It might confirm that your policy is working, and your staff are putting the high standards into practice – or it might show that a ‘cleaning up’ exercise is needed!
Some offices have a ‘clear desk’ policy but not all, and some offices have desks that are just abandoned at home time – papers and notebooks still open, and pcs still logged in. All that information just laying around ready for anyone to see….
Do you have a policy and is it enforced? It’s easy to become lax if no one checks, if locked drawers etc aren’t provided or in working order, or if the employees don’t realise that everything, they are working on is data and therefore to be treated with care. It’s obvious that HR employee information is sensitive as is the financial data but also to be treated as sensitive data is anything relating to how the company works. This will include everything from customer details and orders, future plans, product information – really everything that you are likely to find in an office.
We have all heard the horror stories of the files being left on the bus or in the back of a taxi so make sure that your policy includes the instructions for carrying data outside the office, even if it shouldn’t happen make sure it is included. Following on from the blog about the inclement weather covering working from home options, use this as an opportunity to make reference to this situation, just in case it does arise.
In the media over recent years there has been news stories that are about business related data that has been mishandled or political information that has not been protected. Even comedians have lost their new jokes by leaving their notes in the back of a taxi and they will agree that it’s not a laughing matter!
If its important to you – it might be important to someone else.
Provide USB sticks, always use password protection and utilise IT systems like cloud storage to reduce the risk of carrying printed data.
Top tips:
Revisit your company policy that covers data management
Confirm that the policy is enforceable e.g. locked drawers work, USB sticks are available
Check that someone is checking that the policy is enforced
Ensure employees know what data is being referred to within the policy
