Data is a significant asset for any business. Making sure it is safe from harm and making sure that it remains secure is essential. Data must be properly stored properly, secured, and destroyed in a responsible manner. Data theft and data breaches are just a few of the major risks that businesses face in the present.
Data destruction processes are vital to ensure that your data remains secure and safe. The process involves eliminating the data that’s not required anymore. This ensures that data stays private and your business is not impacted by security breaches or compliance issues.
There are numerous benefits for data destruction, but one of the greatest benefits is the fact that it decreases your risk exposure overall. But, it is extremely time-consuming and laborious. It requires a lot of supervision and management.
This article will go over the most important reasons you should erase data , and also the best way to go about it in the correct method.
Why you should delete the data
1. Legal Compliance
The destruction of data is an requirement of law for certain businesses. Retention policies for digital data are in place for many years, but most companies aren’t yet in compliance with the rules. Businesses that fail to properly get rid of their data can face huge penalties.
For instance retention policies for email have become more stringent for companies of any size. Electronic data is subject to long retention times under federal, state or local regulations. Certain businesses are required to keep emails for seven years and some for even longer. After that time, the all data must be deleted properly.
2. Reputational Damage
The scandals surrounding data breaches have affected the biggest companies around the globe. The damage to reputation can be massive. Data breaches can severely impact credibility of clients and, in this digital age, information can be spread quickly.
Your customers want to know that their personal data is protected. When they encounter such security breaches, they could be worried regarding the safety of the other information that they give to you, for example, financial information.
3. Financial Costs
Data breaches can be expensive for your company. If there is the investigation of a regulator agency or civil lawsuit your company could be slapped with fines. It could also be required to shell out thousands of ransom to hackers.
Additionally, storage costs for the storage of data that is not needed can be into the stratosphere of chaos. The removal of unnecessary data could reduce your expenses.
Best methods for Data Destruction
Make a Plan
Set a date for when data needs to be destroyed. The destruction of data should be done in a predictable and regular method. This reduces the chance of human error or missing deadlines. If data has to be kept for a specified period of duration, i.e., six months, before being deleted, set the date for destruction to happen at the end of six months.
Have an inventory
It is essential to maintain a complete inventory every piece of hardware that holds data. Also, you must be able to keep track of all software that contains data (or the complete list of all software that contains data). If you don’t then there is an unfounded expectation that all data will be destroyed at the same time. Based on your company’s requirements the situation could lead to delays or even scheduling problems.
You’ll need the right tools
It is essential to have the appropriate tools for destroying data. There are numerous tools and applications that can help you handle the destruction of data. Make sure that you be using the correct tools to help you keep the data you need to ensure the requirements of compliance. For instance, email archiving solutions offer retention management as well as data discovery tools as well as eDiscovery tools and many other features that help you adhere to the policies regarding retention of data.
Assign the responsibility
Assign data destruction responsibilities to appropriate personnel. This could include employees from the department of law, or higher management. It is important to record exactly who is accountable for the destruction of data, and also the process to complete it.
Keep a Record of the Documentation
Document the entire process of destroying data. If you don’t have your documents on hand it can be extremely challenging (if it is not even possible) to demonstrate that the destruction of data was completed.
Notify Everyone
Inform all (including the compliance personnel) concerned that the data is being deleted. This will help make sure that eDiscovery request aren’t submitted concerning deleted data.
Conclusion
If you follow the guidelines, the process of destroying data will go without a hitch. Be aware that destruction of data is only one part of the process of risk management. To to ensure compliance, we suggest seeking out legal counsel as well as an independent security specialist.
The destruction of data is a long and tedious process. It can be particularly challenging for small-sized businesses with minimal IT resources. However, it is vital for the success of your company.
In this moment, you must know the basics of the process of destroying data. This is a procedure which is mandated by federal privacy laws however, it also offers economic benefits. Data destruction is the first step in safeguarding your company from cyber attacks.
It’s still not too early to start the process of destroying your data.
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