Although technological advancements have eliminated many of the tedious physical tasks that are involved in the storage and handling of information, safeguarding sensitive documents is still a crucial component of a security plan. It is vital to secure files, whether they are in digital or hard copy form, from any unauthorized access. This will minimize the damage an incident involving data can cause.
The most common way to secure files is through password protection. This makes the file jumble of numbers and letters to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key, yet allows modifications to be made when the password is entered. This is particularly beneficial for files that are regularly modified by multiple individuals, like forms, surveys or reports.
A rights management tool can be used to limit editing, printing and downloads. This is particularly useful for files shared with freelancers and contractors, as well as third-party agencies in which it can be difficult to control dataroomworld.info/the-key-components-of-a-nonprofit-strategic-plan-template who can access the files.
It’s also important to reinforce your security policies and make them available to employees when handling sensitive documents. Be sure that your employees are aware that adhering to these standards is not just an obligation but is also an integral part of their jobs. Have a procedure to ensure that employees who leave or move to another department don’t have access to sensitive data. This includes terminating their passwords, collecting access keys or ID cards, and deleting files after they’re not needed anymore.