How to Keep Your LA Office Secure from Data Breaches

Protect your Los Angeles Business by Implementing These Practices

Lock Up and Secure

It is amazing how many employee files are open to any employee just clicking through the company network on their lunch break. Human resources departments should have security procedures for storing private employee information. 
Sensitive employee data should not be stored on mobile storage devices, including laptop computers and USB thumb drives. Lock all employee files—both active and terminated—in a secure area. More importantly, make sure that only authorized personnel have access to the key.

Don’t Spill the Beans

Often, the weakest link in the security chain is the person trying to be helpful to someone on the phone. Unless the court provides your company with a subpoena, you should have a strict policy to never release employee information to any individual or organization except to the employee him-or-herself. Furthermore, a well-organized document retention plan helps to protect your sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Conceal Sensitive Information

Some sensitive information does not need to be provided on every document. For example, for tax purposes it is impossible to avoid using social security numbers, but they don’t need to be printed on every document. Mask the first five digits of the social security number on pay stubs and other documentation not submitted to the IRS. This is more important for documents sent through the mail. Use sensitive information as sparingly as possible.

Shred Information Before Tossing It

All materials containing sensitive information should always be shredded. The simplest way for information thieves to steal your sensitive information is to dig through your LA trash, so destroying your documents before you throw them out is the first step you can take to protect yourself. A shredding service makes secure disposal easy and efficient, protecting you and your employees from the hazards of information theft. Best of all a shredding service is cheaper than paying your employees to do the job with an office shredder.