Whether your company houses important records onsite or at an offsite storage facility, they may be at risk of damage or destruction. Dust, moisture, and insects can damage paper documents. Both paper and electronic records are also vulnerable to fire, flood, and theft. Citizens Business Archives wants to help you protect your important business documents. Here is our guide to disaster-proofing your records and safeguarding them from fire, flood, and cyber threats.
Protecting Paper and Electronic Records From Fire Damage
A fire could result in the loss of valuable paper and electronic records. The best way to prevent this or to mitigate the damage is to be proactive about fire prevention protocols. Some of the most crucial policies and procedures you should enact in your office are:
- Storing original or irreplaceable paper documents in fireproof boxes or a fireproof safe
- Installing and regularly testing a comprehensive fire and smoke detector, alarm, and sprinkler system
- Getting advice from your local fire department on office fire prevention strategies
- Keeping a properly-rated fire extinguisher in each room or area of your office
- Training employees on fire prevention and the proper use of a fire extinguisher
Keeping important physical records and electronic backups at a secure offsite facility can also safeguard them from fire damage. Be sure to choose a facility that is fire-protected like Citizens Business Archives.
Safeguarding Important Records From Flooding and Water Damage
Paper documents that are stored in your office should be kept above flood level, ideally on metal racks above the floor. If possible, store original or irreplaceable documents in plastic sleeves or waterproof containers, or in a watertight storage bin or safe. If you live in a flood zone or an area that is prone to storm water runoff, keep an eye on the weather and consider moving documents to an offsite facility if there is a risk of flooding. If physical or electronic records are stored offsite, make sure the facility implements flood prevention and water protection strategies.
Preventing the Loss, Theft, or Misuse of Electronic Records From Cyber Attacks
Electronic records are at a significant risk of loss, theft, or misuse due to cyber attacks. In order to reduce your risk, everyone in your office needs to be aware of how to safeguard business documents and records. Carefully train existing employees, and institute a cybersecurity training program for new employees to guarantee consistency. Some safety measures to take include:
- Hire an experienced local IT company that specializes in IT security for your industry.
- Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
- Encrypt sensitive data.
- Regularly update software and use security software as recommended.
- Make sure all networks are secured.
- Backup all data and records regularly.
- Store data backups offsite.
- Implement strict access controls.
- Monitor employee activity.
- Make sure employees are aware of evolving security risks like common hacking and phishing attempts.
- Train employees to recognize signs of social engineering.
- Conduct regular cybersecurity audits.
When you partner with Citizens Business Archives, you can protect sensitive business records from loss, theft, and untimely destruction. We offer secure, access-controlled records storage at our secure, fire-protected storage facility. We also offer secure shredding and electronic document destruction in Tucson, AZ. To learn more, call us today at (520) 882-4434 or contact us online.
