Author: Crown Information Managment

While hurricane season in Florida officially begins on June 1 each year, this year the region has already experienced two named storms, even before the season began. Quick on the heels of the first two storms came the third named storm, Cristobal, which also brought sheets of rain in the Sunshine State. With meteorology experts predicting a busy hurricane season ahead, it is time to evaluate whether your business is ready to face the upcoming storms and related disruptions. 

• Do you have a formal business continuity and disaster management plan in place?  
• Can you evacuate your records, files, or business materials in a quick, hassle-free manner in the event of floods or other natural disasters?

The qualified and experienced professionals at Crown Information Management explain how to stay ahead of the storm and keep your records safe and accessible.

Key Considerations for Physical Information Security during Hurricane Season and Beyond

Most hurricanes are accompanied by heavy rains and strong winds. Which means, you need a strategy to run your Florida business in the face of floods, power outages, loss of internet connectivity, system downtimes, or other such potential obstacles.

• Ensure uninterrupted access to your digital information and business applications. Implement a robust business continuity plan that will help you operate from a secondary site with appropriate IT backup systems.
• Safeguard your physical files or records and enjoy easy access or smooth retrieval, even when your office premises are unreachable. 
• Partner with a reliable records management company that offers fire-resistant, water-resistant, temperature-controlled storage facilities, along with timely records retrieval services.
• Create a formal records management framework and prioritization access matrix to prevent chaos and confusion during times of crisis. When your teams have clarity in handling disruptive situations, they will be able to serve your customers in a smooth and uninterrupted manner. 

Being hurricane ready is not just about creating backup plans for your IT applications, servers, or physical records. It is also about reassuring your customers and stakeholders that the company is capable of performing regular operations despite any impediments. Remember to put in place a comprehensive internal and external communication strategy to address these aspects.

Preserve and Protect Your Physical Documents from Hurricanes and other Disasters

At Crown Information Management, we offer an extensive range of records management and storage services to multi-industry clients across Florida. Our state-of-the-art storage facility in Winter Haven, FL is equipped to address all possible threats to physical information security, including theft, accidents, and natural disasters. Our Records and Information Management (RIM) professionals specialize in sorting, coding, indexing, storing, and quick retrieval of paper files, folders, and documents. We also offer tailor-made records management solutions in keeping with your company’s indexing or filing methods.  

Strengthen your physical information security by using the records storage solutions of a SOC1, NAID AAA and PCI Certified company, such as Crown Information Management. Call 800-979-9545 or contact us online to explore our full range of record management services.

In the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a vast majority of us continue to work from home. Wherever possible, this arrangement may continue to be the norm for several more weeks or months. In light of this unprecedented and unplanned work routine, the risks of data breaches have gone up manifold. Although most organizations have invested in some form of data security or cybersecurity measures, their effectiveness in a large scale remote working environment is untested. What this means is that you may have to check whether your home office can battle data security threats the same way that your business or organization can. 

From complying with regulations, to reducing clutter and freeing up storage space, there may be several reasons for destroying your organization’s physical documents and digital drives at regular intervals. Since office shredding machines are not the best solution for safe and permanent disposal of records, partnering with a professional shredding company is an important step in protecting your business from a number of potential risks. 

Professional Records Management Services Can Make the Job Easier

Did you know the average office worker generates about 10,000 sheets of paper per year? While technological advances and cloud-based storage solutions may have reduced the dependence on paper records, achieving a 100% paperless office is still an ideology and not a reality. No matter how small or large your company, and how sophisticated your systems and technology, you may still have to preserve and manage heaps and tons of physical files and documents on an ongoing basis. 

Learn Why Deleting Data or Dumping Drives is Not Good Enough

Tossing something into the garbage or recycle bin may seem like the end of it. However, that is not true when it comes to getting rid of sensitive or confidential digital documents. Anyone with a basic understanding of technology can retrieve deleted electronic information through software or apps that are freely available on the internet. If fraudsters or cybercriminals get access to such devices, they can use the information pertaining to your business, customers, employees or vendors for various illegal purposes, severely impacting your company’s brand and credibility. In fact, you may have to deal with several other repercussions, including loss of revenue and intellectual property, and expensive lawsuits and fines for non-compliance with the applicable privacy laws.

Self-storage units are an excellent option for stowing your excess furniture, lawn equipment, seasonal goods, outgrown clothes or toys, and other such personal items. However, it may not be the best way to store and preserve your business related files and documents. While it may seem like an easy and quick fix to stuff boxes, self-storage is not a sustainable option for any business, small or large.  The experts at Crown Information Management discuss the likely impact of self-storage for business records, and why hiring a professional records management service may be better for your business. 

There are many factors that can disrupt your business operations or even bring your entire organization to a complete standstill. While a COVID-19 kind of global pandemic may be a once in a lifetime occurrence, the possibilities of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, server malfunctions, coordinated cyberattacks, or major power outages are other realities of the present times. Not having a strategy or plan to mitigate such threats, recover the damages, and restore your operations could severely impact your customers, employees, and not to mention, your balance sheet. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 

Even as the world is dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to keep in mind that we cannot let our guard down against natural disasters. In Florida, we know that hurricane season is not too far away. Every year, come June, the sunshine state experiences heavy rain, strong gusts of wind, and storm surges that lead to devastation of life and property. With 40% of all U.S. hurricanes hitting Florida, it’s critical that businesses and individuals prepare to face the next storm season. 

The exponential rise in fraud and identity theft in recent years has compelled most businesses to continually evaluate the security protocols for both physical and digital records. It is about protecting the data and information throughout its lifecycle, from creation to disposal. While you may have implemented several measures to safely store your paper files and electronic data, you also need to ensure the robustness of your data destruction methods. Without a proper chain of custody, there can be leakages at any stage of the document shredding process, which in turn can have devastating effects on your business.