In 2015, Experian, a leading global information services company, released the Data Breach Industry Forecast. This expansive and in-depth report addressed the growing crisis in data security and forecasts ever greater threats to the security of companies worldwide in the coming years.
One of the most unsettling revelations in the report is the statistic that nearly half of the polled organizations experienced at least one data breach in the last reported 12-month period. And most startling of all is that Experian, publisher of that very report and a global leader in security and data, was itself a victim of a massive data breach which resulted in the release of 15 million social security numbers belonging to customers of mobile data and cell phone service company T-mobile, an Experian partner.
At this point you’re likely asking yourself: if Experian, a globally respected reporter of data breaches and watchman can fall victim to a data breach, what is to protect me or my company from experiencing a breach? What measures can be taken to prevent the information of my employees, customers, or clients from being stolen and entering the public domain, ruining the integrity of my business and potentially the lives of my customers?
Document Management Software: Your Path to Cyber Security
Fortunately, there are simple yet dramatically powerful steps that you can take today to protect your business and your clientele from their information falling into the wrong hands. By implementing a trusted document management system (DMS) to digitize your company’s documents, you can immediately begin the process of safeguarding your business’s most valuable information for the long term. A DMS like eFileCabinet can not only ensure organizational freedom but can also safeguard against a wide range of potentially devastating security threats. Some of those threats and their DMS solutions include the following:
Documents Falling into the Wrong Hands
With a DMS, every document is stored electronically and is limited in access only to authorized users. System administrators can dictate who is allowed to view, edit, and duplicate files in your digital database by setting up passwords and authorizations for the employees in your company. Limiting the amount of hands in the pot will minimize the opportunity for unpredictable errors that lead to security failures.
Database Hacks
The news has recently been filled with examples of large companies losing valuable and highly confidential information belonging to their clients at the hands of skilled hackers. So how can you protect yourself from hacks like these? By implementing a DMS system with multi-layered encryptions and powerful security measures built to stand up to the pressure of attempted hacks. DMS like eFileCabinet provide advanced security tools and encryptions that will keep the data of you and your customers safe from falling into the wrong hands.
Careless Mistakes
The average company deals with hundreds if not thousands of unique documents each and every day. When dealing with physical, paper documents, the list of unexpected factors that can result in information landing in the wrong hands is endless. A careless employee leaves client tax information lying around in a public area. A folder of files containing customer social security numbers is forgotten on a train ride to the office and is picked up by a criminal. Relying on paper simply allows for too many potentially devastating variables, whether the result of human error or pure bad luck.
Healthcare Data Breaches
If your business operates in the healthcare field, the importance of securing your data from hacks and breaches is even higher. Your company deals with the most personal, potentially dangerous information available if landed in the wrong hands. You must take steps to protect client social security information, medical histories, billing and payment information, and other highly personal data. Not only would a breach be bad for the reputation of your business or practice, but human lives are at stake. Diligence is critical in protecting your clients’ information, and a state-of-the-art DMS could make the difference.
Don’t spend another moment with your business left vulnerable to data breaches. Learn the lessons taught by Experian, both in their report and their own history of breaches, and implement a DMS as soon as possible to protect organization. To find out more about how utilizing a document management system can make your company more secure and more organized along the way, fill out the short form on this page to receive a free 15-minute demo of eFileCabinet.