A data breach at a major company, such as a credit reporting agency, can impact millions of people. However, a breach at a small company could be even more disastrous to the owner. Small businesses typically have smaller cash reserves to mitigate the losses to customers and less of the overall market share to keep themselves in business after a breach. The best thing for these companies to do is take every step possible to prevent any loss of consumer data.
Shredding
Paper Shredding in Long Beach is an effective way to ensure written data doesn’t get into the wrong hands. While this won’t protect digital data, it gives businesses that need to print documents a way to safely dispose of them without putting customers at risk. Knowing a business is committed to shredding every document that is no longer needed can give a potential customer confidence and may improve the company’s bottom line.
Companies that have a lot of paper documents they need to shred on a weekly basis may benefit from on-site shredding. This enables them to store the documents securely while waiting for the shredding company to pick them up and destroy them. Companies like Shred Confidential Inc. offer this service to small and large businesses. Businesses that don’t have a lot of paper documents to shred could benefit from drop-off services.
Data Security
In addition to Paper Shredding in Long Beach, companies that use computers must also invest in data security. All of the data on both the local network and online must be protected. An antivirus system designed for the unique needs of small businesses could help protect sensitive data. Many companies also use consultants to help them identify ways their systems might be vulnerable to attacks.
Consumers expect the companies they do business with to protect their sensitive information. It’s virtually impossible for a new business to regain the trust of their customers if they allow data to be breached. However, if they have a clear data security policy in place, these types of breaches are much less likely to happen and if they do, the company is in a better position to be transparent with customers.
