If your files contain sensitive details about employees, clients data, company finances or project plans, they’re everything to your company. If something goes wrong, it could result in costly penalties and litigation and a loss of credibility. Therefore, it’s crucial to take the steps necessary to secure your documents from being accessed by anyone else and ensure that they are properly stored and disposal.
Implementing clear guidelines for the creation documents, storage, access and disposal of documents is the first step to an effective document management system. This can be accomplished by establishing a policy and documenting every step.
Consider using a document management system that utilizes encryption to transform data into a format that can only be opened by the right key. This is a good way to protect against unauthorized access even if the files are taken or stolen.
It is essential to avoid sending sensitive documents via email, and also to use a document management system which lets you track the history of versions. This allows you to identify who accessed the file and when, which means you can go back to a previous version if it’s been altered.
The final step is to incorporate identity management into your policy. This can be achieved by making two-step authentication mandatory to access files, and using software that works with authenticator software for secure logins. It’s also a good idea to store all of your files on servers that use automated backups and redundant storage, to avoid the loss of data due to malfunctioning hardware or natural disasters.
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