Resuming Data Security After Summer Holidays

With the warm weather and school holidays meaning the pace of normal life drops for many, the summer holidays are a time for relaxation and fun.

But they can also be a time when working routines and habits change, which means data security can be neglected. After all, who wants to take work too seriously when there are holidays to enjoy?

ShredPro is a professional paper shredding company that offers secure, efficient, and cost-effective shredding and recycling services all year round, whatever the weather.

We ensure customers achieve the highest standards in the industry to ensure maximum protection of your confidential information while helping the planet, recycling your shredding to reduce the demand for natural resources.

How summer can impact data security

Data threats can occur all year round but there is extensive research that activity steps up around holiday times. In 2022, one study found one in five (20 percent) cyber threats carried out in the period from June to September were severe enough to be considered to be “higher risk” compared with just one in 80 in January.

Against this backdrop, it is worth maintaining best practice throughout the summer months whether you have digital data or information stored on paper or traditional media.

Here at ShredPro, we adhere to the highest industry standards to ensure maximum protection of confidential information, providing timely and reliable services. Whatever your business or organisation, we ensure you meet legal requirements on the collection, storing, and certified destruction of confidential information.

If staffing levels drop during the summer holiday season or work patterns reduce to reflect quieter demand, it’s important to resume data security measures as soon as you return to work. Any data breach can have serious consequences for your business, including financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal liability on areas such as GDPR.

Why Data Security Matters

The Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees the enforcement of GDPR, has the powers to enforce fines for breaches. The higher maximum amount for offences is £17.5 million or 4% of the total annual worldwide turnover in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher.

The ICO says:

“You must ensure that you have appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal data you hold.”

The ICO adds:

“Deleting records that you no longer need, or are not proportionate to retain any longer, is an essential part of a good records management system.”

Our advice

Here are a few tips to help you resume data security after the summer holidays:

• Dispose of sensitive documents properly. Shred any sensitive documents that you no longer need, using the fresh start in the autumn to reduce your compliance risks. The documents to prioritise includes material like old contracts, employee files, customer records, and financial statements. Secure paper recycling is the process of shredding confidential documents into tiny pieces that cannot be reassembled. Working with an accredited partner like ShredPro ensures that your sensitive information is protected, and it also makes your paper recyclable.

• Look at introducing a workplace recycling policy. A set policy can help your business to reduce its environmental impact and save money. Recycling paper cuts air and water pollution while reducing your risk of data breaches if the material is handled by an expert like ShredPro. You can encourage employees to recycle by offering incentives, such as contests or prizes.

• Review your security policies and procedures. Ensure your employees are aware of the company’s security policies and procedures, and that they are following them correctly. We recognise data protection can be a dry subject but if you present the policies and procedures in an engaging way, you can motivate staff to play their part through simple steps which make a difference.
• On the IT side, scan all company devices for malware. It is a sensible idea to scan your devices such as laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, for malware before you connect them to your work network. This will help to protect your network from any viruses or other malicious software that you may have picked up while you were away.
• Be careful what your staff share online. Reinforce the best practice after the summer holiday of not sharing sensitive information online, such as your passwords or credit card numbers. And make sure staff log out of your accounts when you’re finished using them.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your data security is strong when you return to work after the summer holidays.

Customer Testimonial

“ShredPro has recently completed a large-scale destruction exercise for us. The service provided was excellent and ShredPro’s staff were certainly prepared to go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that the task was carried out to our satisfaction.”
Gerry Kennelly, McDonalds