If you’re running a business, the last thing you need is to accidentally fall foul of the law. At Secure Data Recycling we advise you to read the snippets below….

Get to grips with the Data Protection Act.
All businesses are legally required to protect any confidential information they have on customers, suppliers and employees. The amount that the Information Commissioner’s Office can fine a business for failing to do so was recently increased to £500,000.

Get it done professionally.
According to the Data Protection Act, businesses must employ a data destruction service to get rid of confidential information which is no longer needed. Many companies – including some self-storage businesses – offer a professional shredding service. Getting the job done professionally means you don’t need to worry about breaking the law – or sensitive documents falling into the wrong hands.

Don’t forget about Electronic Storage Devices.
Laws for the disposal of sensitive paperwork also apply to CDs, DVDs, floppy discs, Blu-Ray discs and other media. Deleting files from a disc doesn’t necessarily remove the core data. So it’s important that media is destroyed to make sure confidential information cannot be accessed at a later date.

Keep your certificate.
After your documents have been destroyed, it’s important to hang on to the destruction certificate, if the company you are working with cannot supply a certificate, don’t use them. The destruction certificate will be given to you by the shredding company; should your company be audited, it will be far easier to prove that you haven’t broken the law if you have the right certification. Enlisting the help of a shredding company like Secure Data Recycling which operates in accordance with UK law is a good way of guaranteeing that you’re doing things legally.

Keep it locked up.
While you’re waiting for your documents to be disposed of, it’s important to keep them secure. All companies in the UK are legally required to store sensitive documents in a secure container which can’t be accessed without authorisation, until it’s collected for disposal. Secure storage is an essential stage in legally disposing of documents, and keeping information about your staff and clients safe until it’s shredded.

In short contact Secure Data Recycling to be safe.