Ways to Improve Your Information Management
What Is Information Management?
Information management is the process your organization uses to manage the integrity and security of your information throughout the life-cycle of your records. The phases of the information management lifecycle typically include
- Information Acquisition: Protect your information once it is in your possession. This information can come from emails, financial transactions, form submissions, patient records, etc.
- Active File Storage: This is where you will store your documents that are used on a regular basis. This should be in a secure location like a locked cabinet.
- Archived File Storage: This is where you will store files that are no longer needed until they can be safely disposed of.
- Document Purging: Schedule regularly to ensure documents aren’t lying around once outdated.
- Document Destruction: A secure and safe way to dispose of items that are outdated or no longer needed.
Why Does It Matter?
What makes information management so important? When you develop this process for your business it allows you to create a trackable paper trail for your records.
This helps ensure that your business is compliant with laws and regulations that specify appropriate use and management of sensitive information. Proactive information management helps you avoid potential data breaches and creates fail safes to protect your business throughout the information lifecycle.
The ways we use and exchange information are always evolving, and so are the threats to protecting the integrity of your information. Whether you’re managing large volumes of hard copy information or need to backup and store digital volumes, there are some steps you’ll want to take to improve the quality of your information management systems.
Ways you can strengthen your RIM programs
Stay Alert
It’s alway important to stay on top of trends that discuss recent breaches. This way you are able to track threats and potential risks that your business may be facing. Did you know that in 2021 there were over 10 million data breaches and cyber incidents?
Employee Education
It’s important to educate your employees on your information policies, what they are, why they are there, and what they should do if a breach does occur.
Effective RIM policies help to protect the integrity of your information like personally identifiable information of your clients and employees, proprietary data, financial data and more. A breach can cost your company both figuratively and literally.
Strengthen Access Requirements
Who should be allowed access to what in your business? It’s time to tighten up on these requirements as the digital age continues to advance. Your employees’ access to information can be determined by their job role, department, or even person-by-person basis.
Retention Policies
A retention policy is put in place to control how data will be saved for compliance or regulatory reasons as well as how it will be disposed of when no longer needed.
Effective retention policies help to improve how resources are utilized, control the volume of records, demonstrate compliance, enforce implementation, improve retrieval of records, and reduce litigation risks. You should be modifying your retention policy annually or any time there are major legislative changes. Augusta Data Storage can help manage your retention and purge schedules for records that are stored at ADS.
Secure Destruction
Augusta Data Storage offers certified secure destruction services for both paper and electronic records/ devices. Our NAID-AAA certification ensures that your items will be securely destroyed and you will be presented with a certificate of destruction for your personal records. The requirements for our process control include:
- Employee screening and security checks
- Operational security requirements
- Facility security requirements
- Destruction process requirements
- Overall organizational requirements
Protecting Digital Assets
When it comes to keeping your digital assets safe you want to make sure your items are in good hands. That’s why our media storage solutions have been designed to keep your assets safe from theft, loss, and damage. Our climate controlled media vault is equipped with restricted access, 24/7 security surveillance, and automatic backup power generators. There are no long-term commitment obligations so you are able to store your assets as long or as short as you need.
Once your media is outdated and no longer needed Augusta Data Storage can destroy your e-waste through our e-cycling process. This will ensure that your information is secure even in your devices afterlife.
Layered Backups
If your business is managing digital files, consider layered backup systems with an off-site copy of your archives. Think about many different solutions when it comes to backing up your information. Once you’ve done that you should consider an “air gap.” An air gap is backing up your information offline so that it isn’t accessible to threats that could infect your server system. You should be following this method: 3-2-1-1:
- 3 copies
- 2 different formats
- 1 offsite
- 1 offline
Secure Storage
When it comes to managing sensitive data, secured storage or restricted access storage is a great way to combat against possible security breaches. Improve the security of your active and archived file areas by limiting access to your filing areas, based on the access details we shared above, or relocating your information to an offsite storage facility. Augusta Data Storage offers a 160,000 sq.ft. offsite facility equipped with monitored and secure storage solutions for both paper and electronic assets.
E-waste destruction & E-cycling
What is e-waste?
E-waste is the destruction of electronic components and materials that no longer work. Some of these devices include: Hard drives, computers, cell phones, tablets, etc. When these devices no longer serve their purpose you should always safely and securely dispose of them. That’s why Augusta Data Storage offers e-cycling for your e-waste.
What is e-cycling?
E-cycling is designed to reduce or eliminate the breaches and environmental risks that come with the disposal of your end-of-life electronics. Deleting your information is not enough to keep it safe. Secure destruction is the best option when it comes to keeping your information safe.
Ready to improve your RIM processes?
Augusta Data Storage is here to help. Our services range from bulk purging to media and document storage. Whatever your need may be, call us at 706. 793. 0186 or find us online for your quote today.