Shred-it’s 2019 Year-in-Review - Risk Assessment

Part 2 of 3: Is Your Information at Risk of a Breach?

We are continuing Shred-it’s 2019 Year-in-Review series this week by highlighting a new self-assessment tool that will go a long way towards helping your organization do a better job of protecting its data.

Shred-it’s new Information Security Risk Assessment Tool builds on some of the key information security trends and practices gleaned from the expert reports published by Shred-it throughout 2019.  While those best practices are a great start towards protecting your data more effectively, sometimes spotting and fixing weaknesses in your own organization is easier said than done.

Despite greater awareness of the consequences of a data breach, Shred-it’s 2019 Security of Confidential Documents in the Workplace report revealed 71% of employees admit they continue to find sensitive or confidential paper documents in public spaces, yet less than half (45%) say their organizations have processes for disposing of such documents.

To help reverse these numbers, what most organizations really need is a comprehensive risk analysis completed by external data security experts. Doing so can identify blind spots or weaknesses and provide specific recommendations for how to address them.

This is where the Shred-it’ Information Security Risk Assessment Tool comes in. 

What is the security risk assessment tool?

The online self-assessment tool starts by asking a series of questions about your current processes to determine where you’re at risk. Based on your answers, Shred-it’s information security experts then provide tailored recommendations to help your organization protect its data more effectively.

How do you know if your organization is at risk?

Ask yourself the following three questions:

1. Are our employees trained on how to properly dispose of confidential documents?
2. Do we have written policies and procedures regarding the handling of confidential material?
3. Are confidential documents currently stored in a secure area?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, it’s time to call an outside information security expert like Shred-it.

The truth is, your office is more vulnerable than you think and there are many security risks that could expose you or your organization to a data breach if the proper precautions aren’t taken.

While this year’s Data Protection Report found the vast majority of businesses (66%) believe they are likely to report a data breach over the next five years, you can take a big step towards lowering the risk of that happening by taking advantage of our new Risk Assessment Tool.

Check back next week for the final installment of our 2019 Year-in-Review series to learn more about upcoming trends that will impact workplaces in 2020. Please contact us to get a free quote and security risk assessment or to learn more about how Shred-it can protect your business.