Document security on the move

My last blog discussed the importance of having a document management company policy that ensures integrity and security of company information.

But what happens when you are on the move or working from home? What information or document management protocols do you have in place?

Recently, I was on a train to London and took the opportunity to write up a report and read through a proposal, nothing unusual in that.

But as the journey continued I was irked by a commuter who was sitting next to me and kept peering into my laptop screen.

I didn’t have a laptop privacy screen so I was well aware that he could catch some of what I was reading and writing.

You might be thinking what a stupid thing to do but there was no confidential information on display and nothing onerous that anyone reading it could use to affect.

That’s not the point I was irked because he persisted in deliberately reading in my space and this got me thinking.

Do organisations need an information management policy and is it really necessary?

How many of us actually travel with company work documents – paper and digital, and read them in view of other commuters?

The british workforce has become increasingly mobile, we travel further and more often.

Many employees use planes and trains.

If you take a train during peak commuting periods it is not unusual for people to use this travel time to work on their smartphones, laptops or tablets, reading important documents and responding to emails in full view of all and sundry.

Not forgetting that endless business phone call the woman sitting next to you is having and divulging all sorts of interesting information if you care to listen.

I picked up a potential company lead because a woman on her phone name dropped,  she was talking so loudly it was hard not to hear and everyone understood the context of the conversation not very secure or confidential and I wondered what her client (I assumed it was a customer) would have made of the conversation had they known she was travelling on a train.

Would they have questioned her about the existence of a company information management policy?

How many times in the last few years have we heard about breaches at the home office or NHS trusts inadvertently sending out information to the wrong patients.

It happens innocently due in part to carelessness like divulging confidential company information on a mobile phone, reading sensitive documents whilst on a train, bus or plane.

You may not think your friendly commuter sitting next to you isn’t in the least bit interested in what you are reading or writing but look at the statistics below and it might make you think again.

http://www.slideshare.net/CarolineMcCormack/commuter-snoopers-jan14

Employees should be aware of an information management policy particularly when working remotely or in transit providing clear and practical guidelines to ensure employees reduce the risk of losing information or worse still falling into the wrong hands.

Paper is very easy to transport to and from the office and just as easy to misplace or leave on the train on the way home. When these documents are no longer required employees should be required to return them to the office and have them destroyed on company premises.

Organisations need to manage information appropriately ensuring that devices issued to employees such as mobile devices, laptops or tablets are encrypted with passwords and any sensitive information is managed via a secure VPN connection (virtual private network).

Laptop privacy screens ensure that if work is being undertaken on a journey, it makes it impossible for the information to be read from a side view.

Of course this reads like common sense, BUT

Next time you are travelling count the number of potential information and security risks, you will be very surprised just what you see and what you can learn!

When you next make that phone call to an important client or read sensitive documents. Be aware of the security risks.

For more information on document management systems and solutions click here

Does it really matter how you transport information?

What management policies do you have in place?

How do you manage your information and any paper documents when you are on the move?

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The post Information and document management on the move appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Managed Print Services – reduce print costs, remove unwanted printing and enforce print rules such as colour or simplex/duplex printing.

Most organisations these days have people working remotely from the office and constantly on the move.

The one thing they have in common is the ability to print documents at anytime and anywhere.

How do you keep print sensitive information safe from prying eyes? 

Using a secure document release application makes it easy to keep confidential information viewable for the user only. Accounting and reporting features for document output activity helps organisations comply with privacy requirements.

How do you prevent wasted paper?

How do you keep printer consumable costs down?

What happens when documents are left unclaimed?

What about the loss of productivity in time waiting for documents to be printed at the most convenient printer, not always the nearest one?

Do you call I.T. to ask for more print drivers to be installed or a request to purchase new printers?

Networked printers are not always located for easy access by workers who spend increasing amounts of time away from their desks and documents left unattended can divulge company information such as plans that have yet to be announced or organisational re-structuring. Jams, malfunctions and queues make printers unavailable when people need them. Server based printing with document authentication increases mobility, security and reduces cost for the company.

Not having to rely on a single printer, users can output documents when and where they are needed and avoid the inconvenience of printers out of service or busy. Managing any number of personal printers in an organisation is costly and employees often insist on having their own printers because of wanting their own privacy. By managing your print devices properly ensures security is prevalent at every shared device.

Implementing a managed print services solution ensures that only those documents that are required to be printed use the most appropriate printer for the job i.e. colour printer or to print simplex/duplex. Using a secure document release application encourages user mobility and helps to minimise waste and protect personal information or customer confidentiality.

Print management solutions and ‘Follow-You’ Printing® holds documents in a secure print server until users authenticate themselves at the networked printer of their choice anywhere on the print network, across servers, departments and even geographic locations.

What are the benefits of managed print services?

• Security is increased by only releasing documents when users are physically at the printer
• Mobility is enhanced by allowing users to release documents at any convenient printer, anywhere in the organisation
• Reduces waste by eliminating unclaimed print items and encourages users to print only the documents they actually need
• Simple authentication implemented using card based ID systems
• Integrates into multi-vendor environments

Users swipe their ID card enter a PIN or both to authenticate themselves and release their print jobs.

Education – end wasteful and unclaimed printing only allowing print jobs to be output when users are ready to authenticate them at the printer. One University reduced their printing by 41% in one term using Follow-You Printing integrating it with existing campus card systems and on line accounts, students, faculty and staff were able to use the same machines.

Legal – Protect work and client confidentiality by preventing documents from sitting in output trays at unattended printers. Follow-You Printing safeguards clients trust and compliance with corporate accountability and privacy laws.

Office – Give employees the convenience of swiping their I.D. cards to release their documents and the flexibility to bypass printers that are busy or out of service. Follow-You printing operates geographically and users can output queued documents at network printers in your company’s branch offices to avoid the risk of losing or exposing them while travelling.

As an authorised channel partner of ProcessFlows, Digital Print Management provide intelligent print and cost management software solutions for the corporate, legal, education, health care and financial services. Designed to create more effective printing environments, reduce printing costs, increase security and lessen environmental impact.

For more information and a discussion on how we can show up to a 30% saving on your overall print costs by using our Print Management Solutions fill the form in below and one of our advisors will call you:

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