Are your staff up to speed on dealing with confidential waste?

It’s almost high summer and many South Wales businesses will be planning to take on extra seasonal staff.

Over the summer, businesses which take on seasonal or casual workers include:

• Tourist attractions like animal parks, stately homes, vineyards, and amusement parks
• Sport and activity centres such as bowling alleys, go karting sites, or tennis facilities
• Restaurants, bars, and cafes in tourist hot spots
• Hotels and bed and breakfasts
• Outdoor sports companies such as those offering canoeing, rafting, or mountain biking
• Children’s soft play businesses
• Farms and market gardens
• Landscaping and gardening companies
• Construction businesses – making the most of better weather

If you’re taking on extra seasonal workers, are they all aware of how important it is that you deal with confidential waste properly?

Some will be employed for just a few weeks or months. So, will they be committed to ensuring your customer and staff data is kept secure?

Here’s our 3-step guide for South Wales businesses to ensure your seasonal staff keep your data safe:

1. Make sure they’re all vetted properly before they start work. That way, you can be confident when you give them information containing confidential data such as customer phone numbers or bank details.
2. Make sure everyone is aware of your policies and procedures when it comes to dealing with confidential waste – from day one. Don’t skimp on the induction process because these staff aren’t permanent. If they commit a breach of the Data Protection Act, you will be liable and could face a hefty fine.
3. Road test your processes for dealing with confidential waste like documents or flash drives. Are they robust? Are they easy to follow? Do your staff know the potential consequences of data loss – including ID theft or fraud?
4. Consider whether you should be outsourcing dealing with confidential waste to a company such as Taclus Confidential – one with a proven track record and stringent procedures. Would your casual staff be better used in delivering your core business for your customers at a busy time of the year?

Why you should choose Taclus Confidential – a South Wales secure shredding company

Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

We also provide our clients with certificates of collection and destruction.

Are you looking for a secure shredding service in South Wales? If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of confidential waste, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

Get your USB sticks destroyed! Sometimes, it’s the little things which trip us up.

You may be aware of the need to shred computer hard drives to wipe away all the confidential data on them, but what about all the USB sticks your staff have been using?

Often, they are used to transfer information between offices or between computer systems within the same office.

They could contain staff records including names, addresses, phone numbers, national insurance numbers, and banking details. These records may also contain confidential notes about medical matters or disciplinary issues.

They could also contain sensitive business information such as sales figures, income projections, plans for new sites or expansion, details of new products, or details of company restructuring.

Can you be sure you know where all those flash drives are right now?

Can you also be sure that they haven’t fallen into the hands of fraudsters, people who sell on data, or your competitors?

The same goes for optical disks and SD cards – all could contain confidential information.

You must ensure all these items are dealt with securely, or your business could be at risk of a large fine.

Get your USB sticks destroyed & What the law says

Under the Data Protection Act, any company which does not take adequate steps to protect the data of its staff and customers could face prosecution by the Information Commissioner – and a potential fine of up to £500,000.

Of course, they may also face a separate action for any financial loss associated with a breach.

Along with the financial cost, there is also the potential damage to your business’ reputation.

How much could that cost you in lost revenue?

Compared with all that, the relatively small cost of arranging secure shredding by a reputable company such as Taclus Confidential seems a very good investment!

Why choose us – a South Wales secure shredding company

Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

We also provide our clients with certificates of collection and destruction.

Looking for a secure shredding service in South Wales? If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of flash drives, SD cards and optical disks, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

Need a secure shredding service?

For schools, colleges and universities, there can be a great deal of sensitive information to process so need a secure shredding service.

That might be letters to and from parents or students, minutes of meetings, employee records, staff rotas, records of medical or disciplinary matters, and records of the school, college, or university finances.

That information is being held on computers and, often, in paper form in schools.

It could contain national insurance numbers, names, addresses, telephone numbers, or banking details.

Imagine if items like these found their way into the wrong hands.

The damage which could be done to pupils, students, staff, and the reputation of the organisation could be immense.

Any breach of the Data Protection Act could also see your organisation facing a substantial fine.

If there are financial losses caused by a breach, your organisation could well also face paying for them.

So, you need to ask yourself this question: do you have an adequate method of dealing with sensitive waste paper and old computer hard drives?

If the answer is NO you need a secure shredding service.

Confidential paper waste should be shredded in a secure environment.

What happens at your university, college, or school?

Often, valuable staff hours are taken up shredding sensitive paper items. Is this the best use of your staff’s time?

Is there a regular system for dealing with sensitive paperwork? Where is it stored while you wait for it to be shredded?

Our system includes lockable consoles where paperwork can be stored securely before it is destroyed. We provide one-off and regular shredding services.

How do you deal with old hard drives?

If you’re upgrading computers, how do you deal with the hard drives which contain sensitive information?

Deleting files does not remove them permanently from the hard drive – unscrupulous people could retrieve them and sell on your details to criminals.

The only way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to destroy the hard drive. We record the asset tag on each drive, then it is shredded and the rare or precious materials are recovered and recycled. The rest of the computer can then be recycled.

What about flash drives, CD-Roms, and image cards?

All can contain sensitive information. We ensure they are also securely destroyed.

Do you need to organise your secure shredding before the long summer break?

Have you considered outsourcing your confidential shredding to a reputable company, such as Taclus Confidential based in South Wales?

Taclus holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

We also provide our clients with certificates of collection and destruction.

If you need advice, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

 

 

 

This is the start of a busy period for hotels and guest houses.

The tourist season starts in earnest in April. Easter usually marks the start of the summer tourist season.

Most hotels and guest houses will be gearing up for that summer rush, making sure they have enough staff, getting their marketing up to snuff, and ensuring their housekeeping is presenting a spotless image to their guests.

In this rush, it would be easy to forget some of the business basics like dealing with admin.

However, forgetting to deal with your confidential paperwork properly could land you in hot water.

It could cost hotels and guest houses tens of thousands of pounds in fines if they breach the Data Protection Act.

Customer details like names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, and bank details could fall into the wrong hands. Imagine the damage which could be done to your reputation if a fraudster steals the identity of one of your guests. Imagine the cost in monetary terms of reimbursing them if they lose out financially.

Don’t forget your suppliers. If they’ve sent you invoices or paperwork containing their bank details, you need to be treating that paperwork very carefully. Imagine the financial loss they may suffer if thieves get their hands on it.

Your own rand reputation could also be under threat if criminals get hold of headed paper or compliments slips. They may pose as your staff members to defraud your customers.

Paperwork which could be used by criminals:

• Copies of receipts for rooms, meals, and drinks at the bar.
• Booking confirmation letters.
• Invoices from suppliers.
• Your orders to suppliers.
• Headed notepaper or compliments slips.

What can you do? Get a confidential shredding service

Ensure your confidential paperwork is shredded by a reputable company, such as Taclus Confidential based in South Wales.

We provide one-off and regular shredding services.

Taclus holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

Updating staff uniforms?

Don’t let them fall into the hands of criminals who could target your hotel or your customers.

They could use them to gain access to your premises and steal from you, or to defraud or steal from your customers.

Taclus also shreds your old workwear to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

 

Are you looking to get a confidential shredding service in South Wales? Call our friendly team for expert advice on the best regime for you on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

Here are 5 reasons you should learn to love the shredder

Worrying about your confidential waste?  As Valentine’s Day approaches, don’t forget your unsung hero – the shredder which keeps your confidential information private.

Here are our five reasons you should love the shredder:

 

1. It keeps your confidential information safe. Confidential shredding allows you to dispose of paperwork with names, signatures, addresses, payroll numbers, telephones, and national insurance numbers without fear the details will fall into the hands of thieves and fraudsters.

 

2. It allows paper waste to be sent for recycling – safely. Not only do you keep your information safe, you help save the planet. Shredded paper is sent to a pulp mill where it is washed and made into a slurry with water. It is made into a substance like papier mache, and any inks are filtered out of it. It can then be rolled, dried, and made into other office paper, newsprint, or cardboard.

 

3. It helps you show your customers some love. If your customers know you take care with their confidential waste, they will have trust and confidence in your business. Data like bank details, phone numbers, and email addresses can all be used to scam people.

 

4. You’ll be complying with the law. The Data Protection Act 1998 says that businesses must deal with their customers’ information securely. They must take reasonable steps to stop the loss of personal data. Any breaches of the act can result in substantial fines. Confidential paper waste has been a target area for data criminals who sell on information to fraudsters and thieves. A secure shredding service stops criminals getting their hands on your data about your customers and employees.

 

5. You can shred hard drives on your old computers. Wiping the details on your computer doesn’t get rid of all your information. It just wipes the indexing system – the information is still there. Most businesses do their banking by computer, keep customer records, and hold employee records on computers. Shredding the hard drive is the safest way to deal with that information.

 

Choose a company with a great reputation to deal with your confidential waste

Reputable confidential waste shredders like Taclus work to stringent rules to ensure your information is dealt with securely.

Taclus holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

 

Looking to deal with your confidential waste paper in South Wales?

Call our friendly team for expert advice on the best regime for you on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

 Get a new regime for your confidential waste

Is your New Year resolution to get on top of the mountain of waste paperwork in your business?

It’s time to set up a regular system to deal with confidential waste documents.

You’ll need to know:

• How much confidential waste you’ll be producing every week or month
• How often you’d like your waste to be collected
• How you’d like to deal with the waste in-house – would a secure bag service be appropriate, or would you need a lockable console to ensure no one can access sensitive papers when they’ve been earmarked for disposal?

For one-off shredding, you will be charged either by the weight of your waste paper or by the number of sacks or boxes a service collects.

Reputable confidential waste shredders like Taclus work to stringent rules to ensure your information is dealt with securely.

Taclus holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

Much has been made of the threat from cybercrime in the past few years, but being sloppy with paperwork can be just as destructive for a business.

It can also lead to the loss of information useful to hackers and other cybercriminals.

The threats your business faces from poor disposal of confidential waste in 2017

ID theft – thieves could steal your ID or that of any of your employees, using information like National Insurance numbers, names, addresses, telephone numbers, and bank details. The potential for fraud is large.

Customer fraud – if you hold details about your customers, they could find themselves the victims of fraud. That could seriously damage your business and leave you liable for any financial costs they incur.

Competitors knowing your plans – thieves will sell your details on to unscrupulous competitors, giving them a business advantage over you.

Damage to your reputation – particularly if customers have losses.

Looking to deal with your confidential waste paper in South Wales? Call our friendly team for expert advice on the best regime for you on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

Don’t give criminals a Christmas present – ensure your festive security

 Most business premises close for at least a few days over Christmas and the New Year, don’t become victim of confidential waste crimes.

That’s a time when your business could be vulnerable to criminals who often use holidays as a cover for

their illegal activities,

While we’re busy enjoying the festivities, empty business premises can be vulnerable.

Something as simple as leaving a rota in your unsecured rubbish could cost you thousands of pounds in lost stock, equipment, or damage done in a break-in.

Burglars and thieves would love to get their hands on your staff rotas for Christmas and the New Year.

Your rotas will tell them when your premises are closed and when they are the least likely to be found by your workers.

Rotas will give information on the shifts being worked and the numbers of staff on each shift.

They may also contain staff names, addresses, and mobile phone numbers, as emergency contacts.

There’s a risk of identity theft if details like this get into the hands of unscrupulous people.

So, as well as being a security risk, leaving rotas lying around could see you breaching the Data Protection Act – and that could lead to your business facing a hefty fine.

Every business owner has a legal duty to make sure confidential information is disposed of safely and securely.

There’s a simple way to ensure your festive security – shred your rotas.

Once staff have been informed of the shifts they’re working, don’t throw extra copies in the unsecured bins. Encourage staff to place any copies they may have in the confidential waste.

Call in a confidential shredding service, like Taclus Confidential, who will remove your waste to a secure location.

Taclus holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

This ensures all waste is securely destroyed – and don’t become victim of confidential waste crimes.

 

Looking for secure shredding in South Wales? We cover provide regular and ad hoc shredding services to businesses. Call us on 02920 676 714 or email [email protected].

 

Our confidential shredding service covers Cardiff, Cwmbran, Newport, Pontypridd, Pontypool, Bridgend and all other parts of South Wales.

 

Destroy Your Old Hard Drives It’s More Important Than You Think

Destroy your old hard drives, deleting a file from your desktop computer or laptop doesn’t get rid of it. Items can be recovered by those with the right know-how.

Even wiping your hard drive isn’t fully secure. That just removes the index.

There’s still so much valuable information on an old hard drive.

If you’re upgrading your equipment, you need to destroy your old hard drive to ensure that items on it won’t be recovered. It’s the most secure way of dealing with old hardware.

Think of all the things we have had on our hard drives – banking details, confidential employee files containing names, addresses, phone numbers, and national insurance numbers, business plans…

There’s an extensive list of files which could contain confidential information.

The threats include:

1. Data theft for hacking/ID theft – So many people keep copies of passwords on their hard drives, NI numbers, phone numbers, and records of security questions for banking or other secure activities. We all know we shouldn’t – but are you sure there’s nothing on your hard drive which could be used to steal your identity or hack into your systems?

2. Business information being made available to your competitors – Business or marketing plans often contain figures and ideas which would be useful if sold to competitors, and there are plenty of unscrupulous people with technical skills out there willing to cash in.

3. Emails/staff records which might cause you HR issues if made public – This could relate to disciplinary matters, hiring, firing, or staff appraisals. If you want them to remain out of the public domain, destroy that hard drive.

4. Customer information – You may well have detailed analytics about your customers collected by cookies on your website, for example, and information about individual customers from sales records. If those details were made public or used against your customers – like the hacking of credit card details or theft of money from their accounts – the damage done to your business could be devastating. It could also see you facing a substantial fine under the Data Protection Act and having to compensate those customers financially.

Hard drives can be securely destroyed. Taclus Confidential records the asset tag number for each hard drive we destroy on a Certificate of Secure Destruction.

We shred the hard drive and send the waste for recycling, recovering precious materials and rare elements.

We send the rest of the computer for recycling or re-use. Find out about our secure digital media destruction here: https://taclusconfidential.co.uk/shredding-services/.

Our clients have confidence in us because, unlike many other independent providers of shredding services,  we have achieved the highest standards in dealing with confidential waste –  ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Call our experts on 02920 676 714 for advice on how to deal with your sensitive data.

We are going to explain how confidential shredding can protect your brand therefore Protecting your company’s reputation.

You protect your brand by ensuring you give great customer service, you monitor how people talk about you online, and try to answer queries and complaints as quickly and efficiently as possible.

You may well have registered your trademark.

Whey, then, would you allow your branded items to go into the bin – and potentially fall into the hands of people who will damage your company’s reputation?

You may want to dispose of branded items if you refresh your brand or change your address, telephone number, website, or email.

Throwing them away in insecure rubbish or recycling bags could cause your business problems.

Here’s what thieves and fraudsters could do with your items:

Workwear – They could con their way into customers’ homes or workplaces and carry out thefts, or even attacks. Older people are particularly at risk from these kinds of bogus callers.

Headed notepaper – Fraudsters could use this to get personal details from your clients or information from other businesses. Unscrupulous rivals could also use this to obtain information about your business.

Business cards – Thieves, fraudsters, or rivals could present themselves as your employees. You could lose sales as well as suffering damage to your reputation.

IDs – These could give anyone access to your premises. Think about the damage which could be done if your site is burgled or vandalised, or if someone unscrupulous gains access to your computer systems. That could, potentially, cripple your business.

Faulty products – If you recall a faulty product, you will want to ensure it is destroyed and isn’t being used by a member of the public who could become injured by it. That could leave you at risk of a legal action. If there is little risk of injury, there is still a risk to the reputation of your company from a product which does not work as it should.

So how confidential shredding can protect your brand ?

Use a confidential shredding service to dispose of your items, ensuring they don’t fall into the hands of the wrong people.

Shredding services will offer one-off shreds as well as regular shredding of confidential documents.

Choose one which conforms to the European Standard for Information Destruction (EN 15713) – Taclus Confidential fully complies with that standard. Taclus is certified and accredited by independent auditors to the ISO 1401:2015 environmental standards and ISO 9001:2015 standards for the quality of our service.

If you’re looking for a shredding service in South Wales and want to protect your brand, call 02920 676 714 for expert advice.

Choose a shredding service for your business

Remember the idea of the paperless office?

For most businesses, having items printed out on paper is still a necessity, from rotas and forms to reports and briefings.

Here’s a fact which bears that out – the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper every year.

Did you also know that more than half of the average company’s sensitive information is on paper?

It’s important that businesses comply with data protection laws and deal with information like names, addresses, telephone numbers, national insurance numbers and bank account details responsibly.

The impact of the wrong people getting hold of those details can be devastating – it could severely harm a business’ reputation.

Business owners have firewalls and cyber security processes in place to deal with those who try to steal this kind of information online.

Why make it easy for data thieves by putting printed material containing sensitive data for an insecure recycling or rubbish collection?

There are three compelling reasons to choose a shredding service for your business:

1. It saves money.

The alternative to hiring a shredding service is doing it in-house. That takes up the time of staff who could be delivering on your core business.

A shredding service with the proper accreditation and secure processes is a cost-effective option. The costs of shredding vary from area to area and depending on how providers dispose of the shredded material.

The amount of shredding to be carried out can also impact on cost – some providers offer lower prices for larger amounts.

2. It helps you comply with the law.

Breaching the Data Protection Act is a serious business. It could end up with a fine of up to £500,000.

It’s vital that businesses have robust systems in place to deal with information like HR, finance, and operational files which might contain signatures, bank details, medical information, or business information.

Look for a company, like Taclus Confidential, which ensures that destruction is carried out in accordance with EN 15713, the European Standard for Information Destruction.

3. It stops data/identity theft.

Data theft isn’t a victimless crime – it can sometimes have very serious consequences.

Most data thieves would be looking for ways to get into victims’ bank accounts or for details which they could use to defraud their victims. The sums of money they steal can be substantial.

Others victims of data or identity theft may be at risk of harassment or physical harm.

A secure shredding service gives you, your staff, and your customers peace of mind.

If you need advice about how to deal with your sensitive data, call our experts on 02920 676 714.