Halloween isn’t all just about trick or treaters or spooky costumes.

Traditionally, it’s when we tell each other ghost stories. When it comes to business, though, none of us want to be haunted by the ghosts of data past.

This is especially true now that the General Data Protection regulation is in force, and businesses face fines of up to 4% of their worldwide annual turnover, or 20 million Euros, whichever is the higher, when there is a serious data breach.

Here are 5 ways your data could come back to trip you up.

1. Your old documents could be found in recycling and used by identity thieves

Wanting to recycle paper is a noble thing. We all want to save the planet. Yet, putting confidential waste in the general office recycling could be a huge mistake.

Do you know where your recycling ends up and who has access to it?

Identity thieves are adept at getting snippets of information from documents and piecing them together to use against you.

Using a secure shredding company such as Taclus Confidential which vets its staff and has secure processes means your documents won’t fall into the wrong hands.

Your paperwork will also be recycled at the end of that process.

2. Your files could be recovered from your old hard drives

Wiping your hard drive doesn’t destroy the data on it. Instead, it removes a directory.

For people who understand the technology, getting files back is still possible.

So, when you’re upgrading laptops and PCs, it’s vital that your hard drives are shredded.

That way, your data remains safe.

3. Your sensitive information could be held insecurely while awaiting destruction

Think about the kind of information you have in your business. That could mean staff medical records, notes of disciplinary meetings, financial information about employees, detailed business plans showing things about your business you don’t want competitors to know.

Just placing these in an open bag while you wait for them to be disposed of could be a real problem. Imagine who has access to your site, and who could take information from those open bags.

Getting secure consoles to protect that information is vital.

4. Your old media such as flash drives and image cards could be lost

Think about the flash drives, image cards, and SIM cards your business uses and what kind of information is on them.

Files, pictures, emails…they all need protecting and could cause you major problems if they fall into the wrong hands.

5. Your old branding could be used by the wrong people

If you refresh your branding, items containing the old version could be used to defraud your clients or damage your business.

That could be headed paper, business cards, and uniforms.

If you shred them, you know they aren’t out there to be used against you.

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

We offer confidential paper waste and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.

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.

Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of your confidential waste, contact our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected]