The University is required to treat confidential information in accordance with the negotiated terms of the non-disclosure agreement. In most cases, the agreement requires us to treat confidential information with the same care as ourselves, but in no way with less than reasonable care. If you`re wondering how to stay safe online, access control is key. Create a unique Wi-Fi ID and strong password that can`t be easily guessed. Share it only with trusted employees and offer a different network and password for guest access. To adapt to the new way of working, you need to identify the appropriate workflows in business operations, including maintaining document security. Knowing the best practices for protecting confidential documents can minimize the likelihood of a malicious data breach. Have clear logs to store and share sensitive documents while working remotely in your organization. Reports have shown that in the first quarter of 2020 alone, 67% of data breaches are due to stolen or weak passwords, human error, and social attacks. The likelihood of credential theft and human error may be higher if you work remotely, especially if you use an unsecured network connection and a non-work computer for your work. If you are transmitting sensitive data, you must use an encrypted communication channel. When transmitting over the web, always make sure that the website is protected by SSL. For FTP transfers, be sure to use a secure variant of the protocol (e.B.
SFTP or FTPS). Another handy option at LSU is FilestoGeaux, a web service that allows LSU users to upload files they want to share on a secure LSU web server. Confidential information should not be obtained or made available until a confidentiality agreement (non-disclosure agreement) has been negotiated and executed by the Sponsored Programs Office. This is a limited signing authorization. The faculty member is not authorized to sign a confidentiality agreement. Protecting your company`s confidential documents is becoming more and more complicated as technology evolves and the modern office is constantly changing shape. Whether it`s due diligence documents or employee records, it`s recommended to limit access to sensitive information to specific individuals. You can keep access to confidential documents within the management team because not everyone in your organization needs access to them, especially if you work with independent contractors or third-party agencies. In addition to the information stored on your computer, you should also consider the security of the information when sending. Make sure you use an effective encryption program when transmitting sensitive information so that the data does not fall into the wrong hands. If you`re working remotely, it`s hard to know where employees will work. You could be in a coffee shop or use unencrypted networks at home.
If you are using an unsecured network, other third-party observers may monitor your traffic. Employees must be trained to treat confidential and proprietary information with care and to respect the sensitivity of the information. In particular, you need to train your employees in the following areas: Implement and train your employees in a clean office policy where all sensitive documents are removed from the office at the end of the day. Make sure everything is locked in the desk drawers and the keys are not accessible. Everything that needs to be destroyed must be thrown into the paper destruction lock. Leaving what should be shredded to your employees is a risky endeavor. Do you want your employees to decide what is sensitive information and what is not? A predefined guideline for the destruction of information helps clarify all questions about what to destroy and when. When implementing a policy to destroy information in the workplace, it should include provisions for everyday documents and documents with a longer document lifecycle. If you don`t already have it, create a clear policy for sharing confidential documents for your employees, which includes do`s and don`ts when handling confidential information and working remotely. Specify security measures to follow, such as storing and .B sending documents only through encrypted cloud storage or confidential document monitoring activity.
If necessary, visitors to a workplace must sign a confidentiality agreement upon arrival. In addition, they must be accompanied at all times and kept away from areas where they may be exposed to confidential information (unless they have a “need to know”). If you need help with the security of confidential information, you can publish your legal requirements on the UpCounsel marketplace. UpCounsel only accepts the top 5% of lawyers on its website. UpCounsel`s lawyers come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and have an average of 14 years of legal experience, including working with or on behalf of companies such as Google, Menlo Ventures and Airbnb. For digital documents that need to be sent to third parties, you can send an email or use a file sharing program. If you are using a file sharing program, it is very important to encrypt the documents and make sure that you are using a trusted service provider. If you`d like more information about IT security and find out how Grant McGregor can help your business become more secure, don`t hesitate to contact us. If you have to permanently destroy confidential documents, a shredder works well, but what about the documents you need to have on hand? In this case, the best option is to have lockable storage cabinets for which only a few selected people have the key. As important as digital data has become, most businesses still have to deal with a lot of paperwork on a daily basis.
If you need to get rid of sensitive documents, be sure to shred them or use a confidential recycle bin. Issues such as identity theft mean that you should never assume that a document, because it has been placed in the Trash, will not be seen by anyone else. If you have any doubts or questions about confidential information, please contact ITSP at security@lsu.edu. For all physical documents, measures must be taken to ensure that they are exposed to the lowest possible risk of theft. Start by making sure that the place where they are all kept is locked at night. Employees should be trained to lock sensitive documents and verify that they are safe. It may also make sense to invest in secure offsite storage for documents that require a longer retention period. The information is then managed by professionals and is under high-quality protection. If necessary, you always have access to all paper documents.
If you`re training your employees on how to protect confidential information, it`s a good idea to first explain why data privacy is so important, and then provide training on the practical aspects of data protection, i.e. using secure passwords, destroying documents, etc. If you work from home or outside the office, securing sensitive information is an issue to ensure that only the right people have access to it and that leaks are minimized. When tracked, these measures will help your team have an efficient workflow and secure confidential documents while you work from home. A company holding confidential information should ensure that access to confidential information is limited to employees who have a “need to know”. Printed copies of documents must remain locked and electronic copies must be password protected. Below are some of the best ways to better protect sensitive information than your business processes. An employee who receives or provides confidential information should always read the terms of the confidentiality agreement. All confidentiality agreements are negotiated, so the terms may be different. .