TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Small Business Week begins next Monday and Shred-it is taking the opportunity to offer Canadian small businesses a check list to protect themselves against threats to their information security.
Small Actions for Big Wins is an information security checklist that outlines the most commonly overlooked information security practices that can help small businesses avoid many of the risks their operations face. The check list focuses on easy-to-implement actions that won’t break the bank of the average small business.
“Most small businesses have to be very selective with the investments they make to improve their business,” said Bruce Andrew, Executive Vice President at Shred-it. “But overlooking information security won’t save money in the long run because the costs of regulatory fines, litigation, fraud, and most importantly, damage to reputation that can result from a data breach far exceed the cost of implementing simple information security protocols and procedures.”
According to the 2014 Shred-it Security Tracker, almost a third of Canadian small businesses have no protocol for storing and disposing of confidential data, leaving them open to the risk of data theft and fraud. Further, 46 per cent of Canadian small businesses surveyed said that they don’t audit the security procedures and protocols they have in place. Perhaps most alarmingly, almost half of all small businesses surveyed said that in the event that data from their company was lost or stolen, their business wouldn’t be at all affected by the breach.
“It’s easy to overlook the dangers of data breaches and fraud because most small businesses don’t think they’re a target,” added Andrew. “However, all businesses have information that is attractive to thieves, whether its credit card numbers, employee social insurance numbers, or confidential business plans. Just because a business owner doesn’t think its business is at risk, doesn’t mean it’s the case.”
The first step toward information security is to talk about it openly with employees and partners and to ensure that there are protocols in place for the secure disposal of documents and electronic storage devices. When data is no longer needed by a business, it’s critical that it is destroyed.
For more information security advice, please download Shred-it’s Small Actions for Big Wins security checklist here.
About Shred-it
Shred-it is a world-leading information security company providing information destruction services that ensure the security and integrity of our clients' private information. The company operates in 140 markets throughout 18 countries worldwide, servicing more than 300,000 global, national and local businesses. For more information, please visit www.shredit.com.