Data breaches can occur for a wide range of reasons. While they are often a product of improper security, they can also take place when businesses don’t dispose of their data correctly. Your company’s data should be taken seriously and destroyed properly to keep theft at bay. If you fail to dispose of your most sensitive data with help from a certified data destruction service, you might be faced with the following consequences.
Damaged Reputation
When you don’t properly destroy your data, you give hackers the opportunity to steal valuable information that belongs to your clients. This can include credit card information, Social Security numbers, medical records, and addresses. Because your clients trust you to protect their most personal information, leaving it in the hands of identity thieves can cause them to lose faith in your organization. This severely harms your business’s reputation as a result.
Fines and Lawsuits
The damage caused by a data breach can also have major financial consequences. Authorities like HIPAA and FACTA, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act require businesses to store and destroy their data according to a specific set of regulations. If you don’t adhere to these regulations when disposing of your data, you may have to pay a hefty fine as a result.
Failure to Recover
While some businesses may bounce back from a security breach, many will be forced to shut down. The reality is that improperly disposing of your data puts you at a significantly higher risk of a security threat. If you do happen to be the victim of a data breach, the consequences of this can be devastating. From losing all your clients to coping with massive financial reparations, it’s no secret that data breaches set companies back drastically.
Because you can’t be sure whether your business will recover, it’s crucial to enlist the help of trusted data destruction companies to properly dispose of your information. This can help protect your data from potential breaches later on.
Keep Your Data Secure
Leaving your most valuable data in the hands of trained experts can give you peace of mind. Once you know that your information has been properly destroyed, you don’t have to worry about someone gaining access to it. If you’re ready to ensure the security of your most sensitive data, contact Keystone Technology Management today. We take data security seriously to ensure that your business’s information ends up in the right place.