All organizations should be diligent about data security and document shredding. Failing to protect its own sensitive data and its customers’ sensitive data could have severe financial repercussions for a private business, and could even force its closure. But municipalities must be diligent about all elements of data security, from document shredding to cybersecurity.
Allowing a breach just isn’t an option for a town or city government or other municipal organizations. Their records have a huge amount of private data about private residents, municipal employees and area businesses that they’re obligated to protect. Social Security numbers, property and tax data, voting records and law enforcement/public safety information are just some of the things that might be at stake. Experiencing a data breach would erode public trust, and municipalities can’t afford the financial repercussions of a data breach when their budgets are already stretched thin.
Making data security more challenging is the fact that municipalities are popular targets for cybercriminals and data thieves. (In 2019, Barracuda researchers studying hundreds of ransomware attacks found that government organizations were the target in two-thirds of them.) Because thieves know they’re a rich source of valuable data, municipalities have to maintain the highest standards about every element of data security—including document shredding.
Municipalities, Document Shredding and the Law
Private businesses may have some leeway around how they approach sensitive document shredding, but government organizations have to operate with compliance in mind. Certain state, local and industry-specific laws govern the way sensitive data can be handled and destroyed. A municipal organization’s specific legal requirements around data security depend on its location and exactly what kind of data it has. (For example, any entity that has records containing protected health information must adhere to the HIPAA Privacy Rule for safeguarding PHI.)
Because data security law is evolving, municipal leaders should consult their legal advisors about any specific compliance issues. In case of an eventual audit or breach, you’ll want to have a written data destruction policy that addresses data destruction and has been reviewed by an attorney. That said, any organization that uses a common-sense approach to document shredding and data destruction—like using a reputable shredding service to destroy any sensitive documents and shred hard drives, as opposed to throwing these materials in a Dumpster—is probably already in compliance with any relevant data security laws.
Document Shredding Best Practices for Municipalities
As municipal leaders think about strategies to protect their sensitive data, following these document shredding best practices is a good place to start.
- Utilize routine and on-demand shredding services. Municipalities should schedule regular pickups with their document shredding services. Business never stops, so sensitive documents (plus obsolete hard drives and other shreddable materials) will steadily accumulate. Scheduling routine services saves time for whatever administrator is in charge of managing vendors. However, there may be times when waiting for the next scheduled pickup means sacrificing storage space to boxes and boxes of obsolete files. And the longer sensitive documents sit around in your offices, the greater the chance that someone will gain unauthorized access to them. Use on-demand services to swiftly manage any urgent document shredding needs that arise.
- Coordinate document shredding across municipal sites. Make sure document shredding procedures are followed consistently throughout the municipal organization. Every office and/or building should have its own point person for overseeing document shredding and proper data destruction.
- Document your shredding activities. It’s important that municipalities maintain good records of all data destruction activities. In the event that you ever have a data security audit, or a resident or entity ever experiences a data breach and tries to make a case that municipal records were the source, you’ll want to be able to prove that all municipal data is managed and destroyed securely. First, make sure you can prove “chain of custody” by using a NAID “AAA” certified document shredding service to transport documents, drives and other shreddable material directly from your premises to their shredding facility. Then, arrange for a representative from your organization to witness municipal materials being shredded. Finally, get a certificate of destruction with details affirming what you had shredded and the procedures that were followed.
- Shred training manuals, access badges and other employee-only materials. Anything that an outsider could use to gain access to municipal premises, or to access private information about emergency procedures or municipal buildings, poses a security risk. Always shred these items rather than recycle them.
- Consider the document shredding needs of residents. When you’re in the business of providing public services, organizing a document shredding event is just one simple way to meet a common need. All individuals in the community should have a way to protect their sensitive data, and not everyone has access to a shredder. Holding a shredding event allows residents to drive up and drop off their materials at a secure shredding truck.
Northeast Data Destruction works to meet the document shredding needs of all kinds of organizations, including municipalities. Our strict security standards, NAID “AAA” certification and long record of success means that clients know they can trust us to handle their sensitive document shredding needs. Contact me today!