Common employee mistakes that put confidential information at risk

On 25th May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into effect and change how organisations store, manage and process personal data.

There are plenty of steps businesses need to take in order to achieve GDPR compliance, but today we’d like to focus on the employee behaviour that might be inherent in your organisation and which may cause a problem when the new legislation arrives.

1) Leaving confidential docs on the printer tray

That board report includes discussion points which must be kept confidential. If it ends up in the hands of an employee or someone outside the business, the consequences will be dire.

So, why has it been left seemingly unwanted on a printer tray?

Solution: The ‘follow-me printing’ functionality found within most MPS platforms enables users to print from any device right at the moment they’re in contact with it, as opposed to simply sending the job out and racing the queue.

2) Clear text email attachments

If you’re sharing the lunch list for next week’s management meeting via a Word document attached to an email, fair enough; few people other than Bob in accounts care too much about his choice of dessert. But anything more confidential than that, and you’re putting the business at risk.

Plain text contained within an email (be it the body copy, subject line or attachment) can be intercepted by anyone with enough skill and desire.

Solution: Always use encrypted files or password-protected cloud storage services to transmit confidential data.

3) Working with confidential docs in public

Grabbing a quick twenty minutes at the local coffee shop to complete that top secret project proposal might enable you to do so quickly, but who’s looking over your shoulder?

Solution: If a document is confidential, only work on it in locations where prying eyes can’t watch on. Consider installing secure VPN software to protect the traffic travelling to and from your devices.

4) Storing confidential data on a computer desktop

The computer desktop is the default download location for many of us, but that often means countless confidential documents are left scattered across your digital desk.

Solution: The combination of an MPS-controlled document workflow and using secure cloud storage as the default location for files should prevent sensitive documents being left in locations that can be easily accessed by others.

5) Document collaboration via shared network drives

If you’re relying on shared network drives to collaborate with colleagues or people outside the four walls of the business, you’re inadvertently encouraging others to participate, too.

There’s a reason cloud storage services and collaboration platforms have gained such prominence in recent years. Make sure you take advantage of them!

Solution: We live in a world that’s full of brilliant collaboration tools. They enable you to work with others within secure environments and negate the need to use unencrypted shared network drives.

Employee Education

Most of us have inadvertently fallen foul of at least one of these acts of negligence, but with the stakes rising considerably come May next year, increased vigilance is vitally important.

Maybe it’s time to educate your colleagues on the security of data to ensure they aren’t leaving confidential information lying around or sending documents to unknown contacts, you can start with our infographic: GDPR  - Educating your employees on the security of data.