Each year, reports are developed for tracking information security in major industries. These surveys provide global insight on security policies and procedures in small businesses and large businesses in developed and developing nations. On an international level, the insights are very interesting. The reports highlight data protection, prioritization, and information security necessities.

There are several common areas for developments such as cooperating with upcoming new challenges that businesses face. These challenges include a rise in awareness about the protection of confidential data and proper disposal. The flexibility to work at the workplaces. The management of hardware devices containing private information and the training of the employees. These domains have to be worked upon by every sector for ensuring data security to a great extent.

The countries most affected by data breach incidents include Gulf nations such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and more. The main cause for the same is less awareness about information security and non-compliance with state laws. Another major cause is human error by the employees Due to less training in document management. These nations need special attention on making amendments to their existing laws and implementing them with more strictness. They must take help and guidance from third parties for legal advice. Joining hands with shredding companies to get rid of private data securely is essential too. Listening to experts with in-depth information about data protection policies can also help business owners for smooth and flawless business.

Table of Contents

Brief Introduction

The key highlight of every survey and data protection report is to meet the upcoming challenges in businesses.

Small business owners, as well as large businesses, should keep themselves aware of the legal requirements of storing and distracting private data. The awareness has increased over the past years but still, most of the companies are lagging in keeping themselves updated.

Another challenge faced by most business firms is the rigidity at workplaces. It’s time for increasing the flexibility at offices allowing employees to take work at remote places. It increases the information security rest but is also the need of the hour. An organization must know how to manage and utilize the tools of the modern remote workforce that includes laptops and mobile devices. The overall success of companies lies in this approach where the employees have the freedom and security for data protection.

The training of the workforce and the key employees in an organization is the determining factor of business growth. A firm with completely aware workers commits zero errors, hence reducing the loopholes for a data breach. It is necessary to keep the workers aware of their responsibilities and the backup plan in case of a failed data protection incident. Frequently training employees with effectiveness can positively impact the work culture and ethics.

One of the major sources of data breaches is the mismanaged hardware and electronic devices stored in the workplace. Reports have revealed that large organizations are not fully equipped with information on device Destruction. The poorly organized and store the devices. Physical thefts are so common due to stockpiling. However, most companies include a third-party expert for destroying the hardware. Only after the destruction of hardware, the information is lost forever. Hence, only professionals and experts can appropriately deal with electronic devices.

These are some of the most common problems faced by every firm in every nation. Therefore, the solutions are also quite the same for each of them. Only through abiding by them systematically, organizations can establish their reputation in the right direction.

Industry Security Situation

Businesses all around the world are becoming aware and compliant with privacy laws. Despite the increase in awareness, US businesses, both big and small, are unprepared for multiple challenges in the workplace. Reports suggest that the office work environment is changing and remote workers are increasing. In such a situation, the work protocol changes while competitiveness in the market remains the same.

A study revealed that 92% of big businesses and 58% of small businesses have employees who work from remote areas. However, only 31% of large businesses and 32% of small businesses had information security policies for work from home. The IDC data indicates that the number of remote workers in the USA is the highest in the world. These findings reveal how challenging it is for businesses to maintain high productivity and maintaining protection for valuable customer data.

Policies and laws that maintain the storage and destruction of private data containing devices and documents are an integral part of any organization's security policies. Most US organizations have integrated security systems in their workplace. Small business organizations have larger challenges in protecting the devices and documents. They face more problems and vulnerabilities due to remote work. It happens due to confidential data exposure and loss of electronic devices. The big companies however follow the best practices for data destruction. Around 47% of businesses use professional services for destroying electronic devices and paper documents.

Only 60% of the small businesses disposed of their hard drives, USBs, magnetic tapes, and other similar electronic devices containing private data less than once a year. Around 76% of big businesses indicate that the quarterly destroyed the hardware and even more frequently.
Studies also revealed that big and small businesses had different perceptions regarding data privacy. The big businesses are more aware as well as concerned when a loss of information occurs. On the contrary, small businesses take laws and theft less seriously. They believe that the impacts were not very serious and they could deal with them. However, when it comes to the protection of information, no risks should be taken on the protection of reputation.

According to a report by DLA Piper global law firm, the data protection laws in UAE have no definite provisions on control or security for personal data protection. There are sufficient loopholes in different business sectors such as financial sectors, hospitality industries, automobile industries, healthcare institutions, and so on. The reports suggest that UAE firms can save themselves by adopting the best strategies for data protection. UAE is one of the lowest-ranked nations out of 24 nations regarding data protection in their country.

Another issue faced by the business industries in UAE is the increasing rate of cybercrimes. According to a KPMG 2015 UAE cybersecurity survey, UAE is in the top 10 targets by cybercriminals. The report also revealed that it is becoming an increasing challenge for the businesses in UAE. The cybersecurity threats have impacted major sectors of the economy such as healthcare, construction, government, Technology, oil and gas, and so on. The main of the report was to evaluate and analyze the preparedness and capability to act post-cyber security incidents. The survey report suggests that cybersecurity and defense are very poor and unregulated. Most organizations lack comprehensive security measures. It further reveals that the majority of the UAE organizations lacked intelligence and monitoring techniques. Crime in businesses is on the rise and better preparedness can protect data. In the year 2013, RAK Bank UAE and the bank of Muscat Oman were the highest breached institutions with a loss of $45 million. Around 30% of the UAE organizations have not reported incidents of information breaches.

Data Management

The threats of information security are everywhere and daily. Most organizations do not have the appropriate knowledge and resources to manage data breaches effectively. This state of organizations leads to data anxiety where the organization chiefs and executives are unsure of addressing the information security challenges. By adopting simple strategies, most organizations can overcome data anxiety.

Assigning a Security Head

It is important to have leadership in every organization. It is critically important to have a security management head for looking into the matters of data breach and data protection compromises. A security head can check the activities in every department and crosscheck the departments to implement the other polices with effectiveness. They can ensure about the policies in place and provide alternatives for covering the losses. In addition to these simple and easy-to-follow practices, businesses must focus on developing and implementing modern and up-to-date security policies for the long term.

Including a Clean Desk Policy

This policy is simple to follow and effective. The employees are encouraged to keep their cabinets, working desks, and storage units clean at all times. When the desk and spaces are clean, it is easy to organize the files and documents effectively. Employees can ensure minimum data loss and theft after implementing this policy.

Implementing The Shredding Policy

This policy demands the organizations to get rid of all the unwanted paper documents regularly before disposal. Organizations can take guidance from a third-party organization for carrying out the process of shredding. All the unnecessary documents lying in the office should be collected and confidentially shredded in a secure environment. This policy ensures that mishandling and physical thefts are reduced to a minimum. The shredded paper is recycled that promotes eco-friendliness and sustainability. Overall, it maintains data protection at minimum costs and efforts.

Encryption Of Electronic Devices

Since the usage of electronic devices is increasing at the workplace, it poses a major threat. Workers accessing the work through mobile phones need to take extra precautions. The loss of data from the device and the disappearance of the device itself impose grave security risks. By ensuring that all electronic devices are encrypted, information can be protected to a great extent. The electronic devices used by every worker must be encrypted to maintain the privacy guidelines of the company and for the own benefit of the workers. In a situation where the electronic device is lost or stolen, the encryption will protect the information held in the device and sometimes automatically delete the data present in them.

Securing Printing Areas

One of the most common mistakes made by the employees is leaving the documents at the printing area. The files can be picked by any random individual passing through that area. Hence, increasing the chances of data exposure. The printing areas must be safe and secure. It must be accessed by people with authority. Too much crowding or the public at printing areas can significantly affect the data protection of customers.

Preparation Protocols

As the number of mobile workers is increasing every year, organizations need to be future-ready. According to IDC, the number of mobile workers in the US shall grow to 105 million by 2020. The mobile workforce has multiple benefits for both organizations and the employees. Many organizations might also not be prepared for information security challenges that come along with the mobile workforce. Organizations can effectively manage the mobile workforce and security together. By implementing a few practices, many companies have achieved this.

Training Employees

Most of the breaches occur due to human error, and the crucial factor is the untrained employees. It is a challenging problem that organizations face. Training mobile workers and safely disposing of confidential information are two aspects of this futuristic method. Companies must encourage the employees to maintain security policies even at remote places of work. All the documents and electronic devices must be carefully handled and properly destroyed. The employees should bring all the paper documents and digital media to the workplace for destruction.

Protection From Unsecure Connections

Employees often ignore the connectivity policy. They should avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive work on their laptops and devices. By using shared or public connections, employees in white data breach risks and security issues. By establishing policies, employees can be encouraged to use the trusted network only.

Encourage Privacy Screens

Employees must be encouraged to use privacy screens for laptops, mobile devices, tablets, or any other electronic device that contains private information. Visual hacking of information is very common and can occur almost anywhere. Remaining cautious about such incidents can save you and your company from troubles.

Safe Travel

Business travel is a common phenomenon for most chief executives and heads of organizations. It is easy to cheat and play tricks during the travel journey. Employees can be tricked during boarding flights. Frauds can gain access to the personal details of the employees and the future travel plans. Organizations must place policies that require employees to shred their journey documents after the journey is over. The employees should also protect their identity and credit cards during travel.

Device Protection

All the devices used by employees for work must be encrypted and strong password protected. The laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and similar work-based electronic devices must be carefully carried. Keep the files encrypted and disallow anyone to touch them in a hotel room during business trips.

Complacency Awareness

Organizations should create an environment of security and fight complacency. To ensure a culture of responsibility in the organization, information security policies must be in place. Maintaining information security is a major challenge and is increasing every day. The risks are real and troublesome.

Experts Suggest

According to a renowned expert, as the employees start to work from remote areas, the challenges are also increasing. Employees access the business documents and data from the computer and mobile phones that do not belong to the company. This can result in increased security risks and privacy concerns. On the usage of personal devices, the risk of theft and loss increases. Human error can lead to leakage of data at unknown places. Companies can become Vulnerable to spyware and malware.

By conducting regular reviews on the information collected, its management, and usage, companies can protect the data in the long run. By limiting the amount of data access and allowing only specific persons to access data, vulnerabilities can be reduced. Frequent disposal of personal information from digital devices can ease the process of data protection management.

For remote workers, stricter regulatory policies must be enforced. Data encryption and password protection are the key elements for protecting electronic devices. Avoiding clicking on links from unknown emails is encouraged.

A great way to remain aware and up-to-date with evolving privacy legislation is to read about data protection laws on websites. Organizations can take help from law experts and enforce new guidelines and policies regarding data privacy.

Privacy Laws

Dubai and UAE organizations have taken measures to prevent the unfortunate incidents of data breaches. The state has devised privacy laws to be complied with by every organization in Dubai-UAE. These laws are expected to be regulated to protect the rights of the consumers and benefit them.

Dubai, UAE follows particular data privacy guidelines. The DIFC and data protection regulations are the head in charge of maintaining data security. The 2020 law of DIFC is very similar to the European GDPR. The law holds the organizations accountable for the leak of information or data breaches within the organization. The data protection officer, DPO, is appointed for keeping an eye on the document processing and control. All the organizations, employees, representatives, and individuals are responsible for abiding by the law.

Other Significant Laws Include:

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a well-devised regulatory law for privacy protection introduced by the European Union to the world. GDPR law applies to every firm that deals with the personal data of European citizens, despite the physical location of the firm in the world. The process, storage, usage of personal data should be done appropriately and protected at any cost. Failing to comply with GDPR can lead to a penalty equivalent to 2% or 4% of the global annual turnover of your company.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) enacted by the US government protects the rights of the patient's health information. It ensures that the personal details of patients, their health status, financial status, medication slips, invoices, and similar information are secured by the health institutions. Failing to comply with this law can cause extreme reputational damages along with loss of company assets.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) enacted by the Canada legislation protects the rights of individuals. It allows individuals to give consent when their data is collected, used, or disclosed to any other party. The information should not be disclosed for illegal purposes. Hence, the data must be protected and safeguarded.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) law helps in reducing the risk of identity theft. It regulates consumer financial account information. It prevents data breaches in bank accounts, credit details, and more. Failing to comply with this rule can result in serious consequences such as Reputational loss and hefty penalty on financial institutions like banks.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) helps in protecting investors from fraudulent accounting activities by reputational corporations. It also includes financial disclosure requirements. This law protects the rights of investors in a very efficient way. Companies found guilty would not be spared under this law.

The USA Patriot Act is an effective action to protect the nation from acts of terrorism. The law is helpful for government agencies to regulate, detect, and prevent possible malicious activities within the boundaries of the country.

The Identity Theft and Penalty Enhancement Act is a very strict action for criminals who steal identities for illegal purposes. A minimum of five years in prison and cash penalties for committing such an offensive crime.

How Endoshred Protect You?

EndoShred can be your third-party security partner since we meet every challenge that any organization can face with the growing amount of private data. With the latest and advanced information security services we ensure to protect your documents, build trust in your customers, and enhance your business.

We at EndoShred provide all the possible solutions for safeguarding the data, enhancing the reputation, and connecting more customers to your company. Partner with us to experience the management of confidential documents in simple and easy ways.

What Do We Provide?

  • Destruction of electronic devices like hard drives, compact discs, memory sticks, and other material having confidential data
  • Shredding of private information containing documents into tiny bits in a secure environment

How We Assist in Compliance With Privacy Laws?

When you decide to partner with us, you make the best decision. The methodology adopted by us is completely regulated according to the privacy laws.

  • We provide highly secured locker consoles for depositing confidential documents.
  • The trained professionals shred the confidential files in your organization in the securest way.
  • A certificate that guarantees 100% safe destruction is provided at the end of the process.
  • Anyone from the office who is reliable is welcome to watch the process happening on-site.

Benefits of partnering with us

  • Get rid of unwanted confidential files in the most secure manner.
  • Get awarded annually for following environment-friendly guidelines.
  • Save yourself from the mess of legal proceedings.

Why Choose Us?

Well trained officers for shredding

We have considerable experience of shredding for the companies in UAE. We are leading in this industry of information security due to the expertise we offer. The trained and well-informed officers execute the task of shredding documents on the spot/office premises. They are well-uninformed and know their business quite well. They shall collect the locked consoles and carry them towards the shredding truck. The entire process is done in a secretive way. You are welcome to watch the destruction happening.

All-rounder Services

For us, it doesn’t matter if you are a small scale or a larger scale business. We consider document security as the primary concern. Any document or data that needs shredding, would be done by us with utmost dedication and sincerity. We have won the trust of hundreds of customers across the nation. The continued excellence in services that we provide makes us unique from the rest of the shredding companies.

Customer-friendly Experience

We are 100% committed to serving you in the best possible ways. Our work is serious while our staff remains friendly at the same time. We take your permission and time to execute the processes of shedding. Our customers have had a very pleasant experience in the past. Due to the friendly behavior of our workers, the working environment becomes friendly too.

Ease In Customization

We offer customers the services they wish to avail. There is a wide choice between the services that we provide. You can get rid of the documents, get rid of the electronic devices or the hard disk containing confidential data in very simple steps. Choose any of the shredding methods according to the data you wish to get rid of.

Schedule The Shredding

We are just a call away. You can choose any date and any time as per your convenience and schedule. We send the shredding trucks to the workplace whenever required. The volunteers along the truck are available as per your need. You can book the date and time whenever you feel the need to get rid of the confidential trash.

Sources:

All of the statistics provided (unless otherwise stated) are from the Shred-it 2016

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