It’s been a year since the GDPR came into effect and since we have seen several high-profile complaints against large organisations like Google and Facebook who “forced consent” over users. GDPR compliance still requires ongoing attention, the biggest challenges for many businesses still being the financial implications and companies finding the right people to do the work.
Over the past year GDPR’s focus is often placed on cyber security threats, email marketing, server hacks and data stored on and transmitted between servers and networks. Paper documents and files are always severely overlooked but are just as important to safeguard and ensure compliance with the legislation. Any files holding personal data, such as HR files, client data, medical files and personal files, needs to comply with GDPR. You should be aware of what data you have within your possession, using GDPR regulations to decide on which data you need to keep and the best solution for storing it.
Document Security and Privacy
Paper-based documents are more prone to human errors and can very quickly fall into the wrong hands or become misplaced. Digital documents can be secured with passwords and the data can be digitally encrypted. Our SDS document management software gives you total visibility and control, allowing you to set robust user permissions on files, lock files to prevent editing, enable folder controls and apply security classifications so that everyone only sees the information meant for them.
Data Retention
Once your documents have been scanned, we recommend indexing the process of associating information with a file, allowing it to be easily found and retrieved later. This should help you manage and organise your data in a way that facilitates a better overview of how long different documents should be kept. A data retention policy is needed because without one a data breach would be more likely to be regarded as serious if no old data has been deleted.
Data Search
Trying to locate a paper document in your filing cabinet can be difficult, yet this task becomes even more complicated when trying to locate certain sections within that file. Article 17 in the GDPR states “The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay”.
With our document indexing you can search by date, number, department, invoice number or document type or even by inputting a whole phrase. We cleanse data by interpreting abbreviations, running spell checks and identifying missing or potentially incorrect data. Other rights included in the GDPR are right to access, right to rectification and right to restriction of processing. Document scanning and managing digital documents makes all of these requirements easier to comply with.
Cost
There are four ways we can work, giving you flexibility on the cost and service you require. Your four options are scan on demand, bulk scanning, day forward scanning and on-site scanning. Although the cost of scanning your documents doesn’t ensure GDPR compliance, it’s a major consideration for any business as it saves time, easier access, aids collaboration and keeps your data more organised.
As document scanning specialists, Shredall SDS Group provides comprehensive electronic archiving solutions for a wide range of public and private sector organisations. Our scanning bureau is equipped with the latest industry-leading scanning equipment, which produces clear, high-quality digital reproductions of your documents and our document management software then lets you retrieve files in seconds.
