DataSafe News & Information
When businesses in Portland and Vancouver consider digitizing their paper records, the cost savings of overseas document scanning services can seem attractive. However, sending sensitive documents halfway around the world introduces serious security, legal, and operational risks that far outweigh any initial savings. At DataSafe, we’ve seen too many organizations discover these hidden dangers only…
A Portland law firm stored sensitive client files in their back room for months before scheduling a shredding service. During that window, a break-in resulted in stolen documents containing social security numbers and financial records. The HIPAA violation cost them $250,000 in fines and irreparable damage to their reputation. This scenario plays out more often…
Every year, businesses across the Portland metro area and Southern Washington conduct compliance audits that reveal a critical misunderstanding: many believe clicking “delete” makes their sensitive data permanently inaccessible. This assumption creates significant security vulnerabilities and regulatory risks. Digital deletion and secure destruction serve completely different purposes. Understanding this distinction protects your business from data…
Every day, Portland businesses unknowingly engage in practices that could expose their most sensitive information to criminals, competitors, and compliance violations. While most organizations invest heavily in cybersecurity, they often overlook the physical documents that contain the same valuable data—creating massive security vulnerabilities that could have been easily prevented. The reality is that poor document…
Fraud isn’t just something that happens to other people—it’s a very real threat that affects millions of Americans every year. In our digital age, we often focus on online security while overlooking a surprisingly common entry point for criminals: physical documents sitting in our trash bins and recycling containers. The statistics are sobering. Identity theft…
First celebrated in 2019, National Financial Awareness Day is observed every year on August 14. It’s a great reminder to count our pennies to make sure we are on track with our financial health, but also a cautionary to protect our pennies from financial thieves. Don’t think it’s important? Here are some staggering statistics to…
In today’s digital age, safeguarding sensitive information is paramount for any organization. From personally identifiable information (PII) to corporate trade secrets, maintaining the confidentiality of data is not just good practice; it’s often required by law. But what happens when it’s time to dispose of this information? Enter the Certificate of Destruction, a crucial document…
For many of us, remote working is here to stay. Whether it’s full time, or a hybrid model, it’s important to be proactive and firmly establish your business’s security policies and procedures. Since your staff will most likely still be spending some of their workweek at home, it’s important to establish a Clean Desk Policy,…
2021 was a notable year for data breaches and while we’re only a few weeks into January, 2022 isn’t shaping up to be much better. If your New Year’s resolution wasn’t to assess your business’s security, then now’s the time to reconsider! Learn why and how data breaches can impact you and, more importantly, what…
Oregon may be in a drought but that doesn’t mean we can’t experience flooding. Commercial flooding can occur during the winter rains or due to broken or leaking pipes. Unfortunately, businesses can be hit with major damage when there’s flooding. If boxes of business documents and files were destroyed or damaged by flooding, what you should…