"Information security" often conjures up images of computer tapes, passwords, firewalls, and hackers. However, the greater exposure is the disposal of confidential information that's stored on paper, diskettes, books, videotapes, and other media. Unlike archived records, this confidential information is the "live" material that people use today and that goes into the nightly trash collection.
In response to the fact that once again we see sensitive records in this case student files from the Tasmanian Education department have been “lost.” Only 3 weeks ago the Australian Defence Force had to admit that some of their documents had been found in a dumpster at an Adelaide business, and at that time the Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA) endorses recordkeeping standards be developed for secure retention and appropriate destruction of records.
Organisations should be aware of the following and ensure that policies exist in regards to the disposal of confidential and consumer information.
Security - U.S. businesses lost more than $7 billion to corporate espionage last year. That's because there is a wealth of strategic information that goes into the wastebasket every day: business plans, marketing and product plans, price lists, customer lists, legal documents, contracts, payroll records, ID badges, and much more.
Privacy - With crimes such as identity theft continuing to grow, customers continue to highly value the privacy of their information. Companies must also take precautionary steps to safeguard employee information - performance reviews, salary plans, insurance records, and more.
Kemal Hasandedic MBII GDDM MRMA
National President
Records Management Association of Australasia
