Most staff members are trust worthy, but defending sensitive data must be considered. With Internet access on every work station as well as the growing amount of devices like iPods, businesses run an increased risk of data theft by employees and others with access to confidential data.

Some hand held devices have memory capacity that dwarfs computers from a decade ago. The average MP3 player can hold 60 gigs or more of data. 60 gigs is enough to copy an entire hard drive.

It’s not only MP3 players that you have to worry about; thumb drives hold 4 gigs on average. 4 gigs is more than enough for a personnel database and hundreds of Word documents. Phones and cameras can connect to a computer with a simple cable and can be used to transfer computer data.

Many computers come standard with a DVD burner. It is easy to burn over 4 gigs of data on DVD. Not to mention that email can be used to send copious amounts of data. Some companies remove burnable drives from the majority of computers. They leave a few computers with the burners for what is needed to burn some projects to disc. They also require an administrator to access these computers.

Even with all these risks there are ways to make sure the company is safe. I know this is repeated all the time but I cannot stress this enough, limit the access to all files, databases, and documents by passwords or login restrictions.

Changing policies and procedures to limit or ban the use mp3 players is also an option. Lay out clear consequences for the unauthorized use of such media.
Install a good firewall. This will protect the server and company network from things coming in and going out. This will keep the files safe from hackers. Shredding all, out of date confidential data is important, as well as storing files containing confidential information in locking fireproof filing cabinet with limited access to the keys. Be sure to consider who has report access in the office software. Some systems let people print customer info into a report or excel which can easily be highjacked.

All that being said, it’s important to find a level of control that isn’t overbearing and uncomfortable for the staff. If it’s too ridiculous then the staff will not stick with it. Encourage policy creation with staff interactions and ideas to create a “team” environment and employee handbook entries that support policy.