TORONTO, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 10/11/11 — When it comes to safeguarding their information, . While October 17th- 22nd marks the 30th anniversary of Small Business Week, the 2011 Shred-it Information Security tracker shows that the small businesses– attitudes towards document security are no cause for celebration.
While small businesses may be small in size, their impact is enormous. Accounting for 98 per cent of the country–s companies, small businesses have been a crucial driver of our nation–s growth and have created jobs for millions of Canadians. However, today these organizations are facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to preventing identity theft and fraud.
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According to the , a data breach costs on average $214 per stolen record. Aside from the financial implications, fraud can diminish a company–s trust and credibility, and can put a small business–s reputation severely at risk.
An easy way to safeguard your information is to destroy confidential records, but not all document or data destruction methods are created equal. While some may turn to the use of personal or office shredders to dispose of their documents, these machines tend to shred paper into ribbons, which can be pieced back together using computer software. Furthermore, it takes an employee on average five hours to shred 50 pounds of paper, and without having the luxury of resources and capital that many larger companies have, this is time that most small businesses simply cannot afford.
“The results of the Information Security Tracker demonstrate that small businesses need to take greater precautions when it comes to protecting their information,” says Michael Collins, Vice President Canada at Shred-it. “These organizations are often trying to do more with less to compete with larger businesses, and because of this it–s crucial that they take the necessary steps to protect themselves from data breaches, identity theft and fraud.”
To help mitigate the risks associated with document exposure, Shred-it recommends the following tactics:
“The success of small businesses is key to the continued development and growth of the Canadian economy,” says Collins. “But to maintain their successes, small businesses need to arm themselves with the tools and procedures to protect their organizations from potentially devastating crimes.”
About Shred-it
Shred-it is a world-leading information security company providing document destruction services that ensure the security and integrity of our clients– private information. The company operates 140 service locations in 16 countries worldwide, servicing more than 150,000 global, national and local businesses, including the world–s top intelligence and security agencies, more than 500 police forces, 1,500 hospitals, 8,500 bank branches and 1,200 universities and colleges. For more information, please visit .
Contacts:
Shred-it
Katarina Kristanic
905.491.2250
On behalf of Shred-it
Elissa Zaks
416.642.7893