When you start a business, you want to be successful, as quickly and as efficiently as possible. You might begin with a dream—to build a better computer, brew an excellent cup of coffee, or provide outstanding adventures for your clients, and so on. No matter which industry you enter and what the nature of your enterprise is, you will have many aspects to manage. Your days will be filled with multi-tasking—marketing, sales, production, securing supplies, handling customer concerns, and managing employees. 

Hire Professionals to Store Important Documents in a Secure Offsite Facility

Each department will also have documents holding vital information for your business. These records include payroll, balance sheets, financial statements, and customer information. Incorrect handling of documents can land your company in hot water if a cyber thief gets hold of them. While technology is an unmatched enabler, it has also made it much easier for a business to experience identity theft. This heinous crime affects small and medium-sized businesses because they do not always have the resources to protect themselves.

Proper records management, including storing paper documents offsite, is your first defense against unauthorized access to records. Utilizing the services of a reliable and trusted information management company gives your business a leg up against identity theft.

5 Tips to Keep Identity Theft at Bay

It’s time to take identity theft seriously and protect your customers, employees, and your company. Our team has put together these useful tips to help your business:

1. Limit the amount of personal information you collect. Each industry is different, but it is wise to avoid asking for private information unless there is no other option. For the information you need, try to avoid asking for it in front of other customers where it can be overheard. Ideally, it would be best to stop using social security and driver’s license numbers, too.
2. Use an employer identification number (EIN). Corporations and limited liability companies must have a separate EIN. Sole proprietors can use their Social Security numbers, but it is a better idea to use an EIN like larger companies. 
3. Secure sensitive online and hard copy files. You will likely have hard-copy bank statements, tax returns, and customer lists. Using a secure mailbox can help keep your mail safer. Additionally, once documents are past their required storage date, hiring a professional document shredding company will ensure no one can recover the destroyed documents and misuse them. Another tool in your toolkit is storing documents offsite with a trusted records management company.
4. Train your employees on good internal controls. Giving your team what they need to combat identity theft is a great way to keep cybercriminals at bay. Areas to cover include establishing strong passwords, handling data breaches swiftly, dealing with phishing emails, and restricting access to certain documents.
5. Keep an eye on your company’s accounts. You can catch potential fraud early and mitigate loss by watching your bank and credit card accounts. Be sure to review and reconcile bank statements quickly and regularly. You need to always be prepared for identity theft—anticipate, protect, and prevent!

Thwart Business Identity Theft with Help from the Pros

Keep cybercriminals at bay when you enlist the services of Crown Information Management. Our team is well-trained and ready to help you with all your records management needs. We can handle record storage of vital documents in our safe and secure facility, setting up a retention schedule, and document shredding. We can even destroy hard drives, media, and products. Look to us for all your document storage and destruction needs. 

For experienced help with records storage and document destruction, call Crown Information Management. You can reach us at 800-979-9545 or contact us online to learn more about our services. Put our team to work for you. We are a SOC1 Level 2 Report,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company.