Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and individuals have been facing new and challenging obstacles not seen before. This is especially true for the large number of employees working from home who are trying to comply with new records management policies and security measures. Organizations are working diligently to maintain compliance without comprising ease of use. Fortunately, there are established best practices to keep policies updated while ensuring security and privacy.
The process of managing records and information is quite similar whether you are still operating in the physical office or in your home. Therefore, all employees need to adhere to their organization’s policies and benefit from frequent and well-delivered communication on these policies.
An organization needs to continuously refine and update best practices for information management, security, and its messaging. In these times, employees will be tempted to develop workarounds, which can greatly impact an organization’s security. Ensure that your policies address all relevant security areas and are easily accessible. Listed below are some topics that you may want to include in your policy communications:
Your Organization’s Policies
- Records and knowledge management
- Security and privacy
- HR remote operations pointers
- Device security, including:
- use of devices and data handling
- records saved to a private device
- records sent via and to a private email
- home printers
- flash drives
Common Sense Security
Common sense should be employed as it relates to the safety of company information and devices used. This is an integral part of following an organization’s policies. Listed below are common sense security measures:
- Protect your devices from unauthorized access by keeping them secure when not in use
- Do not share devices or provide login information to family or friends
- Save all content to your selected network, not your desktop
- Information saved to your desktop cannot be considered secure
- Decrease the practice of printing documents
- If you print, keep these documents secure:
- Do not throw your organization’s paper documents in the trash or recycle bin
- Retain written documents within a secure place till you can:
- Return to the workplace and place in a secure shred bin
- Shred on your personal device
- Go to a retail outlet that provides secure shredding services
- Whether working from home or in a public place, use a secure connection instead of a public Wi-Fi
- Use privacy screens to shield your information
- Be aware of cyberattacks, ransomware, and phishing emails
Be privacy conscious when thinking about security. If there are records with personal data, be conscious of compliance requirements and do not make them accessible to unauthorized individuals. For additional information on policy development, implementation and communication, please contact a records and knowledge governance consultant.
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