LBMC Warns and Suggests to Protect Your Information

If you are copying anything personal on an office copier/printer, caution is key to protect your private information.

Did you know that every copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive? Well, they do. Just like the one in your personal computer. No matter whether you copy, scan or email from the machine, it saves the information being duplicated.

At a time when identity theft is on the rise, it is more important than ever to make sure your highly personal and sensitive information is protected. You can imagine the types of information that gets scanned or copied including bank records, social security numbers, income tax forms, pay stubs, etc. and you can imagine how valuable this would be in the hands of a scam artist or identity thief.

Because LBMC handles confidential information on a regular basis, we have established a policy to purge all data from copier hard drives when the lease expires or when the copier is reconditioned by our supplier. We are also purchasing additional software on all new copier leases/purchases from the copier manufacturer that will allow us to regularly purge the data on the hard drives automatically. We encourage our clients to do the same. Here are a few suggestions to help you keep private information private.

1. Develop a company policy that your IT team purge copier and printer hard drives on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly, whatever works best) depending on the amount of personal and private information you copy or print. (note: additional software may be required)
2. Work with your copier vendor to make sure that hard drives are completely erased when copiers are replaced. If you have an IT department, have them wipe all of the information from the hard drives using the same tools that you use to wipe the hard drives of your computers and servers.
3. Be aware when copying information at a local printer/copier retail store. Many people don’t think about it posing a potential problem. Our recommendation is simply, don’t do it.

If you have questions or need assistance with your office’s security needs, give us a call. We are here to help and our #1 priority is protecting our clients!