Tag: data protection safe

What a modern, tech-savvy world we live in now. Strange thing is with every step we take to be more secure, the more threats there are to losing the documents and digital media that we hold most dear.

That’s our cue to investigate the most up-to-date home and office safes in Perth, with tips on how to stay ‘Askwith safe’.

Personal: Passports, Wills and Important Documents

To get ahead of the game (and the fire, the flood or, God forbid, a break-in) it pays to do some exploration now.

As experts in delivering document safes around Australia, some clients identify their passport as the number one security concern. Wills and power of attorney documents are a close second but what about your passwords? Many people keep a secretive list and it’s not just for financial institutions either, so let’s put that up high on the protection list too. Then there are data-laden hard drives that if lost would ruin your business.

Paper documents can be saved in a document fire safe but you need to step up the fire protection to save sensitive electronic media like a hard drive or film. It’s a whole new level of safe again when securing against burglary. That involves a safe that’s bolted down and with a more intensive lock system.

Understand your needs because the time you spend researching now will be far, far less than the months spent replacing lost documents or agonising over data that is gone forever. (Also Read: Guide to Buying a Home or Office Safe)

Commercial: Records and Data Could Be Accessed During a Leak

Beware the false confidence thinking your security is safely locked away in your computer. Company data breaches and hacker attacks occur frequently so consider installing an office safe in your Perth business.

We recommend backing up your files onto two external drives. Store one off site with someone you can trust and store the other in a data-media fire safe. In the event of a data breach or fire, your stored back-up is intact and you’ll be up and running in hours.

The Importance of Fireproof Safes

It’s the type of ‘insurance’ that instantly pays you back. Fire safes come in all shapes and sizes with document fire safes starting at a 30-minute fire rating. As a fire is shown to move through a building rather than stay still, that’s a good start.

A data-media fire safe keeps temperatures inside the safe below 45C. A document fire safe can go as high as 175C internally. The thickness of the walls is the key so do some research and don’t skimp on depth.

Find Quality Document Safes in Australia

There’s nothing that can guarantee you won’t be robbed, hacked or fire ravaged but what a sense of relief every home or business owner has had opening up their safe after an event to find every document and piece of media good to use.

Askwith Safes is committed to ensuring that every office safe in Perth we supply is secure. We deliver document safes around Australia too.

We’re ready help you make the move into superior document and data security today. You make the choice, we make it safe.

Achieve data security today with a reliable data protection safe.

Despite the recent shift to electronic record-keeping systems, the amount of paperwork required to be kept on-site by schools is greater than ever. Schools keep confidential records on a wide range of topics, from student behavioural files to staff payroll information. Many schools make do with a set of binders sitting in the principal’s office, but as legislative provisions and Department of Education policies mandate ever stricter security requirements, this may no longer be sufficient.

A data protection safe, or secure document cabinet, is an inexpensive and efficient way to maintain the security of important documents. Here are three reasons why your school should invest in one.

Access Control

Keeping your school’s records in a data protection safe means that access to files can be restricted to only those staff who require it as part of their job. Without protections, other people may gain access. Cleaners, for example, may have unrestricted access to the office after hours, and older students who find themselves in the principal’s office for disciplinary reasons may be left alone on occasion.

Consider personnel files, for example. These are sensitive documents that could cause considerable damage to the individuals concerned if placed into the wrong hands. Although keeping these files in locked room, such as the principal’s office, is a good first step, there is still a risk that these documents could fall victim to prying eyes. Keeping paper-based records in a data protection safe means that nobody can access the files without a key or passcode.

Legal Requirements

Schools are subject to a multiplicity of state and federal legislation on a variety of topics, and recordkeeping is no exception.

Schools are subject to the Privacy Act 1988 and are required to take reasonable steps to maintain the security of the personal information they collect. This may include student records, staff personnel files, and financial information collected from parents. Fines may apply to both the school and the individual for non-compliance.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner recommends that paper files are appropriately secured when not in use, and even goes so far as to suggest that failing to have measures in place to prevent break-ins may be a breach of the Act. Therefore, a data protection safe is an investment worth considering to ensure your school does not fall foul of the law.

School Continuity and Disaster Preparedness

Like any other organisation, schools are vulnerable to natural disasters and other events that may cause the destruction of paper records.

Bush fires, for example, are a feature of the Australian natural environment. Around 150 schools are currently listed on the Department of Education’s Bushfire Zone Register, meaning they are at a high degree of risk when the statewide fire danger rating is high. In addition, virtually all schools are vulnerable to man-made causes of destruction, such as arson.

Imagine if all of your school’s records were destroyed due to a fire or other disaster event. How would you pay your staff, and what would this mean for your students’ education? Many data protection safes are now fire- and heat-resistant, meaning they have been built to withstand the scorching temperatures that result from flames. By investing in a fire-proof secure document cabinet, your school will be able to bounce back from any kind of disaster.

Records management is probably the last thing on any principal or school administrator’s mind. However, keeping your records safe is not only a school’s legal responsibility, but also crucial for ensuring its smooth operation. Although those binders on your bookshelf may have served you well over the years, you never know when prying eyes or disasters might strike. Get in touch with the Askwith Company today for a quote on a new data protection safe.