Safeguarding personal information during a relocation is a prime importance regardless if it is a local commercial move or a long distance commercial move. Protecting personal information is important not only for protecting your clients’ personal information but also to maintain your reputation as a reliable and professional commercial enterprise.
When undertaking a local commercial move, hire a reputable, licensed and insured moving company. They will be able to take you through the steps needed to safeguard security. You will be told about visitors badges and being vigilant in preventing strangers wandering around your building. Encrypt your hard discs; there is commercial software available to perform this task. Shred information. Secure clients’ email addresses and credit card details – again, you do not want these going astray. You can enforce a policy of not storing customer details on your local machines. If these are only kept on secure rented space, not on your premises, then they are not exposed during a move.
If relocating due to a takeover, for instance, then you may not physically move every machine. Many may get thrown out, with only the data being transferred to the new owner. While it is being transferred this data is vulnerable to eavesdropping. This means that a secure channel is needed for sensitive data. These can be rented on an ad hoc basis. While you can encrypt the data before sending it over normal channels, remember that some encryptions are easier for an ‘attacker’ to hack than others.
Remember, a legitimate moving company will make your local or long distance office move a smoother and more secure one.
Jon Huser
