Issue 3
Well, here we are, past the election, preparing for a new administration. One thing we know will not change - the need for security over your paper. In this edition we include valuable information to assist organizations with developing or updating their policies over paper and other documents. It is a quick and valuable read. Congratulations to Dean Roesler, the Muskegon County Sheriff, as our last trivia contest winner. We have a trivia contest in this edition and the answer will be found somewhere in this newsletter, with some additional quick readings. Submit your response via the link below to enter your name to win a valuable prize! We welcome your feedback on our e-newsletter. Good reading!
Included In this Issue:
•Trivia Contest
• Federal Red Flag Regulations
• Recycling Truck Loses Mail
• Report Outlines Secure Paper and Electronic Destruction
• Recycling Truck Loses Mail
• Report Outlines Secure Paper and Electronic Destruction
• The Dangers of the Digital Copier
• Bits and Bytes of Document Management
• How to Pack a Records Storage Box
• Bits and Bytes of Document Management
• How to Pack a Records Storage Box
Trivia Contest
How many documents can a hard drive in a digital copier hold? To be included in this drawing click here to send your answer.
Federal Red Flag Regulations
There is a new development with the "Red Flag" regulations that have amended the Federal Trade Commission's Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). The deadline for the implementation of "Red Flag" policies was initially November 1, 2008, but there has been a six-month extension to make the new deadline May 1, 2009.
If you are wondering what the "Red Flag" rules are, it is not surprising as fewer than 30% of businesses are aware of the Federal Trade Commissions' Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act Disposal Rule, according to a recent survey. These new "Red Flag" rules will hold tougher standards for financial institutions and creditors for preventing identity theft. In addition, these rules define creditors as "any person or entity that furnishes goods or services on a delayed-payment basis." Essentially "Red Flags" are "patterns, practices and specific forms of activity that indicate a possible risk of ID theft."
A few examples of these rules include credit card issuers may not issue an additional card to a new address until notification has been sent to the card holders previous address. Another example is if a company determines that it offers covered accounts (accounts that permit multiple payments for the price of goods or services used for personal, family, or household purposes), then it needs to develop a prevention plan to guard against identity theft. The guidelines should include "red flags" from categories such as (1) alerts and notifications, (2) the presentation of suspicious documents or personal identifying information, (3) the unusual use of, or other suspicious activity related to, a covered account, and (4) notice from customers, victims of identity theft, law enforcement authorities, or other persons regarding possible identity theft in connection with covered accounts held by the financial institution or creditor. In addition to this, a creditor or financial institution that has experienced identity theft must develop a program to address the events that led to the security breach.
Used from Security Shredding & Storage News July/August 2008 issue
Recycling Truck Loses Mail
WZZM 13 News reporter Sarah Sell recently reported a story of a recycling truck that lost part of it's load on the 
highway. This load consisted of mail that was sent out to be recycled because "It's not returnable, it's not deliverable as addressed" said U.S.P.S. Spokesperson Gina Haisma. The postal service said it would most likely know if "live" mail had been lost as there are processes in place to make sure mail gets delivered or returned. But the office assures this lost load of mail was past that point and needed to be recycled.
highway. This load consisted of mail that was sent out to be recycled because "It's not returnable, it's not deliverable as addressed" said U.S.P.S. Spokesperson Gina Haisma. The postal service said it would most likely know if "live" mail had been lost as there are processes in place to make sure mail gets delivered or returned. But the office assures this lost load of mail was past that point and needed to be recycled.Report Outlines Secure Paper and Electronic Destruction
MSNBC reported on October 6, 2008 that there are several measures that should be put into place in order to maintain the protection of personal information. The article provided instances of how easy it is to steal information by dumpster diving and what precautions businesses need to take in order to maintain information destruction compliance. The reporter was able to access confidential information of both companies and individuals by dumpster diving for paper records.
The article also provided the fact that recycling does not guarantee secure information destruction and that if concern is to "go green", individuals and companies can find an abundance of secure shredding companies that will recycle papers after they have been shredded. Businesses and individuals need to be aware of the problems and resolutions that this article outlines.
Click here to read the full article.
The Dangers of the Digital Copier
Do you know that when you use your copy machine that it may store the images for a long time? If you use a digital copier, it most likely has a hard drive in it that will capture the image and store it for an extended period. This is dangerous because if the information is not deleted immediately, security over sensitive and private information may be compromised. There is software available that will scramble the data that will prevent someone from accessing sensitive documents. It will write random data over the document that makes it unreadable. To read the full article click here.
Do you know that when you use your copy machine that it may store the images for a long time? If you use a digital copier, it most likely has a hard drive in it that will capture the image and store it for an extended period. This is dangerous because if the information is not deleted immediately, security over sensitive and private information may be compromised. There is software available that will scramble the data that will prevent someone from accessing sensitive documents. It will write random data over the document that makes it unreadable. To read the full article click here.Bits and Bytes of Document Management
When scanning in-house, or outsourcing scanning, it is often difficult to determine the amount of paper you are actually dealing with. The following are standards that approximate the number of pages held within a file cabinet or standard size box.
File Cabinet: 10,000 pages
File Drawer: 2,000 pages
Standard Storage Box: 3,000 letter size, 2,500 legal size
Pages Per Inch: Anywhere from 166 to 188 depending on how the box is packed.
In our next newsletter we will help you calculate the amount of pages that can be placed on a CD or DVD.
How to Pack a Records Storage Box
There really are right and wrong ways to pack a box for storage, whether it is entrusted to our care or your own. I went directly to our Operations Manager, Chris Annis, for his expert advice. Start with the box itself - make sure that it has been put together properly and that all of the handles/seams are intact. Before you start packing, remove any hanging files or large binders if possible. For letter-width files, pack in a logical order from front to back, starting from the end with "Contents" printed underneath the handle. Legal-width files can be packed at a 90 degree angle from the front. Organize the contents using an alphabetic or numeric range if available. When filled, leave two fingers-width at the back of the box to allow files to be pulled and additional documents to be filed in the future. Make sure the lid is folded correctly and pushed all the way down for a secure fit. Then, label the contents of the box, any alpha/numeric or date ranges, and the expiration date in the spaces provided. Do not write on the lid of the box, and write only on the box; do not use paper or "sticky" notes to label the contents of the box. And above all - no miscellaneous for a description. It is absolutely meaningless to everyone but the packer and most likely they will forget.
The Lighter Side
If I save an MP3 file into my Electronic Records Management System does it become a record?
Quotes:
"Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it"
--Milton Friedman
"Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases"
--John Adams