News

15Jul
2016

Tips For Keeping Financial Documents Safe

Imagine coming home from an important business trip, or a relaxing vacation, only to discover the front door has been kicked opened. Your heart skips a beat, and for a second you don't know if you should get inside the house or not. What if the burglars are still there?

The Dreaded Scenario

You go to the garage to pick up a tool from your toolbox so you can defend yourself in case something bad is about to happen. As you approach the door to your garage, you notice it has also been tampered with! The horror! What if the thieves took off with your car? You decide to knock on the door of one of your trustworthy neighbors and ask them to accompany you while you get inside your home and inspect the garage. The coast is clear, and the burglars are long gone, along with your laptop, jewelry, an external drive you were using to store all of your family photos, and the box you used for storing your most important business documents. You were using the box to safely store some of your latest business plans and ideas, and the damage is no irreversible. You had saved virtual copies on your laptop, but, unfortunately, the device is no longer in your possession.

Can you imagine having to go through such a hassle? Replacing all those documents, most of them unique copies of your business files? Theft is not the only type of threat you could be looking at when it comes to your papers. Floods and bad ele

ctrical wiring that can lead to a fire inside your office building or at home could also cause a disaster.

Destroy What You No Longer Need

• Sounds like a title for a revenge movie, but, in fact, we are talking about the documents you no longer need to use. Do not be tempted to simply put them away, just in case, or toss/recycle them in the trash bin.

• Given the degree of sensitivity of these documents in terms of personal data, focus on disposing of them the right way. Use a shredder or an incinerator.

Use Filling Cabinets With Locks

• Put the documents you will want to store in filing boxes and organize them in alphabetical order or by category.

• To add a touch of security to the storage process, use locked filing cabinets with sturdy lock mechanisms. You can also choose lockers to stash your boxes of documents on top of each other.

• Store your long-term financial papers at safe deposits at a local bank. You can also opt for a safe you can have installed or bolted down to the floor of your office. Make sure the locks on it are working fine, and immediately get in touch with expert 24-7 emergency locksmith services whenever you notice something off with one of the locks on your office door, cabinet files, or safe. Opportunist thieves will want to take advantage of even the smallest glitch or vulnerability in a lock. Thus, it is important to maintain all locks on doors, windows, drawers and cabinets working in good condition. Also, fitting a security alarm and surveillance cameras around the storage rooms should discourage employees or intruders from getting in.