There are many things small businesses can do to help protect both digital and physical customer data. For physical data, one of the best data protection tactics is to shred all documents once they are no longer needed. If a business is required to keep a document, it should be placed in locked storage until it can be shredded. Shred-it promotes a shred it all policy to remove any confusion if a document contains confidential data.
For digital data, ensure it is password protected. If a breach occurs, change passwords, disconnect devices from the internet server, back up the information, and identify and contain potential malware. Providers like Shred-it can help companies destroy hardware via two methods: the hard drive punch and hard drive shearing.