Data Protection Awareness Day

Data Protection Awareness Day

If you own a business or work in a facility that handles legal or medical documents, you can understand how devastating it would be if there were a data breach. This is a valid concern, as it has been reported that more than 1.6 million records were exposed in data breaches across the nation in 2015 alone.

There are measures you can take in order to keep your business’s and clients’ information classified. In fact, there is even an established holiday that serves the sole purpose of educating individuals just like yourself on keeping data protected. Here’s everything you need to know about Data Protection Awareness Day and keeping your information safe from falling into the wrong hands.

The Origin of Data Protection Awareness Day

Data Protection Awareness Day, also known as Data Privacy Day, is an international holiday that occurs on the 28th of January every year. This holiday was originally held in Europe, but two years later in 2008, the United States adopted the day in the hopes that it would spread awareness for the importance of keeping information safe online. Data Protection Awareness Day grew wildly in popularity, as a response to the increasing number of data breaches that were occurring throughout the country.

The Importance of Protecting Data

It is important to keep such data safe from hackers, not only from a moral standpoint, but also because you are legally obligated to. Especially if you work for a law firm, for instance, or a medical facility, keeping your clients’ and patients’ personal information secure from the public is required by law. However, it can be difficult to keep up with the ever-changing technologies online, which is where participating in Data Protection Awareness Day can prove to be beneficial.

There are several institutions in both the US and the UK that participate in Data Protection Awareness Day in order to help spread the latest news and laws in regards to protecting data that is stored online. In observance of the holiday, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) focuses on educating online citizens with the information they need for keeping information safe. On Jan. 28, you can receive security check-ups for free, check privacy settings and learn about different resources for your particular industry.

Ways to Keep Information Safe

By following the safety guidelines you can learn about on Data Protection Awareness Day, you are one step closer to safeguarding precious information online. Unfortunately, this won’t be enough to completely protect your business. You can remain compliant with the law by hiring a shredding company to properly dispose of documents and old hard drives. Doing so will ensure that your information cannot be leaked, as it is destroyed right in the parking lot of your office.

Here at PROSHRED, we offer full shredding services in southern New Jersey that get rid of your unwanted documents in an efficient and reliable manner. If you are interested in learning more about how to protect your information, feel free to reach out to us today.