Earlier this year, the American public was notified about the controversial surveillance that occurred under the National Security Agency, also known as the NSA. Businesses that used Microsoft or Google’s tools could have indirectly provided information to the NSA because they were among the nine companies that cooperated with the organization.
In 2011 alone, the organization went on 231 cyber operations, hoping to get intelligence on nations like Iran and North Korea, according to TechWorld.
The scary part about it is that many companies are digitizing their records and memos, making them vulnerable to a potential breach at any moment. Even if the files are placed in firewalls with encrypted codes, sophisticated hackers or the NSA are capable of breaking through these servers.
“The majority of organizations are prepared for amateur hackers and low-level criminals, but are completely ill-equipped to deal with today’s advanced nation-state foes,” Philip Lieberman, Lieberman Software CEO, told CIO.
Record storage vendors say that moving these files into a remote cloud network will streamline operations, but similar to many innovations, they have their own disadvantages as well. Document conversion has upfront costs and lower sales because workers are attending training sessions to learn these new technologies. On top of that, businesses only have to pay to keep the files locked away from the company.
There is no doubt that the NSA will continue to expand its cyber operations. They have the resources to withstand any computer protection programs, while businesses that don’t may put their clients at risk. In fact, 58 percent of firms believe they are already “losing the battle” against government intrusions. Working with a records management provider can help win that fight.