As this blog has mentioned in the past, businesses are incredibly vulnerable to criminal activity as well as unintentional yet harmful activity from inside the organization. Many companies take extreme measures to protect their finances and sensitive information from outside activity and data breaches, but it’s perhaps even more important to prevent an inside breach.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Department in Southern Florida is investigating a former employee, who many claim stole from inside the office prior to their dismissal. Sheriff Al Lamberti spoke with the Sun-Sentinel about the investigation and expressed optimism that it would produce the results the department is looking for.
“I have total confidence in our Internal Affairs staff to get to the bottom of this,” Lamberti said. “They are the ones who uncovered it. The information didn’t come to us from an outside source. I’m very proud of the work they’ve done here.”
While the details of the investigation are still relatively unknown, there is a strong possibility that a substantial amount of important, sensitive data was taken. Before being forced to bring in Internal Affairs and conduct a serious investigation, businesses should ensure that any potential criminal activity or employee mishaps are blocked before it has a chance to occur.
By working with a records management provider, companies can take proper care of all their files. Controls can be used to ensure only authorized employees have access to restricted information. Storing documents offsite in a professional facility can eliminate the possibility of an internal theft. This is important because, regardless of the number of actions taken to stop this kind of activity, workers in the same building as whatever it is they are trying to steal could be difficult to stop.
When records are stored outside the facilities, access is restricted, negating the effects of a targeted attack.