Are you aware of GDPR? Read this first.
According to a School week article “66 schools reported data breaches in 2015, including the accidental loss, theft or revealing of information”.
The main culprits?
Out of date IT equipment and stored data files.
They recommend freeing up a staff member three times a week to dust over archaic computer systems or face a fine of 4 percent your annual turnover.
Is that mandatory?
No.
Now GDPR is coming into force on the 25th May but, that doesn’t mean “schools out forever”.
Before you start pencilling into a search engine what school data do I need to protect under GDPR, read on, and we’ll unveil how your data protection worries can be relieved through a simple act of shredding.
School Data Breach
What personal data would a school have hold of?
These details can range from pupils, past-students, parents and staff, as well as any visitors to the school.
Data breaches happen when information is mishandled.
A schools admission apprentice faced fines by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after sharing on social media a council spreadsheet concerning children and their eligibility for free school meals. What concerns this example of a data breach is not only the confidential information but, the image included names, addresses and dates of birth of all the pupils involved.
This video from the Governmental Education Department outlines all the personal data risk schools need to be aware of when tackling GDPR.
What schools need to ask themselves about personal data
For every type of data ask yourself at the very least:
- Sharing – Do we need this information?
- Retainment – How long will we need to retain it for?
- Access – Can this be retrieved with ease if we receive a data request?
Once you’ve got a handle on data sharing, retainment and access, the next vital step is how you secure this information.
Here comes shredding.
Shredding: The answer to school security
Personal information comes in many forms, not just from a computer monitor or an overflowing archive. We destroy paper, USB drives and school-related materials that could lead to a possible data breach.
All services come included with a free site survey, we will be able to inform what service would suit you best. We provide a certificate of destruction upon completion of each service.
Our service comes in the following formats:
One-off shredding
Our one-off service organised at a time best suited for yourself. You might consider half-term when all the students are away on break. We can come to your premises to ensure it all gets done then and there with on-site shredding.
Regular shredding
If you process and need data secured at regular intervals, we offer a daily, weekly and monthly flexible arrangement. We will provide secure consoles for which you can place the sensitive information inside. Then upon the service, we pick it up, dispose and return back to you. This is best suited for off-site shredding.