A main focus of business owners is to protect sensitive or confidential information that pertains to either the business itself or its clients. For businesses with sensitive customer personal information, those regulated by confidentiality laws (such as law firms or medical facilities) or those with patents, trademarks or trade secrets is it especially important to be extremely cautious with the confidential information. This becomes more tedious during the course of an office move.
Office moves are chaotic; with a top-notch New York City officer mover, the move will be less chaotic but there is always an element of stress involved. Because of the chaos, the likelihood of confidential information slipping into the hands of someone will ill intentions, or documents being lost or misplaced, is increased. Because of this, it is important to have a plan in place to ensure adequate protection of confidential business or client information during an office move.
Take inventory. This simple rule applies for all items owned or possessed by your business when preparing for an office relocation; however, it is especially important for sensitive documents. In order to adequately safeguard information, a business owner must first know that he or she has that information.
An effective method is to break down data by client, business sector or other delineating factor and account for each folder or box that you have that pertains to that topic. When the move is complete, it will be clear whether everything is accounted for at the new office. If not, it will be easier to search for it, since it is clear what is missing, or employ an effective backup plan to guarantee that no confidentiality is breached.
Dispose of what you no longer need. Often times, business owners have a habit of retaining documents for significantly longer than needed. An office move can become less chaotic, more efficient and more secure if unneeded items and documents are properly disposed of before the move.
For hard copies of documents, this process is simple: shred all confidential information that is no longer needed. For electronic data, it is important to simply not just move a file from a folder to the trash on your desktop; it will remain out there to be found. In order to know how to properly dispose of files on your computer or server, contact the IT department or a trusted NYC commercial moving company with experience in relocating technology.
Lock up the remaining information. This is, unfortunately, a common oversight during a business relocation. Sensitive information should not simply be boxed up in a moving box in the same manner as all other business possessions. Instead, keep confidential documents in locked filing cabinets, drawers or bins; this will keep the documents secure so long as the container in which the documents remain does not break, requiring a top commercial moving company in New York City.
Choose a secure warehouse. For an office move that will span the course of several days or weeks, it is important to keep your documents and information secure at all times. Confidential or sensitive documents should remain locked in a New York City commercial storage facility at all times. Do not keep documents in either the old or new office unsupervised, place them in residential storage, or allow employees to take documents home.
Hire Eagle Transfer for your NYC commercial move. Since 1974, Eagle Transfer has been the expert New York City commercial moving company. We provide both commercial storage with 24/7 security and commercial moving that allows for a successful relocation. Our movers are knowledgeable on the process of safeguarding important, sensitive and confidential documents and will guarantee that your information remains safe and accounted for while in our hands.
If your business is unable to pack and move it’s confidential information on its own, our professional movers are trustworthy, experienced and equipped to help the process for both hard copies and electronically stored information. Contact us today for your commercial moving quote.