A document management company, Cintas Corp., and the Ponemon Institute, a company that conducts independent research on privacy, data protection and information security policy, recently teamed up to identify a few commonly overlooked areas of risk for data security.

With the cost of data breaches estimated at an average of $5.4 million per incident, businesses need to be diligent in securely destroying data stored on digital devices, such as fax machines and routers.

Here are a few of the most commonly overlooked digital devices that could create the risk of a security breach:
1. Old hard drives. Many discarded or unaccounted for hard drives contain confidential and recoverable information.
2. Copy machines. The latest generation of digital copiers has a hard disk that can often include sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and account numbers.
3. Fax machines. They contain hard drives that store data from each document they transmit.
4. Routers. Pirates using your Internet connection can not only slow down your connection, they can also gain access to confidential information.
5. Mobile devices. Businesses must put “Bring Your Own Device” or BYOD and mobile device policies in place to protect against the potential risk of a stolen or missing mobile device.

Awareness is the first step in thwarting a data breach; the next is enacting policies that help protect your business and your employees.

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