Document scanning and GDPR compliance
Digitising documents using Brother’s single or multifunction scanners helps SMBs create a secure and efficient document management system, boosting both security and productivity in one go. We’ve seen how digitising paper records can support SMBs’ efforts to become both GDPR compliant and more productive.
It’s been impossible to avoid the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) this year.
The new rules have put data security on the national agenda and have got the general public thinking about their data and privacy like never before.
It’s also pushed the issue up the agenda for SMBs, not least because organisations can be fined up to four per cent of their annual global turnover for breaching GDPR, or up to €20 million, whichever is higher.
Despite it being an EU-imposed regulation, Brexit, when it comes, will not mean British businesses can dodge their GDPR obligations.
Not just an EU issue
If you hold data on customers in Europe then you will still have to comply with GDPR, and after we leave the EU in April 2019, organisations that hold European data and UK data will need to comply with both GDPR and the stringent UK data protection rules.
So, the need to stay within the law should act as an immediate prompt to SMBs to take action.
But what does GDPR mean for the average SMB?
Put simply, it means that all personal data you hold on customers, suppliers and employees must be secure, and because GDPR gives individuals more rights as to how their data is used, you must be able to manage the data that you hold effectively and efficiently.
Data security is a growing issue for businesses of all sizes, with more than four in 10 UK businesses having suffered a data breach or cyber-attack in the last year, and Brother has consistently sought to raise awareness and develop robust solutions.
Digitising documents using Brother’s single or multifunction scanners helps SMBs create a secure and efficient document management system, boosting both security and productivity in one go.
Protocols and permissions
Once a confidential document has been scanned and a digital PDF version stored, it can still be vulnerable.
But Brother’s scanners can instantly secure any new PDF file with a four-digit PIN, so nobody can open it without your permission.
Another option, incorporated in many Brother scanners, is Scan to Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).
SFTP establishes a private and safe data stream, so you can send scanned data to your own or third party SFTP locations as normal, but with an added layer of encryption.
And by controlling access to SFTP servers more closely, organisations can make their entire network even more secure by fully closing a potential gateway in and out of their system.
Better data hygiene processes can have the dual benefit of driving greater efficiency too.
Efficient and agile
Scanning and digitising documents enables modern agile working practices, giving those working off-site the same secure access as their colleagues in the main office.
But it’s important to make the process as efficient as possible, something Brother has pioneered with our use of technologies including Barcode scanning software, which automatically routes PDF files to the required location on your network. And Optical Character Recognition and text recognition software, which can turn your digital scans into into editable, searchable text.
We’ve seen how digitising paper records can support SMBs’ efforts to become both GDPR compliant and more productive.
Brothers products are already helping firms in sectors including legal, logistics, healthcare and professional services achieve amazing results.
With our support, your business can future-proof its data processes too. Learn more about our scanning solutions here.