18 Top Tips for Securing Electronic Documents | Proof

Cybercrime is expected to reach a global annual cost of up to $10.5 trillion by 2025. With remote work and global teams becoming the norm, securing electronic documents is more important than ever. Here are some essential tips for protecting your digital documents against current and future cyber threats.

18 Electronic Document Security Tips

1. Backup your documents

Create backups of all important documents and files. Store these backups in a secure location and protect them with the same security measures as the originals.

2. Track revisions to have a digital paper trail

Maintain a record of document revisions, including who made changes and when. This adds clarity, transparency, and security.

3. Digitize and automate previously paper-based, manual processes

Preserve original files in an unalterable format, such as PDFs. Digitizing and automating documents improves control over accessibility and efficiency.

4. Invest in IT and resources to ensure cybersecurity

Utilize cybersecurity tools like network intrusion detection, antivirus software, and encryption tools to protect your documents.

5. Grant document access with custom permissions

Customize document access to provide oversight and prevent threats such as digital signature fraud.

6. Protect document accessibility with a need-to-know basis policy

Store and access documents only on a need-to-know basis. Allow access to sensitive information only to those who need it, and only for as long as necessary.

7. Integrate document redactions

Edit documents to protect sensitive information, similar to how attorneys redact documents to maintain privilege.

8. Synchronize files by utilizing an integration tool

Use integrated software tools to solve formatting issues, structure accessibility, and improve efficiency and security.

9. Organize documents by security risk

Organize documents based on their sensitivity and vulnerability to security risks.

10. Ensure that hidden metadata doesn’t accidentally become visible

Remove hidden metadata from documents before storing them electronically to prevent accidental exposure.

11. Educate team on the latest cybersecurity threats

Train your team on digital security topics, such as the differences between digital and electronic signatures, to ensure comprehensive understanding of document security protocols.

12. Establish a procedure for the destruction of documents

Implement procedures to ensure that deleted files cannot be recovered, such as scrubbing hard drives and making data unrecoverable.

13. Invest in mobile security measures

Establish a mobile security framework to protect information shared via mobile devices, as mobile data can be especially vulnerable.

14. Prioritize internal security to prevent insider leakage

Secure documents from internal threats, as most security breaches are due to internal mishandling or manipulation.

15. Test to reveal security vulnerabilities

Regularly test how easily sensitive documents can be accessed by internal team members and the public to identify and fix vulnerabilities.

16. Scrub hard drives to make sure that the data is truly deleted

Ensure hard drives are thoroughly scrubbed of all sensitive materials at the end of their usable life cycle.

17. Don’t store sensitive information any longer than you need it

Implement record retention schedules to ensure documents are destroyed at the end of their useful life cycle.

18. Protect your document files from natural disasters

Develop a backup plan to store files in an alternative location to protect against natural and unnatural disasters.

How Notarize Practices Electronic Document Security

Notarize, a leader in remote online notarization, employs multi-factor authentication, encrypted two-way notary sessions with video recording, and meticulous record-keeping of all transaction files. Their platform is designed for businesses seeking to save time and money while providing a secure customer experience.