2 min read
September 22, 2017 
So you’ve got a fancy new cloud HR software system. Excellent. Your staff are happy, You’re happy. But what about your legacy documentation?
Given the existence of GDPR, it's likely that you’ve already addressed your digital data needs. But have you done everything you need to about physical records?
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) requires you to carry out a data audit to assess what you hold and in what formats. And to compile a data register of all the information you’ll need to hold on an ongoing basis.
Treat Sensitive Information Carefully
HR is dealing with sensitive information, so caution is needed.
You’ll need to check what records you’re required to retain on past employees so that you only keep what’s necessary – and have plans in place for how to store and access this information and to destroy the rest responsibly.
With your digital records, you must ensure you have your position clear on whether you’re a data controller, data processor or both.
Everything Is in The Right Place
When it comes to the physical records that you need to keep, you have to make provision for secure storage.
And since you have HR software in the cloud for your ongoing needs, why not have them scanned and sent to the cloud until you either need to access them again or can erase them when their retention period has passed?
You’ve surely heard many arguments in favour of digitising records before. They’re all valid.
If you select a reputable scanning services provider with all the right compliance requirements (GDPR and ISO27001), you’ll enjoy the benefits of:
- Saved space
- Reduced storage costs
- Peace of mind against theft, fire and other risks
- Accessibility from any location, subject to permission levels
- Audit trails of who has accessed what information and when
The process of sifting through the records is something you have to do to meet your compliance regulations. But, if you digitise everything, then your staff will have an easier time performing their audit assessment of what needs to be kept on your data register or disposed of.
Useful Links for Irish organisations
If you’re looking for a reliable scanning services provider to digitise your legacy physical records, we can highly recommend Datascan.ie as a trusted operator in Ireland, holding all the necessary security certifications and infrastructure to deliver on their promises.
Many leading Irish companies depend on Datascan’s thoroughness, standards and reliability.
