How will my vendor prevent lost tapes and privacy breach?

It is vitally important that your vendor be able to return your tapes to you - quickly - when you need them.

It is also critical that your vendor has tight chain of custody control over your tapes, since lost tapes can trigger expensive and embarrassing notification and credit monitoring requirements if the tapes contain personally identifiable information related to your employees or customers.

Standard operating procedures

Your vendor should have thoroughly documented policies and procedures covering all aspects of their operations. These procedures should be audited on a regular basis to ensure compliance.

Tape handling procedures should include provisions for item barcode scanning each time a tape or container is touched. Ideally, you should have online access to the chain of custody history of each item.

Some tape storage vendors will allocate specific shelf slots for your tapes, rather than intermixing your tapes with the tapes of other clients. This is an added control feature designed to highlight and prevent against misfiled tapes, ensuring that your tapes can be located without delay when you need them.

Employee training

Your vendor's employees should receive regular training on information handling procedures and on privacy rules. Employees should also be tested to ensure comprehension.