ISO Quality Services Ltd August Newsletter

17 Aug, 2016

Welcome to the August 2016 edition of the ISO Quality Services Ltd Newsletter

We hope you’re having a good month so far! In this edition – our recently certified clients, disposing of your data and hear from one of our clients about implementing ISO standards in their business.

Are you disposing of your data correctly?

Digital debris: how long should we store data for, and what type of data is most at risk?

Around the world, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data a day and this figure is rising. Whether on-site, off-site, in the cloud, large volumes of ‘big data’ are captured and stored.

Think about emails and attachments, CRM systems, text messages, log files, conference calls, social media – masses of data, that track not only workflows but online user habits as well.

The dangers and consequences are still apparent for small businesses. If you were to suffer a breach – what information could be accessed or compromised?

What potentially sensitive data do I keep that might have expired?

With data debris the key is to work out what is adding value to your business and what is simply being stored for the sake of it. Most businesses keep information about ex-employees, might misfile documents, create draft or multiple copies and even forget about potentially sensitive information stored on legacy systems.

You might find you still need to hold some data by law or a legal requirement and disposing of useful data too soon could have a negative impact to the business. However, some of this data might pose a danger to many small to medium businesses if not destroyed or securely stored.

Create a data retention policy

Active data management looks at expired data as having less value, but increased security risk. Having a data retention policy in your business allows you to regularly review the data it holds, review the length of time it is held for and how to approach data archiving and then disposal.

By disposing of old data you can focus on extrapolating more useful data for analytics and business use. Furthermore you can improve the performance of IT systems, reduce costs, further develop your infrastructure, improve risk management and increase security and privacy assurance for customers and staff.

For more information take a look at the ICO’s advice for disposing of personal data or review the Government’s Data Protection rules.

Sources: ICO, EDRM – Disposing of Digital Debris, ActOn

Implementing ISO 9001 & ISO 14001: Savanna Rags International Ltd Case Study

Looking to implement ISO standards within you business? Hear from Midlands-based, Savanna Rags about their ISO journey with ISO Quality Services Ltd: 

Savanna Rags International Ltd is a recycler and exporter of high-quality second hand clothing, shoes and textiles.

They are a family-run business, based in the Midlands and supporting community organisations and charities is an essential part of their business model.

Their work helps to reduce landfill waste and support deserving charities. Savanna Rags work with UK-based partners and also aid charities further afield in Africa and Eastern Europe.

Savanna Rags have held both ISO 9001 Quality Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification with us since 2012.

Why ISO 9001 and ISO 14001?

As a company looking to grow, they recognised that implementation of the ISO standards could help the company to expand in a “controlled fashion”, whilst also considering the effect on quality and their impact on the environment.

Savanna Rags acknowledged that implementation would be a big factor in helping to support key business areas and manage awareness of the principles of the standards throughout the organisation.

Furthermore, they could also see the potential impact on increasing staff morale and training capabilities, customer satisfaction, and improve supplier monitoring and control.

Gaining ISO certification supported their expansion programme as customers and service providers, as well as their employees, were “more aware of what they wanted to achieve” as their part of their broader strategy for the company.

Find out more about how certification has positively affected their business both internally and externally

Meet Our Team

While it is our job to find out lots about you and your business requirements, we thought that you might like to get to know us a little bit better. Each month we will introduce you to a member of our team, giving you opportunity to learn more about each of us!

Get to know Ina!

This month you can find out all about Ina. 

What is your role in the office? Tell us a bit about the project you are working on

I am currently doing my MBA at the University of Worcester and as a part of my degree doing internship here as an International Business Intern. My project includes a lot of research about countries which could be new potential markets for services we are offering. I just came back from Finland, where I was learning more about their business culture and organisation’s need for certifications.

What is your favourite thing about working at ISO Quality Services? 

My favourite thing here at ISOQSL must be the people I work with. Everyone made me feel welcome when I joined ISO in June and every day the atmosphere at the office is warm and welcoming. Big bonus is Harry who makes me smile even when having a bad day.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Concentrate on present and future. What happened in the past is past and you can’t change it but you can change your future and make it better with your own choices.

Tell us something in the office nobody knows about you

I wanted to be a professional rider or musician. I ended up studying business which was never my plan.

What makes you happiest?

Here in Worcester I love spending time with my friends and boyfriend. Back at home in Finland, I could easily  spent a day with my dogs. Just relax with them and enjoy their company.

How would your best friends describe you?

My best friends would say I am loyal and helpful, always there for them if needed. The negative thing they would say is im the most stubborn person they’ve ever met and sometimes it can be really irritating.

Be part of our Online Community

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ISO news, training updates and offers, meet the ISO QSL team and connect with other like-minded individuals.

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Receive a free case of wine or a £50 Marks & Spencer’s Voucher…..the choice is yours!

(To qualify for this you must refer a successful lead).

To offer your referrals please contact – info@isoqsltd.com or call 01905 670303